James Anderson visited Royal Jozini Private Game Reserve in Eswatini and got to drink in the sights for a few days – leaving work stress and real life far behind.
There’s a magic to the African bush only truly experienced when alone with the sounds of nature… and a cold G & T. It’s in the contented weariness after a day on the back of a game vehicle, away from the hubbub of your chosen group, when a singular experience reveals itself. As the last piercing rays of sunlight retired behind the boundless shores of Lake Jozini on a chilly night last month, that feeling came once again.
KwaZulu-Natal residents have many things to deal with, more so in the past few years, but the access we have to wildlife and nature is almost unrivalled. For all of Gauteng’s industry and the Western Cape’s beauty, there’s an untouched quality to KZN that never fails to be refreshing. Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is like that too. As one crosses the border at Lavumisa, just a few hours from Ballito by car, you are greeted by the majestic Lebombo Mountains which tower above Lake Jozini’s placid waters. That peaceful surface hides a litany of danger in fearsome tiger fish, prized for their sports fishing, curious hippos and large crocs. While moseying around on an afternoon boat drive, a short burst of bubbles is all we see before a pod of hippos emerges as if to hammer that point home. We see sunbathing crocs, a fish eagle and a host of other birdlife, the names rattled off with ease by reserve manager, Jay Azran. At every angle we spot something new, slowly realising we are not only observing the experience, but are part of it.
Once back on land we are taken for a tour of the reserve, which spans more than 7 000 hectares, by ranger Thando Ndzimandze who has never left his home country of Eswatini. He explains that his ancestors lived in harmony with nature, charting the changing seasons by animal and plant behaviour.
Connecting with wildlife is not only his profession, but also his heritage and he is known within the reserve for his relationship with the elephants for whom he has personal names. Elephants aplenty can be found at Royal Jozini, among a host of other animal and birdlife.
Lake Jozini is the furthest south that tiger fish can be found on the continent, while the reserve is the only known nesting location of the Verreaux’s Eagle Owl.
At every watering hole and around every corner there is something interesting to be seen, as was envisioned when Royal Jozini was founded by a group of private investors in 2006. There have long been private lodges offering outsiders the opportunity to join in on the fun, but wider access has been made available through 100 plots recently opened for private investment. Plots begin at R650 000 and are split between the shore-front, bush and Lebombo foothills; an infrastructure has already been put in place to facilitate off-grid living.
The reserve offers boat safari cruises, bird watching, game drives and viewing hides. Access to the game reserve is through lodge or tented camp accommodations.
Details: www.royaljozini.com; IG: @royaljozini
