Unusual activities to suit the whole family
FROGGING! What on earth
is that?
This is mostly the
reaction Alwyn Wentzel,
operations manager at
Amakhosi Safari Lodge, gets
when he brings up the topic.
Frogging, he says, is the
activity of locating and
identifying frogs in their
natural habitat. “There are so
many colourful, delicate and
beautiful frogs that won’t be
seen unless you go looking
for them. At Amakhosi, we
kit out ‘froggers’ with a
headlamp, zip-lock bag and
gumboots, advising guests to
wear old clothes, as frogging
happens in muddy places.”
He says once located,
a frog is gently caught
and ‘bagged’ for close-up
observation. “The reason
for the bag is to protect the
frog’s sensitive skin against
toxins on our hands such as
sweat and chemicals. While
observing the frogs, the guide
discusses behaviour, the role
of frogs in wetland systems
and the importance of
wetlands in our increasingly
polluted world.”
According to Alwyn, frogging
is about getting out of a
vehicle and physically getting
your hands dirty while
discovering the micro world.
James McCulloch,
co-founder of Maputaland
Travel, which manages
Rocktail Camp, Gugulesizwe
Dive Camp and Gugulesizwe
Research Camp, says while
activities include scuba
diving, humpback whale
watching or turtle sightings,
there are also experiences
that are not traditionally
expected.
“We offer a scorpion walk
where guides take guests
out at night and using a UV
light they attempt to find
scorpions, which emit a glow
from their exo-skeletons,” he
says.
“We also offer a village tour
where guests accompany
a village elder as he leads
them through a day in the life
of a community member.”
Palm wine is a local brew,
explains James. “We visit the
palm wine tapster’s brewery
and he hosts a tour.” This
is not a brewery with lots of
machines, he says, it is a
hut.
Similarly, a visit to a
sangoma, collecting grass for
thatching or accompanying
a young herd boy to bring
cattle home in the evening
are among the cultural
experiences available to
Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
guests opting for an overnight
stay at a homestead, says
Isibindi Africa Lodges
marketing manager, Penny
Rice.
Alternatively, guests at
the Kosi Forest and Thonga
Beach Lodges can explore
the iSimangaliso Wetland
Park’s unique eco-system
by canoe, motorised boat or
on foot, such as opting for a
guided walk through a raffia
palm forest or turtle tracking
in summer.
For guests in the Port
Edward area, a must-see
includes Beaver Creek Coffee
Estate, recommends Mark
Jakins, group sales, revenue
and marketing director at
Premier Hotels and Resorts.
“Wild Waves Water Park has
rides to thrill all ages and the
Umtamvuna Nature Reserve
is home to birds, buck,
baboons and monkeys.
Golden Mile is catalyst for development
BEACH tourism continues
to be the number-one
attraction in KZN, with the
province’s prime beaches
situated along Durban’s
famous Golden Mile, says
Tourism KwaZulu-Natal
spokesperson, Nhlanhla
Ngwenya.
“The beachfront
promenade, upgraded
several years ago, is
currently being extended.
This R300m project, from
uShaka Marine World
to the harbour entrance
channel, will be the catalyst
destined to unlock a R35bn
development at the Point
Waterfront over the next
five to ten years.
This will include a hotel,
shopping centre, offices
and homes.”
She says designs are also
being finalised for a new
R200m cruise terminal in
Durban, which will attract
even more cruise liners to
the city.
To the point
Maputaland Travel is in negotiations with its national park authority and during this process it
has closed booking sheets on Rocktail Camp, advises Maputaland Travel’s James McCulloch.
“We are planning on making a number of upgrades to Gugulesizwe Dive Camp and Gugulesizwe
Research Camp. We are also in the midst of further negotiations to open a high-end camp called
Rocktail Bay at the site of an old camp of the same name, which has now been abandoned.
Keeping little bodies busy
MAPUTALAND Travel offers a
paradise for younger visitors,
with the space and freedom
available in abundance that
may be lacking from city
childhoods. Children can
participate in nature walks,
sand boarding or snorkelling,
just a few of the many
excursions on offer.
Aha Alpine Heath Resort
in the northern Drakensberg
offers activities that include
hiking trails, horse-riding,
tennis, squash, table tennis,
putt-putt golf, swimming and
catch-and-release fly-fishing,
says spokesperson, Lebogang
Manoko.
Additionally, the resort has
a WOW Kids’ Zone featuring
board games, table tennis,
Lego building blocks as well as
PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
Year-round entertainment
“Our 365-day entertainment
programme for kids and adults
has daily activities such as
scavenger hunts, musical
chairs, face painting, puppet
making, marshmallow braai and
storytelling, biscuit decorating,
frog pouch making and kiddies’
movies. Volleyball, musical quiz,
general knowledge, bingo and
karaoke entertain the adults.”
Lebogang says the
peak season programme
incorporates acts such as
Scaraman the Magician as well
as the Reptiles & More Animal
Show. “We’ve also introduced
pony rides for kids up to the
age of ten.”
Game drives for kids
For a bush experience, three- to
six-year-olds at Rhino Ridge
Safari Lodge in the Hluhluwe
iMfolozi Park can join a kiddies’
morning drive, advises Isibindi
Africa Lodges Penny Rice.
A rickshaw ride along
the beachfront will also be
unforgettable for a child and
families can’t ignore uShaka
Marine World, both top
attractions on the Golden Mile.
Mark Jakins of Premier
Hotels and Resorts, says the
Premier Kids’ Club keeps
children under 12 busy with
talent shows, pony rides,
kiddies’ Olympic Games,
treasure hunts, pool games,
face painting, supervised walks
and marshmallow toasting.
Itineraries can also include
the Durban Harbour or Mini
Town.
At the Moses Mabhida
Stadium, visitors take a quick
trip on the SkyCar to get a
360º view of the city and
beyond, or brave the Big Rush
Big Swing to soar over the
centre of the stadium in a
220m arc.
The Port Natal Maritime
Museum shares historic sea
voyages, while the Umgeni
Steam Railway train takes
passengers back in time
during its route from Kloof
Station through the Valley
of a Thousand Hills to
Inchanga.
Did you know?
KZN has two new five-star eco
lodges in the Umfolozi Big Five
Game Reserve and a third is in
the pipeline. The Mantis Collection
manages Biyela and Mthembu,
the first lodges to be built in a
proclaimed wilderness area. The
third lodge, Zulu, will have luxury
tented accommodation.
