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Bonamanzi Game Park

Camping & Backpackers - Bonamanzi Game Park

Contact Details:
Reservations
Tel: 086 127 6237
Int. Tel: +27 51 924 0585

Description

Our Wilderness caravan and camping site allows you to be part of the wilderness being situated in the bush amongst the birds and safe game. These spacious sites offer superb ablutions, hot and cold running water and 220V power supply points. There are communal cleaning and braai areas for guests, with each campsite catering for a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 people.

Backpackers are welcome to come and stay in out new backpackers lodge with a fully fitted kitchen and bathrooms.

This catered for camp has a total of 26 rooms. A lounge built up on stilts over the dam provides one with breathtaking sunsets, excellent birding and game viewing day or night. Lalapanzi has its own private pool. All you need to bring along is a towel for swimming. Dinner and Breakfast are served at Lalapanzi Restaurant.

Vital Information about Bonamanzi Game Park

How far is the nearest town?
The town of Hluhluwe is a 15 minute drive from Bonamanzi. The village has petrol/diesel facilities, banking, a pharmacy and provisions for self-catering guests.

Are there medical services?
The nearest hospital is at Richards Bay, an hour’s drive from Bonamanzi. The nearest medical help is fifteen minutes away in Hluhluwe where a doctor is permanently on call for Bonamanzi Guests.

What about Malaria?
Bonamanzi is located in a low-risk malaria area. All rooms have a cordless plug-in mosquito destroyer.

When is the best time to visit?
Any time of the year is good because Bonamanzi is a true all year round destination. The weather is almost always warm. Hot, humid days are broken by brief rain showers in the summer months of November, December, January and February. Winter months are mild and dry and you can walk around in a T-shirt and shorts during the day.

What about security?
Bonamanzi has trained security guards on duty 24 hours a day. A security boom monitors all vehicles entering the property and the entrance gate to Bonamanzi is locked at night.

How far are other wildlife reserves from Bonamanzi?
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park is renowned for Operation Rhino where the white rhino was saved from extinction. It is a fifteen minute drive to the Memorial Gate entrance to this world-class game park which has all of the Big Five; leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo and lion.
Mkuze Game Reserve is a 62km drive and Tembe Elephant Park up in the northernmost corner of the province, a 2 and a half hour drive away.

How do you pronounce Hluhluwe?
This zulu word derives its name from a thorny rope which is known as iHluhluwe by the Zulus. It is pronounced “Shloo Shloo wee”.

What can you do in the Hluhluwe area?
Bonamanzi borders the False Bay section Lake St Lucia World Heritage Site. This unique network of inland lagoons reaches its widest point at the coral reefs of False Bay. The False Bay park includes a sand forest where plant life grows on an ancient dune ridge resulting from a coastline formed in the crustaceous era about 14 million years ago. False Bay is home to pelican, flamingo, saddlebills, spoonbills, crocodiles and hippo.

Bonamanzi offers walks out onto the Lake St Lucia floodplains and birding boat cruises down the Hluhluwe River.
Close by are living Zulu villages where you can experience the culture, traditions, craft and music of local Zulu people and sample local dishes at well established restaurants. There is a wide variety of top-quality Zulu craft for sale at a number of craft and curio shops. This includes functional art and décor like beadwork, traditional pots, wood-carvings and woven mats. Basket weaving with the Ilala palm and dyes from roots and berries has been revitalized into an art form winning international recognition.

Accommodation

Bonamanzi Game Park offers you an array of facilities and accommodation to suit most needs. Our accommodation ranges from our comfortable 3-star chalets on the Lalapanzi camp to our 3-star luxury, private Dinizulu camp. Then there are always our well-known self-catering tree houses where one is really in touch with nature and able to completely unwind. Bonamanzi also caters for you whether you feel like doing business in the bush with our Conference and Event facilities to having the wedding of your dreams in the African wild. Whatever your need, we at Bonamanzi will do our best to make sure your stay is one to remember.

Please feel free to browse our facilities using the side menu.

The accommodation is as varied as the activities with catered and self catered accommodation from 3 star right through to camping.

2 Bed and 4 Bed Tree Houses:
Bonamanzi is well known for their Tree Houses, these wooden units, on stilts, are privately situated amongst the trees of the sand forest. There are units that offer one or two bedrooms and all have self catering facilities.

Tree Lodge:
The Tree Lodge offers 3 bedrooms, lounge, dining room and kitchen all on a raised deck with wonderful views of a nearby water hole. Sleeping 6 adults in total the Tree Lodge is perfectly positioned in the sand forest.

Game Lodge:
The more conventional Game Lodge offers self catering accommodation for 6 adults.

Dinizulu Lodge:
Dinizulu Lodge has three individual units sleeping six adults with a charming dining room / lounge / entertainment area. This lodge is situated on the banks of the Dinizulu Dam and is very private.

Lalapanzi Camp:
Lalapanzi Camp offers catered en-suite accommodation for fifty two guests. The restaurant serves either buffet or set menu meals, depending on the number of guests in the Camp. Saturday evenings at Bonamanzi are “Bush Braai” evenings, a treat not to be missed. Lalapanzi Camp is the “hub” of Bonamanzi as this is the area where guests meet for activities, there is an amazing lounge area with it’s “feet” firmly planted in a very large watering hole! The perfect spot to enjoy sundowners or a “night cap”.

Camping:
Finally, Bonamanzi has 7 exquisite camp sites, very privately situated in the sand forest with ablution facilities and electrical plug points.

Rates

Accommodation Rates

1 January 2010 – 31 December 2010

(Subject to change - 1 June 2010 to 31 July 2010)

2 Bed Tree House – R890-00 per unit per night

Each of these self-catering units sleeps 2. Kitchenette equipped with a 2 plate mini oven, microwave oven, fridge, crockery and cutlery. Towels are provided for showering. Bring dish washing liquid, firewood and a towel for use around the pool.

4 Bed Tree House (Family) – R 1,300-00 per unit per night

Each of the self-catering units has 1 twin room and 1 double room, sleeps 4. The kitchen has a stove and oven, fridge, crockery and cutlery. Towels are provided for showering. Bring dish washing liquid, fire wood and towel for swimming. These units are not serviced.

Game Lodge – R 2,350-00 per unit per night

This unit accommodates 6 people in total. It has 2 double bedded air-conditioned rooms, and 2 rooms with single beds .This self–catering lodge is serviced, bring a towel for swimming. DSTV (selected channels) is available.

Tree Lodge –R 3,260-00 per unit per night

Three air-conditioned rooms accommodate 6 in total (2 double beds, 2 twin beds). This fully equipped self-catering lodge is serviced, towels are provided for showering. Bring a towel for swimming. DSTV (selected channels) is available.

Dinizulu Lodge – R 4,320-00 per unit per night

This unit accommodates 6 people in 1 double and 2 twin thatched rooms. This isolated self-catering lodge is serviced, bring a towel for swimming. DSTV (selected channels) is available.

Caravan/Camp Site – R100.00 per person per night

There are 7 caravan sites, each sleeping up to 6 people with communal ablutions, braai area and scullery. Each site has its own electricity supply. Max. 6 people per site, min. 2 people per site

Lalapanzi Lodge (DBB) – R780.00 per person Sharing & R1,030.00 per person Single -CHALTES

Lalapanzi Lodge (DBB) – R740.00 per person Sharing & R990.00 per person Single –COMBOS

This catered lodge has a total of 26 rooms. A lounge built up on stilts over the dam provides one with breathtaking sunsets, excellent birding and game viewing day or night. Lalapanzi has its own private pool. All you need to bring along is a towel for swimming. Dinner and Breakfast are served at Lalapanzi Restaurant.

Marula Lodge – R 1,630-00 per unit per night

This basic unit accommodates 10 people in total. It has 1 twin room, inter-leading into a double room, plus a dormitory style room sleeping 6 with single beds. This self–catering lodge is not serviced. Bring own linen for beds, bath towels and swimming towels.

Lalapanzi Restaurant and Bar Facilities

For those staying in self-catering accommodation, meals can be booked at the Lalapanzi Restaurant. Meals are buffet style, set menu served at Breakfast @ R90-00 per person, served from 07:00 to 09:00. Dinner (price on request – subject to menu) served at 19:00. Please let us know of any special diets when making your booking. Dinner and breakfast must be booked before 15h00 with reception. Meals booked and not taken, will be charged to you account.

Extra Mattresses R85-00 per night / Extra Cot R85-00 per night
Children 12 years and under 12 – Half Price of adult rate, if sharing with parents
Children 4 years and under – No charge, if sharing with parents

Rates valid from 01/01/2010 till 31/12/2010
(subject to change 1 June 2010 until 31 July 2010)
Rates subject to change without notification.

Directions

Bonamanzi Game Park is an easy three hour drive from Durban and an hour from the Golela border with Swaziland. (Transfers can be arranged from the Richards Bay Airport.) FROM JOHANNESBURG Go past Ogies, Bethal, Ermelo, Piet Retief, Pongola, Mkuze. Take the off-ramp from the N2 to Hluhluwe village. Drive to the end of town and at the junction turn to the right. You are now on a dirt road. Bonamanzi is the first turn to the left - approx 6km from the village. FROM DURBAN Take the N2 North, go past Stanger, Empangeni, Richards Bay and Mtubatuba. Go past Charters Creek and Fanies Island turn off, over the Nyalazi River, through a tribal area and over the Hluhluwe River. After approx 4.5km take the Bushlands and Bonamanzi off ramp, turn right over the N2. After 2.5km you reach a T-junction, here turn left, Bonamanzi is the 2nd turn right.