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In search of the Royal Jozini Elephants
In search of the Royal Jozini Elephants
Date: 2017-09-28
Thinking of a quick getaway Or maybe a week in the bush to unwind after a horrendous year of political and economical uncertainty. If you are like 90% of the global community, things are looking grim when considering that ski holiday, even that week in Mauritius is looking more and more like a next year's bucket list item.
So many things have changed in just a few months but one thing that stays the same is the sanctity of the African bush. The experience is priceless and it is one sure way to totally chill and unwind at a fraction of the price that it would cost you to travel to far off distant horizons.
Recently we were invited to a beautiful place - Kujabula Lodge in the Royal Jozini Big Six Game Reserve in Swaziland. Just four hours drive on perfect roads, with just 10km on good gravel, and we were in for a truly a memorable experience we did not anticipate.
Swaziland is a cool place just north of here, best know for their eccentric King and Swazi Gold - the best strand of marijuana on the planet, or so I have been told. Kujabula Lodge is owned by a local family and is a dream destination for many north coast families who have built beautiful homes in this special unspoilt environment.
With the ancient Lubombo Mountains as a backdrop, we arrived to a smiling happy welcome from Lorraine and within minutes we were firmly ensconced on the veranda sipping on our sundowners. To our delight we were treated to a lone bull elephant who walked across our sunset view while we looked on in awe and took one photo after another. It was really magical. The private estate which houses Kujabula Lodge is home to some of the most fascinating animal life, especially the roaming herds of elephant and a selection of buck. We saw a large stately Kudu bull cross the road in front of us, it stopped, looked in our direction and nimbly disappeared into the thick thorn bushes. So majestic.
Kujabula Lodge was really comfortable, the accommodation was really classy and comfortable with everything we needed. We were languishing in plush luxury in a bush-style environment. The Lodge can accommodate up to 20 guests on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis and they have 5 well-equipped, exclusive log chalets.
The chalets all have ceiling fans, air-conditioning, and a small bar fridge with tea and coffee facilities.
The main lodge has an expansive deck with a plunge pool for those really hot days and although the drought has seen the water recede quite considerably, the Lodge has two boats that can be chartered for Tiger fish expeditions on Lake Jozini. With that the Hippo and crocodile will be filling your view if those ferocious tiger fish have not exhausted you completely.
There is so much wildlife to see, impala, blue wildebeest, zebra, nyala, warthog, kudu, giraffe and waterbuck are on the list and there are apparently over 450 bird species.
Kajubula is the perfect place for a family getaway, an intimate wedding, team building or conferencing. For us it was just so close and so accessible, can't wait to go back again soon.