1 CAPE VIDAL
If you can’t choose between bush or beach, head to Cape Vidal in iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The drive there from St Lucia, through the eastern section of the park, is a wonderful self-drive game excursion. Buffalo lumber across the road, herds of zebra and antelope gaze on curiously, and warthog trot away indignantly, tails in the air.
There’s a rustic camp and tea room at the end of the road, nestled in the coastal forest. Little red duiker, bushbuck and families of mongoose scamper off as you approach, and at dusk bush pigs sniff around the cabins. Sightings of leopard are common, and when I last visited we had a surprise visit from a hyena.
Wander over the dunes and you’re in a different world. Stroll for hours along the long, empty beach, scan the ocean for whales and dolphins, swim or surf in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, cast a line or go snorkelling on the sheltering reef.
Every year loggerhead and leatherback turtles return to the sandy beaches on which they were born. Watching the females laboriously digging in the sand and then laying their eggs, or hatchlings running the gauntlet of ghost crabs and other predators in their attempt to reach the sea, is a moving experience. Visit between November and March for a guided turtle tour.
STAY: KZN Wildlife offers fully-equipped log cabins. They’re functional rather than fancy, but the setting is superb.
2 CEDARPEAK
In the foothills of the Groot Winterhoek mountains, Cedarpeak is a wilderness escape for connoisseurs. This is big sky country, a diverse landscape of water features and bizarrely weathered rock formations. Let your imagination roam in the natural sculpture garden and you’ll be among camels and elephants, dragons and prehistoric creatures. Hidden in the overhangs are recently discovered rock art sites, while Stone Age artefacts indicate that humans have enjoyed this spot for a while.
Numerous streams and rivers run through the property, so it’s surprisingly lush, with waterfalls, rock pools and a big dam alive with waterbirds. Weavers and herons are busy in the wetlands, sugarbirds and sunbirds flit around in the fynbos, Verreaux’s eagles soar overhead and flocks of seasonal swallows are a treat. Klipspringer are regularly seen on hikes, while grey rhebok and caracal frequent the areas around the cottages. At night leopard patrol there too.
Some 35 kilometres of marked paths offer a variety of
