The Perfect Family South African Summer Holiday

Road Travel is delighted to offer a Summer Sizzler at Kosi Forest Lodge nestled in the tropical paradise of the Kosi Bay Nature Reserve on the Elephant Coast of KwaZulu Natal.  This unbelievable offer includes four nights accommodation, all meals, 4×4 transfers, guided walk in raffia forest, guided canoe trip and a sun downer experience.  You’d better hurry and secure your booking now as there are limited availability, and the offer is valid from mid November until mid December 2011.  Contact us today!

Kosi Forest Lodge a private lodge situated in the unspoilt wilderness that is part of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site.  The 16-bed lodge offers comfortable accommodation, fine cuisine and caters for a host of estuarine, beach and wilderness activities.  Discover one of South Africa’s best eco-tourist destinations.  Kosi Forest Lodge is set in a beautiful sand forest on the banks of the Kosi Lake.

The thatched bush suites are carefully positioned to provide guests with privacy and an intimacy with the peaceful surroundings.  The en-suite bathrooms are open-air, giving guests a truly unique experience.  Guests can relax at the pool with its unsurpassed views of Lake Shengeza.  A massive Zulu Podberry tree is the focal point of the main lodge with the lounge, dining room and bar all opening onto a large, wooden deck around the tree.  Kosi Forest Lodge takes full advantage of Maputuland’s sultry weather with most meals served alfresco – on the deck or under large Albizia trees.  A swimming pool, built into the deck, at the lake’s edge is always a welcome sight.

This unspoiled nature reserve surrounds the rare and beautiful Kosi Bay lake system.  It has been incorporated into the Isimangaliso Wetland Park.  The 11,000ha, 30km-long reserve is a tropical paradise of crystal clear water, marshland, swamp and coastal forests that is home to about 250 species of bird.  Kosi Forest Lodge is the only private lodge in the nature reserve.  Hippo and crocodile bask in and around the lakes and the reserve provides a haven for a variety of rare fish, flora and fauna.  The Kosi lake system has long been regarded as the best-preserved large estuary system on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coastline.

The highlight for many guests at Kosi Forest Lodge is the canoe trip on the Kosi Lakes.  Guests get the opportunity to canoe along the Sihadla channel and admire the magnificent Raffia Palms.  The bird life while canoeing is very rewarding.  Canoeing is always accompanied by a guide and is included.  No experience is required.  The Kosi Lake system is a series of interconnected lakes which stretch over some 18km.  The best way to see the system is by boat.  Full day boat trips through various sized lakes and channels, include a walk through the famous Kosi Bay fish traps – a must whilst staying at Kosi Forest Lodge, as well as a picnic lunch and a swim in the sea at Bhanga Nek.

The Kosi Mouth Visit is a full day activity and takes just over an hour to drive to the beautiful Kosi Bay Mouth.  See how the sea and lakes interconnect in a wonderful swirl of color, sand and water.  There’s great snorkelling with plenty of fish to view all year round.  The water is warm and almost always crystal clear.  The rock pools along this protected stretch of coastline are a virtual aquarium of brilliant sub-tropical fish.  Enjoy swimming in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and soak up the sun along this beautiful stretch of beach, followed by a scrumptious picnic lunch.  Limited snorkelling equipment available at the lodge.

Enjoy early morning or late afternoon guided walks through the magnificent Raffia Palm Forest.  Listen out for the abundant birdcalls and perhaps catch a glimpse of the rare palm-nut vulture, whom we have regular sightings of in the canopy.  The raffia palm is the largest palm in the world.  This activity is included.  Tembe Elephant Park is only an hour’s drive from Kosi Forest Lodge.  Guests can enjoy a day game viewing in this 30,000ha wilderness.  There is fantastic elephant viewing from the game hides.

Kosi Bay supports a great variety of fish and other aquatic fauna due to the different physical characteristics of the lakes.  There are 8 known Red Data fish species in the area, most of which have their largest known populations in the Kosi system.  The rural people in the area use traditional fishing methods to harvest the numerous fish species in the estuary. Fish kraals or traps, which have been passed down from father to son, are spread throughout the estuary, providing an important source of protein to the local people and a tourist attraction to Kosi Bay’s many visitors. Good management and the controlled use of resources makes Kosi Bay an excellent example of the concept ‘wise use in action’.  Contact us at Road Travel to arrange your perfect summer holiday at Kosi Forest Lodge.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site

The iSimangaliso wetland park has it all, from gorgeous beaches, amazing wetlands to the magnificent Big 5, experience this wonderful world heritage site while staying in luxury at Makakatana Bay Lodge.  This September Road Travel can offer 20% discount on a 3 night package.  This brilliant offer is subject to availability, so contact us without delay to arrange your special trip in KwaZulu Natal.

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is a very special slice of Africa and offers some of the most diverse wildlife and outdoor experiences imaginable.  It stretches along the Zululand coast from Mapelane in the south to Kosi Bay in the north.  The name has recently been changed from Greater St Lucia Wetland Park to iSimangaliso Wetland Park, to reflect the many areas that make up its 220 000 hectares, such as Kosi Bay, Lake Sibaya, Sodwana Bay, Mkhuze Game Reserve, False Bay, Fanies Island, Charters Creek, Lake St Lucia, Cape Vidal and Kosi Bay and Maphelane.  Besides Lake St Lucia – a unique, 38 000 ha expanse of lake, islands and estuary, the park incorporates an astonishing variety of habitats ranging from the Ubombo mountains to grasslands, forests, wetlands, mangroves and vegetated dunes, with magnificent beaches and coral reefs.  The park is internationally recognized and a World Heritage Site.  The Park is due to be integrated into a transfrontier park, the Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay Transfrontier Conservation Area, straddling South Africa, Mozambique, and Swaziland. This is in turn planned to become a part of the greater Greater Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area.  The mosaic of landforms and habitat types creates breathtaking scenic vistas. The site contains critical habitats for a range of species from Africa’s marine, wetland and savannah environments.  The park is not inhabited by people apart from six small townships in the Kosi Bay Coastal Forest Reserve.  There are also two villages (Makakatana and St Lucia Estuary) which are enclaves within the Park but not part of it.  About 100,000 people from 48 tribal groups live in villages surrounding the Park and community conservation programs are key to minimizing conflicts and maximizing benefits.  A progressive neighbor-relations policy fosters good relations with communities who live near the Park to ensure that they derive direct benefits from the protected area such as free access, business and employment.

Makakatana Bay Lodge is an intimate contemporary hideaway and the only privately owned Lodge set on the banks of Lake St Lucia, within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.  The pristine Indian Ocean beaches, combined with the St Lucia Estuary stretching inland for 65 km, provide an undeniable attraction to lovers of wildlife.  The Lodge is positioned in the forest on the edge of the lake, and accommodates only 12 people, enhancing the intimacy, privacy and personal service.

The park supports 367 bird species, five different eco-systems and turtle nesting grounds in the marine reserves.  Wildlife in the wetlands include zebra, rhino, elephant, giraffe, leopard, buffalo and antelope complementing the abundant hippo and crocodile.  The 3 night package rate includes safaris into the wetlands by vehicle or boat, trips to the coastal beaches and safaris to the world-famous Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, seeking out the Big Five.