Ongoye Forest

Ongoye Forest is situated about 150km north of Durban, just inland from Mtunzini. It is a large remnant patch of coastal forest, and stretches for about 20 km along a ridge of hills between Eshowe and Empangeni. The forest is quite beautiful, occurring in patches between granite outcrops and rolling grasslands. It is the only place to see Green Barbet in Southern Africa.

Birding

1. Bird the forest by walking along the track (see below). The most activity is in the first 1 or 2km, and the Green Barbet is fairly common. Other specials include, Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Lemon Dove, African Emerald Cuckoo, Narina Trogon, Grey Cuckooshrike, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Spotted Ground-Thrush, Brown Scrub-Robin, Blue-mantled Crested-Flycatcher, Green Twinspot and Mountain Wagtail - there is a small weir on a stream about 2km into the forest.

2. A lookout point, at the top of the second rise and on your right, is where you can look for Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon in the forest canopy and soaring raptors - African Crowned Eagle, Black-chested Snake-Eagle and Yellowbilled kite.

3. On the way in or out, look for Striped Pipit and Plain-backed Pipit on the rocky outcrops, Black-rumped Buttonquail in the grasslands, and African Pygmy-Kingfisher nest holes in the road cuttings.

General
The forest is controlled by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife tel 033-845100.  website: www.kznwildlife.com

The Officer in Charge of Ongoye is resident on station but does not have a phone due to the remoteness of the area. People wishing to visit Ongoye for the day, or to camp must contact this official on arrival.

Gate opening and closing times winter and summer 06h00 - 18h00

There are no visitor facilities at Ongoye so people wishing to camp must be fully self contained.

A 4x4 vehicle is required to visit Ongoye due to the condition of the roads.

How to get there.
Ongoye Forest is situated in the Ngoye range of hills, located approximately 15 km from the coast due west of Mtunzini town. The Forest can be reached from the Durban-Empangeni road (N2) and although only approxametly 10 km long, these roads from the N2 are in poor condition.
The Amanzimnyama road to the east of the reserve is steep, crosses three streams and is muddy. During heavy rain the road is impassable due to flooding and mud. The KwaGugugushe road provides better access from the southeast but is less scenic. Richards Bay/Empangeni is about 50km to the north and Durban 130 km to the south of the reserve.

Ongoye Forest lies at an altitude between 305 and 455 meters and tends to be less humid than the nearby coastal areas. The annual rainfall ranges from 800 m to 1100mm.

For day visitors accommodation is available in Mtunzini and includes hotels, B & B, back packer hostels, self catering units and caravan and camping sites.

The nearest doctor, dentist, hospital, police station, shopping centers and garage are about 35 kms away at Eshowe. Empangeni and Mtunzini are about 70 kms away and have similar facilities.

Guy Gibbon 2002.