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Write a User ReviewRural Zululand’s Best-Kept Secret: Ithala
Ntshondwe Camp is located right at the base of a towering cliff. From here, a short and fairly easy hike leads to a viewpoint above the camp, offering sweeping views across the reserve and into the distant hills of Zululand. It is well worth doing, especially in the early morning or late afternoon.
Hyrax are regular residents around the camp, scampering among the rocks. In the evenings, while enjoying a braai at the well-equipped self-catering chalets, you might be joined by a spotted genet or hear the distinctive calls of a greater bushbaby moving through
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the trees. Birdlife is excellent, with Verreaux’s eagle frequently seen soaring along the cliffs and southern bald ibis feeding on the grassy slopes.Game drives reveal a good variety of large mammals. Giraffe, buffalo and elephant are all present, and the open grasslands are ideal for zebra and tsessebe, Africa’s fastest antelope. White rhino are common, while sightings of the more elusive black rhino are a special bonus. Ithala is not known for abundant predators, but on one visit I was lucky enough to see a leopard quietly cross the road, a perfect reminder of the reserve’s wild character.
Hill country
This is a very scenic reserve, with an altitudinal span of more than 1,000 metres, that can easily be visited in conjunction with other better-known ‘Zululand reserves’ such as Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, iSimangaliso and uMkhuze. The wildlife is less impressive than the scenery, though there is a good chance of seeing white rhino, giraffe and elephant, and on our most recent visit we lucked a brief but gratifying sighting of a leopard crossing the road. I was also impressed by the variety of antelope and birds we saw on most game drives. In many respects, my favourite aspect of this park was the main rest camp, which lies on a rocky, densely vegetated slope and supports plenty of birds and rock hyraxes. Based on our most recent visit, the rest camp is perhaps the most reliable spot in South Africa for close-up nocturnal sightings of the bug-eyed bushbaby and lithe spotted genet (a rather catlike relative of the weasel).
Zululand variety
Ntshondwe Camp, the main accommodation, is spectacularly sited on a steep hillside of aloes and rock stacks, but may be too large and organised for some tastes. By
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contrast, the three tiny bushcamps each accommodate only a handful of guests and feel far more remote; during my night at Thalu Bushcamp, a genet came sniffing around the campfire and greater bushbabies rummaged through our kitchen.Luxury safari destination at a fraction of the cost
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Another big attraction of the park for me is that as it’s less popular than other parks such as Kruger, you’ll virtually have it all to yourself – bliss!An attractive reserve best suited for a leisurely safari experience over a few days
Ithala’s main camp, Ntshondwe, is ingeniously camouflaged among wild fig trees at the foot of towering pink and russet sandstone cliffs. From here it’s a short walk to a waterhole, where the sight of rhino and elephant droppings instantly raised my expectations of what there was to see in the park. I wasn’t disappointed, and saw grazers on the grasslands including eland, giraffe, kudu, blue wildebeest and zebra, as well as the normally shy and rare tsessebe, plus good sightings of rhino in the woodlands and black and Martial eagles on the cliffs. While Ithala doesn’t have great herds of game in terms of size as other parks, and it’s a bit out of the way, it is home to four of the Big Five (not lion), and the camps are ideal for spending a few relaxing days in the bush.