Durban - Kosi Forest Lodge fits the classic description – “secluded house in the wilds…” – but add to that tranquil, unpretentious. A place with soul.
On Lake KuShengeza, the lodge is part of the Isibindi collection and the only private lodge in the reserve. It’s a five-hour drive from Durban through Hluhluwe and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
Access is only by 4 x 4, and visitors without one are collected, from a secure lock up in Manguzi, by lodge transport for the 20-minute ride through soft dune sand. All my concerns about “road signs” were answered by randomly sited small boards with direction markers. It was only a day later that I learned that local school boy humour sometimes includes turning the signs skywards.
The only real indication that we had arrived was a sign reading “guest parking” at a small clearing in the forest. But our arrival had been marked and staff appeared rapidly to remove our luggage and guide us to reception.
Here we were met with homemade lemonade and joined by an English family, a French honeymoon couple and a German and his father. A family from India had already arrived making up our full complement of 20 guests. That is part of the charm of the lodge – its intimacy.
The intimacy is not the only noteworthy feature. There isn’t a brick or window in sight. Its timber, reed and canvas under thatch fits into its environment like a glove.
The pub, lounge and dining area are all indoor/outdoor and décor is simple – wooden furniture enhanced with bright cushions, and the trademarks of the area: fish traps which serve as lantern covers, carved wooden turtles and the giant trees around which the deck is constructed.
A short walk down a well swept sand path led us to our accommodation. Buried in the forest in a small clearing the dark timber, thatch and canvas are well camouflaged. Inside, adding to the bedroom en suite was a reed boma with shower and bath, overhung by trees from which inquisitive squirrels watched.
Power is provided by a generator from 7am to 10pm. After that it’s oil lamps and the exquisite night sounds of the forest and grunts of hippos from the lake.
Nothing happens particularly early at the lodge, but early risers can treat themselves to pleasant, easy walks. By 8.30am most have breakfasted and those who elect to canoe through the channel system looking for crocodiles and birds have left. Others of us opted for a day on the lakes.
The Kosi lake system is the best preserved on the South African coast and has been incorporated into the iSimangaliso Wetland World Heritage Site.
A walk through a magnificent raffia forest got us to the boat. Then expertly skippered by George Makhoba, we spotted hippos, watched flamingo flocks, a palm nut vulture, a large leguaan swimming next to the boat while learning about the fish-trapping system, the history of the lakes and the local community. It ended with a picnic and a dune walk down to Bhanga Nek beach, famous for turtle-tagging projects.
More energetic guests head down to the reef near the Kosi River mouth for snorkelling, while others lounge around the plunge pool. At sunset the only place to be is on the pool deck for a display of nature at her best. The evenings are spent convivially around the pub with a good three-course dinner to follow.
Twenty years ago, when the licence for the lodge was granted and construction required the support and buy-in from the local communities, Blessing Mngomazulu became part of the construction team, negotiation team and lodge team. He is now its most genial host. Nothing is too much trouble for him or his staff.
A major benefit of staying at Kosi Forest Lodge for anyone wanting to visit the lake system, is the concessions allowing the permanent mooring of a boat and uncomplicated access to the mouth and Black Rock.
The package includes accommodation, all meals, teas and coffees, a guided walk through the raffia forest, and canoeing.
Optional extras are the boat ride, snorkelling and a drive down to the mouth, with visits to witness the loggerhead and leatherback turtles laying their eggs from November to February.
If your soul needs soothing and your equilibrium restoring, it’s just what the doctor ordered.
l Call 035 474 1473
l E-mail [email protected]
l Visit isibindi.co.za
Phillida Ellis, Sunday Tribune