Birding In North East Zululand

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The main birding areas are:

 

Thongaland

Tongaland is the name of the north-eastern corner of Zululand, flanked by the Lebombo Mountains on the west, the Indian Ocean on the east and the Mozambique border in the north. Most of the region is drained by the Phongolo and Mkhuze Rivers, and is characteristically flat. The Phongolo floodplain runs from Jozini to the confluence with the Usutu River , and is dominated by pans, Lala palm savannah and bush clumps. Riverine forest lines some pans and streams. Coastal dune forest hugs the Indian Ocean, and numerous pans and lakes are scattered along the coast.

 

Sodwana

Situated between St. Lucia in the south and Kosi Bay in the north, the Sodwana route encompasses a wide range of habitas. From the Sand Forest and thornveld of Phinda to the lush, subtropical forests of Lake Sibaya; from the wetlands of Muzi to the palm savannah of Ozabeni.

 

Mkhuze

The Mkhuze area is a place of great beauty and high contrasts. World-renowned as a mecca for bird lovers (more than 400 species have been recorded here) the junction of the moderate and tropical climate zones creates a habitat suitable for an extraordinary variety of plants and animals. The Mkhuze area is renowned for a variety of localised birds including Pink-throated Twinspot, Eastern Nicators, Pels Fishing Owls and Neergaard's Sunbird.

 

Hluhluwe

Hluhluwe derives it's name from a river named after the thorny monkey rope called umHluhluwe. The area is probably best known for the Hluhulwe-Umfolozi park which is internationally acclaimed for it's conservation efforts and is home to the big five: lions, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. Hluhluwe Game Reserve is also renowned for it's abundance of raptors. In additon to this several top-rated birding spots are also along the Hluhluwe route, amongst them, Bonamanzi which is arguably on of South Africa's top birding spots with a huge variety of birding habitats and over 350 species recored on the property. The reserves on the western shores of Lake St Lucia, part of a world heritage site, offer abundant water and forest birding with great walking trails and breathtaking scenery.

 

St Lucia

St Lucia offers birders some of Zululand's best birdwatching. With over 420 Species recorded in the area, one can be assured of some great birding in one of South Africa's most bio-diverse areas. One of the great things about birding around St Lucia is the series of self-guided trails and hides. Birding on foot with waterbuck and reedbuck grazing in the background and hippos snorting from the pans makes for an extra special birding experience. The greater St Lucia Wetlands Reserve is a recently proclaimed World Heritage Site and one of South Africa's oldest reserves established back in 1895. It includes the conservation areas of the Eastern Shores, Cape Vidal, Sodwana Bay, Charters Creek, Fanies Island, False Bay, Phinda Resource Centre and Mkhuze Game Reserve (dealt with separately). The lake itself covers an area of about 38 000ha and is one of South Africa's most important waterbird breeding areas.

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Kwazulu Natal Birding Trips

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