On 30th January Delana & I left Pretoria & drove down to Natal & the Pongola Nature Reserve, where we spent the night. It was a very scenic spot, with lovely rolling hills alongside the huge lake. The lodge itself was quite old, but the food & drink were nice, as were the stunning views. Our chalet could have done with a bit of updating as well, but the views were quite spectacular.
We spent the late afternoon & evening around the lodge & generally just taking it easy after the long & tiresome drive on generally poor roads. We saw over 30 species, best being Black-bellied Starlings, but I didn't get any photos.
The next morning on the drive out, we passed through large areas of acacia with plenty of migrant European Bee-eaters & Red-backed Shrikes. We will have to return one day to do some birding around here, as it looked worthwhile.
After navigating the very busy Jozani, we headed north to the Mozambique border where we crossed without incident. The Mozambican side being very efficient, the South African side less so! Our destination was Porto Malongane which is just a few kilometers over the border, along the Mozambican coast. As soon as we left the tar road we had to let our tires down to navigate the very sandy track to the small town/village. The whole area has been developed recently to cater for mainly South African tourists & we found the rand just as acceptable as the local currency.
We quickly drove the narrow sandy track to the Wakene Beach Estate & settled into our accommodation, which proved to be very nice indeed. The whole house was a single story with two bedrooms & bathrooms & a spacious lounge area. We enjoyed sea views on one side & forest views on the other. Delana had found this spot on the internet for 800 rand a night, which was a bargain considering the quality of the house.
The beach estate was a collection of privately owned villas, which could be rented out to visitors. It had been tastefully done & the vast majority of the coastal forest was still intact, which meant that each house was very private.
Birding was difficult in the forest & I wasn't feeling too strong so we didn't do any early morning birding (which is essential in this habitat). But over the coming days we recorded some nice species:
Trumpter Hornbill; Red chested & Diederik Cuckoos; Olive & European Bee-eaters; Broad-billed Roller; Black-bellied Starling White-eared Barbet & Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird being the most interesting.
We spent a delightful five nights here just relaxing. I was constantly suffering from chronic fatigue, so I did a lot of lazing around & reading. We enjoyed a couple of short walks along the beach where Delana found Loggerhead Turtle tracks, where a female had come ashore to lay her eggs during the night.
We visited the bars & restaurants in the village, where the beer was cold & the food was good. I particularly enjoyed the local crab curry! Very messy & definitely not first date food!
On the 5th February we left & drove to Komatipoort Border Post & made Sabie Park in the late afternoon. On the way, we drove through a small section of the Maputo National Reserve, which looked very interesting indeed. We would love to go there for an extended trip, as there looked to be lots of places to explore both for wildlife & birds.
The whole purpose of this little trip was a visa run for me, as I have to leave South Africa every three months. Mozambique has a lot to offer & is so different from other southern African countries. We look forward to returning soon.
