Southern African Birding

Birding Accommodation in Southern Africa
	WesternCape, EasternCape, NorthernCape, KwazuluNatal, Gauteng, Limpopo Province, NorthWest, Mpumalanga, FreeState Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zambia Establishments with a particular interest in accommodating birders are invited to submit details for inclusion.

Kwazulu Natal


KZN NATURE CONSERVATION SERVICE provides accommodation in the larger reserves throughout Kwazulu-Natal. Accommodation standards vary from camping, rustic cabins, and furnished tents, to luxury lodges. For reservations they can be contacted at Tel: +27 33 845 1000 and Fax: +27 33 845 1001/5. Web page www.kznwildlife.com

BUTTON BIRDING'S Malcolm and Gail Gemmell are your hosts. Accommodation is in a comfortable "home from home" guesthouse on a dairy farm. The Homestead is a modified 1908 farm-house set in a beautiful garden in the scenic Creighton Valley. The Valley is 1000m above sea level, so frost and cold in winter are a reality, a fact that makes you very grateful for the cosy bedrooms and fire-warmed home. There are four double rooms, including two en-suite bedrooms, with shared living and dining rooms. All meals are prepared and designed to suit your specific needs by your Hostess, Gail, whose culinary skills will delight you and ensure you leave heavier than when you arrived Tel (039) 8331029. Fax (039) 8331129. Cell (082) 7895000. E-mail buttonbirding@futurenet.co.za or www.buttonbirding.com

FOUNTAIN HILL GUEST LODGE, a great country retreat, is situated 2kms outside Wartburg, on our beautiful family-run farm. Wild animals roam free here, even outside our guest lodge, and the farm is a paradise for over 230 bird species. Hundreds of yellow-billed Kites converge on our farm every March, and every December the Storks arrive to join the Blue Cranes in the pastures. Here you will also find Grey Crowned Crane, African Fish Eagle, Steppe Buzzard, Martial Eagle, Lanner Falcon, various Owls etc. Self-catering Accommodation: The Homestead, a luxury house, surrounded by farm pastures, sleeps up to 7 people. Georgenau Cottage, a luxury cottage with game viewing all day from the patio, sleeps up to 4 people. The Guest Lodge offers B&B accommodation in two family Suites, which sleep up to 9 people, and two luxury suites, which sleep up to 4 people. Fountainhill is also noted for its great Bass Fishing in a choice of 3 dams, and our scenic game drives all the way down to the Umgeni River in our private Hlambamasoka Game reserve. Contact Cheryl at 033-5031420. Fax 033-5031421. E-mail cherylt@tcgroup.co.za Cell: 0827070352. Website www.hlambamasoka.co.za

MOUNTAIN RETREAT is located on Ekuthuleni Farm and consists of a traditional Zulu hut with its own ensuite together with a separate kitchen and lounge with open fireplace. Self-catering facilities are provided including all crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils. Over the last ten years the Dam has been maintained as a bird sanctuary and now provides a stunningly beautiful home to many hundreds, if not thousands of birds. The Dam itself is stocked with fish and a rowing boat is provided for bird watching and fishing. For those wishing to hike in the mountains, a short walk will find you at the entrance to Culfargie National Park and a trail that leads up to Jacobs Ladder. Tel: (036) 4681422 or Central Drakensberg Information Centre on (036) 4881207.

PROTEA HOTEL RICHARD'S BAY, set in the beautiful suburb of Meerensee, this unique and inviting retreat is just two hours north of Durban situated in the diverse city of uMhlathuze, Zululand. The Protea Hotel, Richards Bay boasts 66 comfortable and beautifully decorated rooms, including 5 suites with all the comforts and facilities of a top class hotel. We are ideally situated for birders wishing to enjoy the attractions of Zululands and Richard bays top birding areas. Tel: (035) 753 1350 or res@proteahotelrichardsbay.co.za.

SHONGWENI RESOURCES RESERVE offers a wide range of visitor facilities. The Mkangoma Bush Lodge sleeps eight in a private camp overlooking the river. Day and night drives in the game park, horse trails and guided and self-guided walking trails are available. Day visitors can also enjoy the picnic sites and canoeing on the dam. (031)7691283. E-mail msinsi@icon.co.za

TEMBE ELEPHANT LODGE is located in Tembe Elephant Park in Northern Maputuland. The lodge comprises luxury tented accommodation under a canopy sand forest. Evenings are spent around the camp-fire, and meals are enjoyed under thatch next to the pool. Birding at Tembe offers many specials including Narina Trogon, Woodward's Batis and Neergaard's Sunbird. Exclusive game drives afford guests the opportunity to view the Tembe elephants, the rare black rhino and suni antelope. Other activities include day trips for snorkeling and scuba-diving at Kosi and Sodwana Bay. Tel: (031) 267 0144 or Fax: (031) 267 8718. E-mail: info@tembe.co.za, http://www.africaelephants.com or http://www.tembe.co.za

SANI PASS HOTEL is nestled in the beautiful Mkhomazana valley at the foot of Sani Pass and borders on the World Heritage Site, the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park. Join 4x4 excursions up the magnificent Sani Pass and into the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho and spot the endemic bird species including Orangebreasted Rockjumper, Bush Blackcap and Drakensberg Siskin. Accommodation ranges from single or double rooms to family garden cottages and honeymoon suites. The hotel also offers a wide range of sporting activities - tennis, squash, golf, horse riding, bowls and badminton. Tel: 033 702-1320, Fax: 033 702-0220, Email: info@sanipasshotel.co.za and www.sanipasshotel.co.za

LEMONWOOD is 20 kms from Howick, in the Natal Midlands. Here you can lose yourself walking the self-guided trails in 90+ hectares of indigenous forest and reward yourself with panoramic views from unspoilt veldt. Add to the 200 recorded species of birds; see buck or watch cranes dancing beside the dam. Go to sleep listening to the eerie shriek of the tree dassie all from superbly equipped, secluded, s/c cottages. Open fires, under-floor heating, DSTV, videos, swimming pool. Breakfast and supper offered if required or come and have cooking lessons with top London chef, all by prior arrangement. Tel: 033 234-4484, Fax: 033 234-4845, Email: booking@lemonwood.co.za and www.lemonwood.co.za

HILLSIDE LODGE This delightful 19th Century Farm House, situated adjacent to 800 hectares of indigenous forest, offers spacious yet cosy accommodation. The Lodge is the perfect location for friends or family to enjoy a peaceful retreat or a fun-filled break - any time of year. Activities in the area include bird-watching, hiking through the Marutswa indigenous forest, paragliding or hang-gliding, mountain biking. Features include: 4 large bedrooms (sleeps 8), 3 bathrooms, large lounge with fireplace and firewood, linens and towels, serviced daily. Catering: Ken, your Host, having trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, will be your personal Chef in the lodge should you wish to enjoy a catered break. Alternatively self catering or partial catering is available to you. Website: www.hillsidelodge-bulwer.com Email ken@hillsidelodge-bulwer.com Mobile +27 72 716 3961 Landline +27 39 832 0230

Three Tree Hill Lodge Against the magnificent backdrop of the Drakensberg mountains, overlooking the secluded Mfazimnyama Valley of the Spioenkop Game Reserve and in the lee of the famous hill, Spioenkop, lies the Eco-friendly (Green Leaf Environmental Award) Three Tree Hill lodge (aka Three Trees at Spioenkop). Spectacular scenery, locally grown farm-style country food, exquisite linen and superb hosts make our lodge the ideal environment in which to escape and unwind. This intimate luxury 16 bedded lodge is owner-managed by Simon & Cheryl Blackburn whose passion for Africa fills every corner. You are welcomed into their home, and invited to experience the warm hospitality in their family run lodge. The lodge is situated on 1,200ha of naturally rolling Drakensberg foothills. Both Simon & Cheryl are FGASA qualified Field Guides and have a wealth of knowledge on the Natural Fauna & Flora in the area. Joined by the dogs, and walking alongside the game reserve, a walk out in the hills is not to be missed. Well-marked trails are also available if you want to meander along in your own steam. A bird list of 270 species has been recorded in the area, with Cape Vultures, Lanner Falcons, Buff Streaked Chats & Fairy Flycatchers all residing here. In the winter months (when the aloes are flowering) most mountain-dwelling birds descend to the foothills to take advantage of the sweet nectar & insects that adorn these spectacular plants. The Malachite sunbird is a stunning example of this. In the summer months, Northern migrants arrive to fill the air with calls & twittering that will keep any �twitcher� on his toes. Anglo Boer War Battlefield Tours, horse trails, hiking, nature walks, (NEW!) Expertly guided bush walks (tracking white rhino), Drakensberg mountain hiking, birding & mountain biking are some of the activities on offer. Contact Cheryl 036 448 1171 or email reservations@threetreehill.co.za or visit our website www.threetreehill.co.za