Ithala Game Reserve

A Reserve Folded Into The Cliffs, Gorges And Plateaux Of The Pongola Valley, Which Gives It Scenery That The Flat Northern Game Reserves Have None Of Black And White Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe And A Long Antelope List Across A Thousand Metres Of Altitude Change, And NO LION, Which Is Why Walking Is Possible Here · Louwsburg, KwaZulu-Natal

Most of the famous game reserves in northern KwaZulu-Natal are flat or gently rolling, which is fine for seeing animals and does nothing for the eye. Ithala is folded into the Pongola river valley, and the ground drops about a thousand metres from the plateau at the top to the river at the bottom through cliffs, gorges and buttresses of very old rock - so you look at game across a landscape rather than along it. The reserve carries black and white rhino, elephant, giraffe, buffalo and a long antelope list, and it carries no lion, which is the other thing worth knowing: guided walking is possible here in a way it is not in the big parks. It is quiet, it is beautiful, and it has had real financial and management difficulties over the years, so confirm that the camps are operating before you rely on them rather than discovering it at the gate, because this is a long way from anywhere that has a spare bed.

In the Pongola river valley of northern KwaZulu-Natal, near Louwsburg, Louwsburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

GATE HOURS RUN ROUGHLY DAWN TO DUSK with a conservation fee per person and vehicle, and you must be in camp or out of the gate before dark. The internal roads are a mix of tar and gravel and SOME OF THE STEEPER GRAVEL DESCENDS SHARPLY TOWARDS THE RIVER - a normal car manages in dry weather at low speed, and clearance helps. Ntshondwe, the main camp, sits under a cliff with a restaurant, a shop and a pool; there are smaller bush camps too. Guided drives and WALKS - possible because there are no lion - are booked at the camp. THE RESERVE HAS HAD FINANCIAL AND MANAGEMENT DIFFICULTIES, so confirm your camp is operating rather than assuming. Louwsburg has basic supplies; Vryheid is an hour. MALARIA-FREE.

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