This magnificent reserve, tumbling from the heights of the Ngotshe Mountains a thousand meters down into a deep valley, carved over the eons by the Phongolo River revealing the world's oldest rock formations, is a game viewers paradise. Situated in the rugged, mountainous thornveld of northern KwaZulu-Natal, the reserve's multitude of habitats host a spectacular array of wildlife species.

Its scenic beauty aside, Ithala's most characteristic feature is perhaps its astonishing geological diversity. Some of the oldest rock formations in the world are found here, dating back 3 000 million years. With a topographic profile varying from 400m above sea level in the north to 1 450m near Louwsberg in the south, Ithala's terrain extends over lowveld and densely vegetated riverine valleys to high-lying grassland plateaus, ridges and cliff faces.

The area now proclaimed as Ithala has been occupied by man for thousands of years and there are many sites littered with stone age spear and axe heads dating back some 20,000 years. There has even been a middle stone age tool discovered by archaeologists which pushes the date back to anything up to 250,000 years. More recently, in the last few hundred years, with the advent of the Nguni people, iron smelting took place in Ithala and there are a number of smelting sites adjacent to deposits of banded ironstone which was crushed to provide the iron ore. Ithala has provided the setting for many historic events, from Shaka's reign and those of successive Zulu kings, to a number of gold mining enterprises in the early years of the 20th Century.
Ithala has an excellent auto trail to facilitate visitor's game viewing, and a notated guide booklet is available in the shop at Ntshondwe, Ithala's superbly designed, multi-award winning camp.

ACCOMMODATION (Winner of three consecutive AA Travel Guides & SAA Resort of the Year awards)
Virtually invisible until the moment of arrival, Ntshondwe, Ithala's main camp, is ingeniously camouflaged against a plateau at the foot of the cliffs of the Ngotshe mountain. Towering above the camp, horizontal contours of pink and russet sandstone offset vertically jagged spires of dolerite rock. These provide the ideal haven for raptors, their calls echoing from rock face to crevice as they soar into the sky in territorial display.

Ntshondwe's 39 thatched chalets blend into a lush setting of acacias, wild figs, cabbage trees and other indigenous flora. A variety of self-catering chalets, with two to six beds each, some of which have being designed for use by the handicapped, are available, while 28 other chalets without catering facilities are geared for tour groups and conference delegates.

These are situated around the visitors' centre which has a fully licensed restaurant, a bar and an open game viewing deck which overlooks a small pan. Other amenities include a swimming pool built around a giant rock , a fully- equipped conference centre, and an imaginatively stocked curio shop which also carries a range of basic provisions.

Ntshondwe Lodge
This exclusive luxury lodge offers complete privacy in spectacular surroundings. It accommodates six guests in three bedrooms with bathrooms en-suite, and has a small swimming pool, a sun deck and barbecue area overlooking the valley below.

ACTIVITIES
Ithala has an astonishing range of landscapes and habitats from the highland sourveld grasslands at the top of the Ngotshe Mountains to the Bushveld and Forest along the Phongola River a thousand metres below. Characterized by deep bush filled valleys and gorges with clear streams cascading over numerous waterfalls into deep pools, and expansive grassy plateaus with large herds of plains game such as blue wildebeest, tssessebe and red hartebeest, Ithala offers a wealth of activities for visitors.
SELF-GUIDED WALKING TRAILS
A number of self-guided trails traverse the wooded mountainside above Ntshondwe camp, inviting guests to enjoy glimpses of the indigenous wildlife while stretching their legs. The sight of black rhino and elephant droppings along a path adds a rush of adrenaline to the experience.Rhino occasionally enter the camp at night,therefore visitors are advised to exercise caution when walking around the camp at night.
DAY AND NIGHT DRIVES
Day and night drives are conducted in open viewing vehicles and are a popular tourist attraction in the reserve. These can be booked at Ntshondwe camp office.
SELF-GUIDED AUTO TRAILS
Ithala has a number of well laid out auto trails with markers at points of interest.These enable visitors to discover and appreciate aspects of the reserve’s fascinating wildlife and geology in the comfort of their own vehicles. Driving along these routes one is constantly struck by the wide range of habitats which support a large biodiversity of plant, bird and animal life in the reserve.
PICNIC SITES
Picnic sites are situated in several scenic spots which offer spectacular views and are ideal for game watching. These all have barbecue facilities and ablutions.
GUIDED WALKS
Visitors to Ntshondwe may book a guided walk at Reception.
Summer Times: 06h00-08h00 & 15h00-18h00
Winter Times: 07h00-09h00 & 14h00-15h00

WILDLIFE
Ithala is a place of great seasonal contrast. In spring the grasslands are alive with warthogs.In summer masses of red "Pride of De Kaap" flowers complement the wild dates on the reclining palms along the slopes and stream banks of this rugged reserve. Hundreds of aloes transform the drab winter browns into a spectacular landscape. With its many perennial streams and rivers, and the frequent occurrence of cliffs and rock faces, Ithala is also the ideal haven for a large variety of birds.

A visitor’s guide contains checklists of notable birds, trees and mammals that can be seen. Ithala’s big game species include white- and black rhino, elephant, buffalo and, notably giraffe so numerous that they have been selected as Ithala's logo. The absence of lion makes for a relaxed air among these animals and other game such as zebra, blue wildebeest and a wide variety of antelope. These include impala, oribi, red hartebeest, eland, kudu, waterbuck, tsessebe, common and mountain reedbuck, steenbok and grey duiker. Predators which are not often seen are leopard, spotted hyaena and brown hyaena. Sightings of large birds at Ithala may include black eagles, lappet faced and whitebacked vultures, ostriches and secretary birds stalking across the veld.

PREDATOR SIMULATION
Inadequate fencing has prevented the re-introduction large predators such as lion into Ithala along with the 23 other species that have been returned to the reserve's habitat. Thus, while introduced herbivores have flourished, scavengers such as hyena and vultures remained largely absent or at very low numbers due to the lack of carrion in the veld. In the interest of achieving a rational balance in the reserve's game population, a decision was made to simulate the effects of predators by culling and depositing the amount of carrion, which predators would have left had they been present. This approximates two wildebeest per week, one of which is left in the veld and at the vulture-feeding site near Ntshondwe camp.

The program has been a great success. When it was started over three years ago, there were very few vultures found in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The first arrivals were Whitebacked vultures, later joined by Lappetfaced and then Cape vultures. Every carcass now attracts these scavengers, sometimes up to 150 Whitebacked vultures at a time along with others.

An unusual phenomenon now occurs at Ithala where Lappetfaced vultures are seen in groups of twelve (they normally occur singly or in pairs). A Whitehead vulture has been sighted and there has been unconfirmed report of a hooded Vulture. Two other exciting scavengers seen have been tawny eagles and bateleurs. Hopefully these two eagles and the vultures will start nesting in the reserve.

Other creatures ranging from insects to smaller carnivores and larger scavengers are benefiting from the program. Monitoring has established that in addition to hyena and jackal, many other animals are visiting the carcasses. These include mongoose, genet, and African wildcat, even honey bager and normadic Cape wild dog.

Although there are encouraging signs of and increase in Ithala's leopard population, the absence of lion and of resident population of wild dog will mean the medium term continuation of the program as part of the reserve's conservation management.

REDBILLED OXPECKERS
After years of near extinction from this area, 97 redbilled oxpeckers were reintroduced to Ithala in November 1994 from Kruger National Park. This followed a survey to ensure that the reserve would be able to support the birds, and that cattle dips and other poisons used on surrounding farms were environmentally friendly. Visitors to Ithala help monitor the oxpeckers by filing in sighting forms. In 1995 sighting of 14 immature birds were recorded. This confirmed that they had accepted their new home, and that their preferred tick species were available in sufficient quantities. Oxpeckers nest and roost in natural tree holes. Clearly, the reserve offers this essential requirement as there was a second record of breeding in 1996. Data show that the birds are using a wide range of animal species, from elephant to impala, throughout the reserve.

RATES

VALID 01 NOVEMBER 2006 – 31 OCTOBER 2008