Gingindlovu, Zululand

Originally named Gingindlovu, meaning swallower of the Elephant in Zulu, by Cetshwayo when he won the struggle with his brother Mbulazi over the Zulu throne, Gingindlovu is also on the Battlefields Route in northern Zululand. Just 15 minutes’ drive from Eshowe, it is the site of the 1879 battle between British forces and Cetshwayo’s army, who had besieged the town of Eshowe. The victory by the British placed the town firmly on the colonial map but the troops had difficulty with the name and dubbed it - Gin-Gin, I love you.

Gingindlovu is close to the Amatikulu Game Reserve, one of the few places in South Africa where one can view wildlife feeding on forested dunes overlooking the sea. Stretching between the Tugela and the Amatikulu River mouths and only 10 minutes’ drive from Gingindlovu, this reserve’s coastal forest grasslands and rivers attract an array of birdlife and are home to giraffe, zebra, waterbuck and smaller antelope. The reserve is a popular fishing destination and canoeing on the Amatikulu Estuary a wonderful way to escape from it all.

The two beautiful, indigenous forests of Dlinza and Entumeni are within easy reach of Gingindlovu and both are renowned for their bird and plant life. Bird watchers from all over the world hope to catch glimpses of the rarer species that occur in the forests and both have hiking trails, which during the heat of summer offer cool respite.

The Entumeni forest’s trails are not for the faint hearted and both are on steep terrain. However, the waterfalls and sightings of blue duiker and bushbuck make it worthwhile. The Miller’s Tiger, a rare moth thought to have been extinct, has been re-discovered in the grasslands of the Entumeni Forest.