Ithala Game Reserve

Ithala is the reserve KwaZulu-Natal regulars mention when they want to be left alone with the scenery. It covers about 296 square kilometres of broken, cliffy country on the south bank of the Pongola River, 400 km north of Durban and 70 km east of Vryheid, run by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife since 1973. The ground drops from 1,450 m on the Ngotshe escarpment to 400 m at the river, over rock about three billion years old. Rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard are here. Lions are not.

Getting there

From Johannesburg, drive to Vryheid and take the R69 towards Louwsburg; the reserve lies a few kilometres beyond the village. From Durban, follow the N2 north, turn onto the R66 at Pongola for about 20 km, then take the R69 to the Louwsburg turn. The entrance gate is about 8 km from Ntshondwe Camp, and this stretch is the only tarred road in the reserve. The gravel loops are fine for an ordinary car in dry weather, though a few close after heavy rain. Gates open roughly 05:00 to 19:00 in summer and 06:00 to 18:00 in winter; sources disagree on which month the switch happens, so check the time printed on your permit.

When to go

Game viewing holds up all year, but May to September is the easy season: thin grass, animals near water, clear afternoons. Early mornings in winter are bitingly cold on this plateau, and people who have camped there say frost is rare but the wind is not. Summer, October to April, is green and humid with short, violent thunderstorms late in the day. One welcome oddity for a Zululand reserve: because of its altitude, Ithala is generally regarded as malaria-free, so most visitors skip prophylaxis unless they are carrying on to lower parks.

What to do

Self-drive is the point. The Ngubhu Loop is a 30 km circuit with about 20 marked points of interest and a picnic site with braais and toilets; the shop at Ntshondwe sells a route map. White rhino are common and giraffe are everywhere. Look for tsessebe, which occur nowhere else in the province, plus red hartebeest, eland, kudu and zebra. Elephant and leopard are present but rarely seen. Over 300 bird species are recorded, with blue korhaan and secretarybird in the grasslands and brown scrub-robin in the thickets. Ezemvelo runs guided drives and walks, and there are self-guided nature trails from camp. There is San rock art in the east and old iron workings for anyone with a historical bent.

Good to know

Ntshondwe Camp sits on a steep hillside of aloes and rock stacks below the cliffs, with thatched chalets, a pool, a restaurant and coffee shop with a viewing deck, and an information centre. Three small bush camps (Mhlangeni, Mbizo and Thalu) and the unfenced Doornkraal riverside campsite offer more solitude; book these well ahead and allow daylight to reach them. A resident elephant bull wanders near camp at times, and Ezemvelo asks for at least 30 m between you and any elephant.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, BirdLife South Africa (Go Birding), African Safari Journals, SafariBookings, SafariBookings (malaria and safety), Hluhluwe Game Reserve (independent guide), Roxanne Reid, Africa Addict.