Today I met Tori and Kevin (the managers of Wild Tomorrow Fund) at the airport. The rest of the volunteer group came by plane from Joburg. WTF is an NGO organization based in NY. They have bought pieces of land from pineapple farmers or from farmers who did the breeding of nyala antelopes for hunting. So 2016 Ukuwela Nature Reserve was born. It is close to Isimangaliso Weltland Park, Phinda Private Game Reserve and about 30 km from Hluhluwe Imfolozi National Park.
Now it is called Greater Ukuwela Nature Resserve. A 731-acre piece of the reserve, Sisonke Farm was the missing link. When the property suddenly came up for sale late last year, WTF seized the opportunity that they had been waiting for by negotiating and raising funds. Securing Sisonke is a big step forward to ensure the survival of threatened species and ecosystems in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Fences will be dropped between Phinda Private Game Reserve soon too. Later it is planned to drop the fences to Isimangaliso Wetland Park.
With Tori and Kevin we made a game drive in Ukuwela. They explained us everthing about the Reserve.
We saw giraffes…
…there are up to 30 giraffes right now.
Pumba was also there!
wildebeest
Female Nyala (left) and male Nyala (right)
Nyala girls in the Savannah.
Red sand. There are big sand dunes here. There was the sea millions of years away.
beautiful zebras
Our open car with Kevin and Tori.
Nyala male
Nyala girl
zebras again.
Yesterday we arrived at Hluhluwe bush camp. I devide my tend with Kalee, a very nice American woman, who is younger than me. The tends are quiite cool.