Bonamanzi Game Reserve is a Natural Heritage Site bordered by the spectacular Lake St. Lucia Isimangaliso Wetlands - a World Heritage Site - and the magnificent Hluhluwe River.
Wednesday, December 26th, Kristin, Ginger and I packed our bags and we off to Bonamanzi Game Reserve. I had hired a car for the week of Christmas - which was wonderful to have transportation. We were able to get to Christmas eve service and to Christmas worship on the 25th. The bonus was being able to take Kristin on her first safari on the occasion of her golden birthday: 28 years old on the 28th of December!
Papa Warthog
Twins: Pumbaa & Bumbaa
Mama Warthog - as the family quickly ran in front of us.
Male Nyala
Treehouses as accommodations
Furry animals everywhere
Hello...
Two Impala's
A whole gang of Impala's
This privately owned game reserve and safari lodge is widely recognised as one of the best birding destinations in Southern Africa. Lake St Lucia and the Hluhluwe River give Bonamanzi its Zulu name, meaning "Look, Water!". Its almost 4000ha teams with game, and one of Bonamanzi's special features is that it provides a safe and interactive bush experience in which you can walk or drive, with or without the company of a trained field guide. To see the Big Five animals, the famous Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve is a short 20 minute drive away.
We had so much fun walking around this beautiful place.
Lovely pool - we knew to bring our costumes.
Bonamanzi was a DINNER, Bed & Breakfast.
Roughly translated from Zulu, Lalapanzi means ‘come and relax here’. At the Lalapanzi camp in ,Bonamanzi Game Reserve, you will find the ‘Out of Africa’ style Lalapanzi restaurant which offers a sumptuous buffets to cater for all tastes.
This is where we had our meals.
Humble attempt at a Christmas tree. E for effort. Love the cooking pot that it is in.
Mess tent.
Each night a toasty bon-fire was lite.
A wonderful climate prevails all year long with splendid summers and warm winter days. Set your own pace as you absorb the peaceful sounds and spectacles of three adjoining eco-systems: coastal grassland, tropical forest, and woodland. And there are plenty of activities from boating trips, game drives to relaxing at the pool to ensure that your every whim is catered for.
Ginger near the river.
Cute, cute, cute
The Observation lounge where we had lunch upon our arrival... plus we had to wait for our rooms to be ready.
Kristin eating a lichi.
Our 35 Rand lunch ~ $4.00
Happy Missionaries
Ginger
Cross
Observation lounge
One of the main attractions of the Lalapanzi camp is the simply stunning viewing lounge built on stilts overlooking a large watering hole where you can enjoy birds and crocs. Light Lunch's are served at the viewing Deck.
At 4:00 pm we went to the Emdonemi Cat Rehabilitatio Centre.
Join us for an up close and personal tour and learn more about South Africa’s endangered wild cat species. Come and be mesmerised by the beauty of the Caracal (Lynx), enchanted by the playfulServal, astonished by the speed and agility of the Cheetah and delighted by the African Wildcat. View and photograph these amazing animals at the Emdoneni Cat Rehabilitation Centre. We offer educational tours daily, with feedings during the afternoon tour and an informative talk about the animals and the project by an experienced guide.
The aim of the Emdoneni Cat Rehabilitation Centre is to care for wild Cheetahs, Serval Cats, African Wildcats and Caracal (Lynx), which have been orphaned or injured in the wild and are in need of care and rehabilitation. We also intend to breed where possible and release the offspring back into their natural habitat.
Jumping to catch his dinner
Caracal
Cheetah
Beautiful cheetah
Getting to pet the cheetah.
Our darling room. Ginger had #7
Kristin and I shared #8. See the red car in the background - yep OURS!
Bathroom with no shower walls.
I love thatched roofs - so very much!
Bonamanzi Game Reserve is easily accessible, being just a few hours drive from the Durban airports as well as the Golela border post with Swaziland, and perfectly situated to explore the splendour of this heavenly part of the world. Come, and experience Zululand's warm and friendly hospitality at its finest - we'd love to share it with you.
Skip the animals made with towels, we got three palm leaves.
Wonderful room.
We had a delicious buffet dinner at 7pm and then at 8pm went on a night safari drive.
No, we didn't see much... several bark spiders, who are interesting because they weave their web across large areas ~ in our case the road. We saw one giraffe, two chameleon's and a few other things.
The best part to me was the ride. Lord have mercy, I thought one minute I was Indiana Jones - the next I thought I was on a ride at Disneyland. South Africa has gotten an insane amount of rain the last few months and in particular they had a huge storm the night before. The road was VERY deep in mud. It was a total and complete blast just to ride around for several hours in a safari vehicle in the mud.
Sweet dreams to our first day at Bonamanzi.
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