Botswana is a nature lover’s paradise. This remote and unspoilt wildlife haven has some of the best game viewing opportunities in Africa, along with superb accommodation and excellent guiding. Botswana is also home to the Big 5 and offers some of the best opportunities for sightings of the rare and endangered African wild dog. An interesting geological feature of the country is the way the Okavango River runs inland, finishing its course in the middle of the desert. This lush green oasis called the Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland Delta. This unique ecosystem is replenished between April and June, following the rains in Namibia. Wildlife thrives in this region. Huge herds of elephant, antelope, zebra, giraffe and plains game roam the plains and the ever present big cats are always hot on their heels. Lions, leopards, cheetah and wild dog thrive in this environment. The birdlife is also excellent with over 400 recorded species as well as a host of migratory birds gathering in large numbers. A Botswana safari is well suited for big game safaris, family safaris, honeymoons, photographic safaris and elephant encounters.

17% of Botswana’s land mass has been allocated to these national parks and access to them is strictly limited. There are no crowded minibuses on a Botswana safari, in fact you are pretty much guaranteed not to see any other tourist during your stay. Activities are privately guided and tailor-made to suit your unique interests. Botswana offers an authentic safari experience. It is a place of exceptional beauty where you can explore the rugged, unspoilt landscapes in exclusive privacy.

Here are some the places you should visit when arranging a Botswana safari:

• Okavango Delta – a labyrinth of lakes, lagoons and hidden channels
• Moremi Game Reserve – Wild dogs galore
• Chobe National Park – elephant territory
• Linyanti Wildlife Reserve – private and exclusive
• Makgadikgadi Saltpans – the world’s largest saltpan
• Nxai Pan National Park – a huge fossilised lake bed known as the Garden of Eden
• Central Kalahari Game Reserve – remote and wild
• Tuli Block – a profusion of birds and fascinating topography

The Mziki Wilderness Trails

Mziki is a Zulu name for the Common Reedbuck and is also the name given to three hiking trails, or bush walks in St Lucia, South Africa. The Mziki Trails, could have been named the Ingwenya Trails or the Nyathi Trails as the Common Reedbuck is just one of the many animals, including hippo, buffalo, elephant, crocodile, kudu, waterbuck, red and grey duiker, vervet and samango monkeys, baboons, banded mongoose, bushbuck, bush pig and leopard that occur in this particular area of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park or as it is now called, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

The three looped day walks all begin and end at the Mount Tabor hut not far from Mission Rocks on South Africa’s northern KwaZulu-Natal cost in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and are ideal for those looking to combine a bush walk (walking safari) with coastal hiking, where you will get to see some incredible views of the Indian Ocean as well as the fantastic dune forests, rock pools, open grasslands of the eastern shore and the possibility of seeing the wealth of wildlife in this unique part of South Africa.

Once you arrive in St Lucia you must report to the trail office at Mission Rocks, about 15 km north of the town of St Lucia. From here you will leave your car at the car park at Mission Rocks and take a 2km walk up to your base for the next few days at the Mount Tabor hut. This hut was actually built by the Royal Air Force as an observation post during the second world war and provided radar support for the Catalina flying boats who supplied air cover for allied shipping in the area. The hut can be described as basic but comfortable, with beds and mattresses are supplied for up to 8 people. Crockery and cutlery is also supplied and there is a two plate gas cooker, but fridge or freezer. Ablutions take the form of a bucket shower and a long drop toilet with a view! Firewood is provided. There is a ladder that you can climb up onto the roof of the hut and makes an excellent vantage point and it must be said that generally the views from Mount Tabor are fantastic and is the perfect place to take wonderful sunrise and sunset photos.

Trail One
At about 10km long, the first trail takes you in a southerly direction, known as the South Coast loop. The outbound section meanders through open hill sides, freshwater pans, hippo paths and indigenous dune forest and pine plantation, where we saw red duikers and a female bushbuck and a huge variety of birds. Trees of interest includes the ornamental coral tree in the open veld, the long-lived milkwood tree of the dune forests and the rare forest fig. Most of the return leg is along rocky coastline where tidal pools abound with interesting marine life.

Trail Two
This is another trail that is about 10km long, it is known as the Lake Trail or Mfazana Pan loop and it takes you in a westerly direction through indigenous forest, past the Mfazana freshwater pan. During the rainy season this pan is the home of many species of waterfowl, hippos and crocodiles. We saw waterbuck near the waters edge, crocs, a pod of hippos in the distance and plenty of waterbirds, including the impressive saddle-bill stork, yellowbilled storks and spoon-bills. It is important to be wary of hippos in this area as they often leave the water to graze in the forests even during the day. From the pan the trail crosses the St Lucia/Cape Vidal road, goes over open grassland until it reaches the shore of Lake St Lucia. At this point the trail swings north along the lake shore for about 1,5km, then leads inland and back to Mount Tabor.

Trail Three
The North Coast loop is almost 20km long and is even more remote than the other two bush walks. From Mount Tabor ridge, the trail heads northwards along the then drops down into Bokkie Valley where you can often see the Mziki (reed buck) that these trails are named after. Apparently there are about 4 thousand reed buck on the eastern shores of St Lucia. We saw bushbuck, red duiker, kudu, waterbuck, warthog, monkeys but not a single reedbuck. From here the trail leads through forested dunes and then returns to Mount Tabor along approximately 8km of uninhabited coastline. As beach-walking during high tide is often difficult, you are advised to plan this hike so that it coincides with the low tide.

Things to remember:
You are in a wildlife area, and as such it is important to be cautious, especiall when near the pans or lake as crocodiles and hippos are plentiful. The hippos will often lie up in the indigenous forest during the day. You can go on Mziki hikes with a guide, which I would highly suggest if you are new to the bush as not only will they be able to ensure your safety, but will pass on a wealth of information about the bush, it’s animals as well as some local culture and traditions.

Further Reading:

• Mziki Hiking Trails – Including Contact Information
• Greater St Lucia Wetland Park
  
• Take a look at more Zulu and other African names for Animals

Lets face it, most holidays are not cheap, especially if you are looking to go on a safari holiday in South Africa as a family. But there are some things you can do to reduce the cost and for some of the best deals around, South Africa’s fantastic National parks are hard to beat, with accommodation costs are way cheaper than private game reserves and lodges.

Surely one of the best is the newly renamed iSimangaliso Greater Wetland Park, (was the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park) that lies between St Lucia and Kosi Bay in the northern part of  KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. Here you will not only find some of Africa’s finest wildlife, but endless beaches, awesome scuba diving, great fishing and reasonably priced accommodation much of which is designed with families in mind.

The Simangaliso Wetland Park is formed from 16 areas of land, and individual reserves that now make up 8 interlinking ecosystems, supporting a bewildering array of wildlife. The National Park is fairly new, but at it’s core is Lake St. Lucia, which was declared a game reserve more than 100 years ago, making it  one of Africa’s oldest protected areas.

The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park now consists of 220 km of coastline and beaches as well as three lake systems (Lake St. Lucia, Lake Sibaya and Kosi Bay), huge swamp forests and linked game reserves that hold the highest density of Black Rhino anywhere in the world, plenty of White Rhino, with Mkhuze Game reserve within the park one of the best places to find them. The park as a whole also holds more than half of all South Africa’s bird species, 110 butterfly species, about two thousand flowering plants and 5 turtle species, it is no wonder that it is listed as a World Heritage Site.

Top Spots within the Park

• Lake st Lucia: Lake cruises where you can view hippos, crocodiles and a stunning variety of bird life.
• Kosi Bay: Ideal for snorkelling
• Lake Sibaya, South Africa’s largest freshwater lake, with crystal clear waters.
• Sodwana Bay: One of the world’s top ten scuba diving destinations.
• Mkhuze Game Reserve: Leopard, rhino and a true birders paradise.
• False Bay: Great for sea fishing and boating.

Self Drive
Because this is a National Park, you are free to drive around under your own steam, you can either hire a car from the airport on Johannesburg and drive down to Natal, taking the N2 southwards and then the R618 turn off to Mtubatuba and follow this road for 27km until you reach St Lucia town. Or catch an internal flight to Durban and hire a car there, taking the N2 northwards and the R618 to Mtubatuba. Either way it gives you the freedom to explore and will be cheaper than staying at most private game reserves. Take a look at Self Drive Holidays and Safaris in South Africa fro more info.

Not to Miss

• A Sunrise walk on the beach, remember this part of South Africa lies on the East coast of Africa and you will be treated to fantastic sunrises with the sun peering over the ocean.
• Between November and January, watch turtles lay their eggs on the beach.
• A picnic at Mission Rocks or Charters Creek.

Things to Keep in Mind
This is a malaria area, and whilst that should not put you off from visiting, you do need to take precautions: Red more about Malaria here
Remember there are plenty of potentially dangerous animals in the park, again this should not stop you from visiting, just be responsible, foe example don’t go swimming in any of the lakes, there are crocodiles.

For More information take a look at the Safari Holiday Guide to the iSimangaliso Greater Wetland Park.