I have been lucky enough to visit some beautiful game lodges. Phinda has always been my favourite. We used to come every year before we moved to Durban and I love it, but it’s not my favourite any more.
If you are looking for a combination of an easy drive, wonderful food, the best hosts I have ever encountered and abundant game, Umzolozolo really is the most fantastic find.
Situated at Nambiti Private Game Reserve, Umzolozolo is one of a series of lodges from tented camps to luxury accomodation, and it is perfection from the moment you arrive. Dave and his wife Debbie run the lodge as if it was their home, and you were treasured guests. You arrive after an easy three hour drive from Durban and are met with cold towels and a cocktail.
Sitting looking over the most spectacular view of the valley below, you are told game drive times, who’s who in the zoo, and put completely at ease. With the rim filled pool sparkling in the sunshine, and a tree snake curled up above our heads, crowds of bright yellow weavers flying in to eat off the bird table, tension melts away and you can’t believe Durban is even within striking distance. It is bliss.
After the chat and shaking off the cares of the week, we went to see our room. Spectacular is the only word, everyone has different things that make a holiday, but the suite was perfectly appointed with a fantastic eye for detail.
Glass bottles of bubble bath, a decanter of sherry, a fridge full of cold beers, Champagne and bottles of water, a huge stone tub with a dramatic view of the bush…..and the most comfortable bed I have slept in for a long time. Call me a townie but when I saw that the jacuzzi on our terrace meant I could look at the bush while up to my neck in bubbling hot water, I was ecstatic.
I lay in the tub, and prepared for the game drive. I have to say that my husband was thrilled that a television, with sport on it was in the bedroom, one of his main objections to ‘larney’ game lodges is the lack of any technology, so he was happy! With every muscle in my body unwound, a happy son and husband and a sherry in me for warmth we set out.We had hardly left the camp when we saw in quick succession, eland, zebra, chameleon, blesbok, lion, the game just kept coming.
I can honestly say we saw more game on the first drive than I saw in four days last time I was at Mountain Lodge in Phinda and while I know that this is very much the luck of the draw, to be so close to home and see such varied and plentiful game really was something.
My son, who is fourteen found a friend on the vehicle, and when we stopped for sundowners the boys wandered around picking up stones, and pieces of bone from where kills had taken place. I will never forget the horizon, gin and tonic in hand, Dave offering round biltong, herons flying overhead, zebra and wildebeest on the plain, thorn trees silhouetted against the dusky sky.
If you think I am waxing too lyrical, look at TripAdvisor, and you will find more glowing reviews. The best for me was yet to come in the form of the food. Every meal, and I mean every one from breakfast to dinner was fabulous. Highlights were the homemade soups, the lamb shank, the ostrich, the cooked breakfast in the mornings.
There is food and drink every time you turn around, and beautiful vistas to accompany them. My memories will be with me a long time, and I am not easily impressed. The warmth of the hosts, the balance of fantastic meals and no pressure, the lack of pretension and yet perfect service. This is a winner, and we should all get in our cars and go and support them.
If you have something special to celebrate, book out the whole Lodge, enjoy a dinner in the boma, or a picnic by the river. They will do anything to make your stay a memorable one.
The final day on our way out we visited the cheetah rehabilitation programme, held a meerkat, stroked African wildcats and petted cheetahs and leopards. I got in the car, after three nights of bliss in the honeymoon suite, with the sounds of the bush in my ears, the taste of the food in my mouth and the memory of Umzolozolo in my heart. From the South of France to South Africa, that was the best holiday yet. I will be back.
To book at Umzolozolo Lodge contact tracey@umzolozolo.com and have a look at their website www.umzolozolo.com for more details. If you want to telephone, call 031 579 3870 or 083 267 9582