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South Africa in glorious 3D: History, safari and sand on a tour of the Rainbow …

By
Sandra Howard


PUBLISHED:

07:16 EST, 13 October 2013


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UPDATED:

07:16 EST, 13 October 2013

A Zulu custom, still practised today, demands that a man pay a tabola of 11 cows to the parents of his prospective bride. It is a sort of dowry in reverse, and since the same rule applies for any subsequent wives, Zulu men have to be rich to practise polygamy. An American tourist during our trip was heard commenting that his luck was in, considering how many cattle he had on his ranch.

In the 19th Century, the payment of a tabola wasn’t enough. Young Zulu men had to ‘wash their spears’ before being allowed to marry. It was a powerful incentive. They clamoured for a chance to draw blood, and when the British misguidedly invaded Zululand and pitched tents at Isandlwana, the Zulus attacked with fearsome might.

Soaking up the sun: Sandra relaxes during her stay at the Thonga Beach Lodge

Soaking up the sun: Sandra relaxes during her stay at the Thonga Beach Lodge

Our army suffered one of the greatest defeats of its colonial history at Isandlwana on January 22, 1879. It was a momentous, disastrous day, yet extraordinarily it was also to become one of triumph. At Rorke’s Drift just hours later, 100 British soldiers defeated 4,000 Zulu warriors.

They received 11 Victoria Crosses, the greatest number ever awarded for a single battle.

Africa is in my blood after spending a couple of childhood years here. To be on holiday with my husband in KwaZulu Natal, smelling the warm, intoxicating air again, and driving over the majestic plains to visit the Zulu battlefields … well, I felt emotional from the start.

We stayed first at Fugitives’ Drift Lodge, previously run by David and Nicky Rattray and now by their son Andrew. David pioneered the idea of tours to the battlefields. He believed that the stories of Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift, tales of incredible endurance and courage, should be told and seen from both sides.

He died at the hands of a gunman, but was a friend to the Zulus and one of South Africa’s great heroes. With Andrew taking over, his legacy lives on.

Service with a smile: A member of staff at the Phinda Lodge brings refreshments

Service with a smile: A member of staff at the Phinda Lodge brings refreshments

Our room with views over the historic estate was comfortable and colonial to its core – from the Thermos of chilled water to the meltingly light shortbread, and a cosy over the teapot. The lodge’s large swimming pool was a treat, and a marvellous new library building overlooking the dramatic Buffalo River Gorge has been added.

Arriving in the evening, we found the other guests settled with their drinks around an outdoor fire, while a full moon lit up the beautiful garden behind them. We all sat together at dinner too, which was home cooking at its best, in a magnificent dining room – the walls were laden with paintings, spears, original flags and fascinating historical documents.

A big happy girl called Grace presided over the dining room and kept us entertained. At breakfast one morning, after I asked how she had slept, she replied: ‘Like a log, but I didn’t end up in the fireplace!’ From my seat at the breakfast table, the arresting peak of Isandlwana was perfectly framed between two immense shady fig trees.

Later, when we were there on the battlefield, standing where the men had fallen and seeing the simple piles of whitewashed stones that mark the mass graves, we stayed silent.

More than 1,300 soldiers in their redcoats were felled at Isandlwana, despite their firepower. They were disembowelled (to release their spirits) and left to rot in the baking summer sun. Only a handful of others survived.

To add to the terrible poignancy, there was an eclipse that day, meaning the battle was fought in an eerie half-light.

It was hard to comprehend the extent of the blunders made by the commander, Lord Chelmsford. Our guide, Mphuwa, a Zulu, told the story vividly and emotionally, yet always even-handedly.

That evening he took us to see the memorial to Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill, who lost their lives trying to save the Queen’s Colour for their regiment. They received the first two posthumous Victoria Crosses in history for their incredible bravery.

Heroes: Michael Caine and Stanley Baker starred in the 1964 film Zulu

Heroes: Michael Caine and Stanley Baker starred in the 1964 film Zulu

Mphuwa’s great-grandfather and grandfather had fought at Isandlwana, he told us, and he went on to describe bringing Lord Chelmsford’s great-grandson to see the memorial.

‘He looked at it for a long while,’ Mphuwa said. ‘Then he came down the steps, held me in his arms and we both had a cry.’ The next day we went to Rorke’s Drift. The buildings are still there, and seeing the site at sunset while hearing the unbelievable tale was a strange, stirring experience.

Before coming to Africa, we had watched the film Zulu again. Michael Caine, in his first major role, plays Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead who, together with Lieutenant John Chard, had been in command at Rorke’s Drift. They had been dismissed as a pair of dullards by their superiors, yet their brilliance in battle has become the stuff of legend.

For the next part of our stay, we headed to the Thonga Beach Lodge, close to the border with Mozambique, where a little relaxation was planned.

It was a five-hour drive across the lofty plains of Natal, but with the sculptural vastness of the landscape, the small towns, colourful markets and clatter, the hours simply flew by.

Simple memorial: The battlefield at Isandlwana where 1,300 British soldiers were killed in 1879

Simple memorial: The battlefield
at Isandlwana where 1,300 British
soldiers were killed in 1879

We said goodbye to our cheerful driver Wendy at the Cashew Nut Factory, the handover point for Thonga Beach. It meant swapping her comfortable car for a rough old 4X4 that bounced us along dusty tracks bordered by pole-straight blue gum trees.

Our new driver, Ashley, knew his birds – he pointed out trumpeter hornbills and gorgeous little beeeaters, and even had a birdsong app on his phone to draw various species closer.

Thonga Beach Lodge nestles under the lee of sand dunes within a vast wetland reserve, a world heritage site. It is ten miles from any other resort and is situated on a beach that stretches 18 miles in one direction to Mozambique, and 30 miles in the other. You could walk all the way on pale, firm sand in perfect isolation, lulled by the sound of breaking waves.

Thonga Beach Lodge aims to ‘clear the mind, nourish the body and soothe the soul’. It does all three. It has nature walks, wondrous marine activities, a butterfly alley and a fantastic chef called Carl.

He was unusually shy and never came to take a bow, but he cooked delectably fresh fish, steaks and ostrich to perfection. Even guilty gooey puddings had the lightness of a master’s touch.

The rooms at the resort are detached cottages, well equipped and built using appealing natural materials.

And Thonga has a marine centre, run by Donna and Clive, with all the kit for scuba-diving and snorkelling, which is fabulous. Venture out into the ocean and you’ll see honeycomb moray, devil firefish, friendly little octopus and more.

If it’s not the season for swimming with bottle-nosed dolphins, the couple will take you out in a boat to look for whales.

We were between seasons, but went out in the boat and saw a family of humpback whales. Donna had an underwater camera with her, and she dropped into the sea off the side of the boat to capture some images. Afterwards she confessed that she was terrified at being so close to 20-ton whales, but the pictures she took were amazing – mother, father and baby in a single frame.

It was a wrench to leave the soothing otherworldliness of Thonga Beach. But our last couple of days were on safari at Phinda Mountain Lodge. We were off to see big game.

Phinda Lodge is on a 64,000-acre protected estate where the wildlife is free to roam – we saw families of warthogs and zebra even as we turned in off the road.

The rooms, all private cottages, are dotted about the hilly slopes of the estate, and just in case of a hungry lion turning up, a guard kindly escorted us to and from the main building after dark.

Phinda is a Zulu word meaning ‘the
return’, and the Lodge is part of a group that has been actively
involved in the reintroduction of big game, especially endangered
species such as black rhino. It has been a huge success, of immense
value in the fight against poaching and extinction. It seemed a perfect
example of how conservation can be sustained by business, with both
flourishing to the benefit of all.

Getting back to nature: A shaded deck at the Thonga Beach Lodge

Getting back to nature: A shaded deck at the Thonga Beach Lodge

I’m now past the age of roughing it in a tent, so to sink into an emperor-sized bed in air-conditioned, sophisticated splendour, to have a private plunge pool and loungers on a sunny deck, seemed as moulded to my needs as a double-width airline seat is to an overweight person who might otherwise overflow the sides.

Not that we had lazy mornings to enjoy such wonders. Staying at Phinda Lodge meant wake-up calls at 5.30am, a quick cuppa and a cookie before being taken off with our guide and tracker into the early mist.

We were with two other couples in an open truck – honeymooners from Texas and an older couple from Hampshire. My camera was the smallest by a yard and my bird knowledge embarrassingly limited, but after an African childhood I knew about treating wild animals with the respect they deserve.

You don’t mess with rhino, elephant, leopard, black buffalo, or a lion stalking her prey; walk backwards if you happen to meet one, and never turn and run. I also know that rhinos are very short-sighted – jump aside nimbly if one charges because he’s unlikely to swerve.

We saw a sleek cheetah with her young, and four of the Big Five on our short stay thanks to our marvellous guide Paul, and tracker Sisyla. Their knowledge and quick-sightedness during our various forays were awesome; depending on the time of day, they produced coffee and flapjacks, or sundowners with nibbles, erecting a table and laying it with a neat cloth.

We had a terrific late breakfast to look forward to after our final four hours in the wild. Then, after lazing in the sun (terrible, I know, but irresistible), it was time for lunch and a dip in the pool.

It’s such a pity that I’m now back at my desk, looking out at the steady rain.

Sandra Howard’s new novel, Tell The Girl, will be published by Simon Schuster shortly.

Getting there

Africa Travel (africatravel.co.uk, 020 7843 3500) offers a ten-day trip to KwaZulu Natal from £3,440 per person. This includes three nights each at Fugitives’ Drift Lodge, Thonga Beach Lodge and Phinda Mountain Lodge, return British Airways flights, car hire, all meals, battlefield tours and some activities at Phinda and Thonga Beach.


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Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2457478/Holidays-South-Africa-History-safari-sand-Sandra-Howards-tour-Rainbow-Nation.html

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