By Amanda Khoza
Durban - I have a new appreciation for nature and wildlife, thanks to Thula Thula Private Game Reserve. Situated in the heart of Zululand, only two hours north of Durban, this luxurious destination is one of the province’s best kept secrets.
Thula Thula, meaning peace and tranquillity, was once the private hunting grounds of the mighty Zulu warrior, King Shaka.
History states that the first meeting between Shaka and his father, Senzangakhona, which set the stage for the creation of the Zulu Nation, took place on the banks of the Nseleni River in Thula Thula.
Established by the founders of The Lawrence Anthony Earth Organisation, Lawrence Anthony and his wife Francoise Malby-Anthony, the land was turned into a game reserve in 1911 and is believed to be the oldest private game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.
Anthony, an ardent conservationist, authored many books, including the bestsellers The Elephant Whisperer, The Last Rhinos and Babylon’s Ark. Sadly he died of a heart attack last year, but his legacy lives on.
My colleague Charmel Bowman and I were invited to experience a two-night stay at the four-star Elephant Safari Lodge and the Luxury Tented Camp.
I’m a city slicker and have only visited a game reserve once (as a child) so you can imagine just how excited I was to be out in the bush.
The sun was setting and the winter chill was creeping in when we arrived, tired and dusty. We were made welcome by game rangers Promise and Siya, who whisked us off to our destination – the Bedouin-style tented camp bordering the Enseleni River.
Once there we were greeted by owner Malby-Anthony: “Welcome to Thula Thula,” she said in a strong French accent. We were handed wet towels to wipe our dusty hands and then treated to welcome drinks at the bar.
Soon after that we were shown to our tent – but this was no ordinary tent. Big enough for four, it had netted beds and an en suite bathroom with shower and a Victoria-style bath.
After freshening up, we then went on a safari in the open Land Rover, where we immediately spotted giraffe. The reserve is home to a wide variety of other animals, including elephant, zebra, buffalo, leopard, kudu, white rhino, wildebeest, nyala, crocodile and hyena. There are also over 370 species of birdlife, including vultures.
We were lucky to spot a herd of elephant, or “grey ghosts” as Promise calls them, because they are so well camouflaged. He told us a story about elephants. In 1999 Anthony was asked to accommodate a herd of “rogue” wild elephants from Mpumalanga at Thula Thula, as they were destined to be shot unless an alternative arrangement could be made.
The herd was housed in a boma on the premises, but managed to escape. The elephants were successfully tracked, recovered and transported back to Thula Thula. The story of their rehabilitation and Anthony’s subsequent relationship with the herd is the basis of his book The Elephant Whisperer.
Anthony also initiated the rescue of the Baghdad Zoo in April, 2003.
As the sun set we ended up on one of the highest hilltops on the reserve for sundowners and were joined at the bar by a group of tourists from France, England and Angola. The French tourists were there because of a television show about the reserve, while others were there because of Anthony’s books.
Early the following morning Promise took us on a bush walk. It was freezing, but we braved the cold to learn more about the fauna and flora on the reserve. By the time we arrived back at the tent we were famished, but ready for our next adventure.
We showered and packed our bags because we were to spend the second night in the four-star Elephant Safari Lodge, where we met the lodge’s two resident baby rhinos: Ntombi and Thabo.
The Elephant Safari Lodge is the ultimate exclusive bush experience and absolutely luxurious. There are eight thatched chalets decorated in a mix of ethnic and colonial elegance. Our room, the Suite Royale, is the honeymoon suite. It opens up to an open thatched veranda, has air conditioning and heated blankets.
We met up with Malby-Anthony again and she told us about their new project – a sanctuary for rhinos to be called the Thula Thula Rhino Rehabilitation Centre, which will be up and running by next year.
Ntombi and Thabo were relocated to Thula Thula from Moholoholo Rehab Centre in 2009 when they were four and eight months old. Ntombi and Thabo graze freely around the lodge. At first we were scared to touch them, but Malby-Anthony stroked and petted them with no fear.
Ntombi and Thabo have a full-time nanny, Allison. They also have two armed guards on watch 24/7 to protect them from poachers. How sad it has come to this.
Later we gathered for a Franco-Zulu dinner in the boma. Our last night was memorable as we learnt some French and got to know more about our new friends. Before we said our goodbyes I had a private chat with Malby-Anthony and asked her how the game reserve is faring without Anthony. She looked at me sadly, saying, “We have all adjusted, I guess. His legacy lives through us. His love for the bush and people is the reason why we are still here, and I know that he would have liked us to lead the force to curb rhino poaching”.
Though I never met him, it was moving to feel Anthony’s spirit through the 72 staff working hard to keep his dream alive. - Sunday Tribune