We departed Cape Town early this morning and took a short flight to Durban. Thankfully, it was very uneventful. In Durban, we were met by a driver who took us on a 4-hour drive to Pongola, a rural area, is located in northern KwaZulu Natal. Pongola is located near the small country of Swaziland.

All we really knew about Mkuze Falls Private Game Reserve before our arrival was that we (1) were staying in two different types of accommodations during our 5-night visit, and (2) we were scheduled for two safari drives per day: one before sunrise at 6am and another after lunch at around 3:30pm. 

When we arrived at Mkuze Falls we were ushered to an area known as the Tented Lodge. There are only 5 tents in the entire area and we were occupying 3 of them. The place is very secluded and quiet.

Wow, I never expected all this from a ‘tent’! Mosquito netting surrounded the beautiful, heated beds; a large bathroom with tiled floors; and a claw-foot bathtub containing a bubble bath already drawn for us each night when we returned. The entire tent, which was made of large canvas, had lots of zippers and velcro-sealed windows that looked out into the bush. We could even take in the view from the bathtub and shower. This is hardly the camping experience that comes to mind when thinking of a tent. I immediately thought about staying forever. Maybe...

After our morning drive and breakfast we packed our belongings and left the comfort of the tented lodges for the main lodge. Upon arriving at our new 'digs', I eagerly darted around the new accommodations: a private balcony that overlooked the Falls, an outdoor walkway to our private outdoor shower and dipping pool (oh, yes, people! I said OUTDOOR shower and dipping pool...we got to bathe under the stars!), a small office area, and another beautiful bathtub with a bubble bath already drawn.

This safari life sure seemed a lot less like roughing it than I had imagined!

Go on a game drive >

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