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uMvubu Community Project
Kosi Forest Lodge is one of the most encouraging examples of genuine community collaborative tourism in South Africa, and has become a model of participatory ownership for other lodges. Blessing (Sibusiso) Mngomezulu, lodge manager and himself a local, explains the close connections between the lodge and the Shengeza community: We chose the name uMvubu for…
Read MoreWanderlust has led me here
As one born of wanderlust, I have been fortunate to travel to many different parts of the world. I have travelled from Scandanavia to Singapore and San Francisco, have bowed my head in cathedrals and temples in Europe, have been up close to calving glaciers in Alaska, caught my breath at the edge of the…
Read MoreTribute to Dr Ian Player (1927 – 1914)
We give tribute to a man who embodied the spirit of conservation, combined with respect for culture and spirituality. World renowned for Operation Rhino, which started in the iMfolozi Game Reserve, Dr Ian Player contributed significantly towards saving the White Rhino from extinction. He also achieved wilderness status for both iMfolozi and the St Lucia…
Read MoreMidlife and the great unknown
Clinical psychologist and blogger Berenice Meintjes takes an honest look at midlife crisis, and offers a daring recipe for making the most of this creative time of life … A midlife crisis is a badly wrapped gift which brings great opportunity for immense freedom and untapped wells of joy. It starts painfully – slowly the…
Read MoreLong Service Awards
On Tuesday 4th November five Kosi Forest Lodge staff were awarded their 15 year long service certificates. From left Princess Gwala- Chef, Jerome Mnthambo- Guide, Ester Mntambo- Housekeeper, Blessing Mngomezulu- Lodge Manager & Veronica Ngubane- Housekeeper. The awards were presented by Isibindi Africa’s Brett Gehren (back row). Congratulations and thank you to the dedicated team…
Read MoreBonjour Mademoiselle Gumede!
From the local village called KwaMnyayisa, next to Lake Shingeza, comes this elegant lady, Thandeka Gumede. She tentatively applied for a position as a temporary waitress at Kosi Forest Lodge in 2007. She was studying via correspondence to become a teacher and needed to find ways of funding her studies. Thandeka was immediately hired and…
Read MoreCommunity Dreams
“Monitor lizard, monitor lizard!” he points enthusiastically as he shows us fine tracks in the gentle sand forest on the way to our beautiful thatched tented cabin. From humble contract labourer to current lodge manager, Sibusiso (Blessing) Mngomezulu is a well-known and much respected presence at Kosi Forest Lodge. He was one of the first…
Read MoreCoastal Thrill
A bit like a thriller movie where you know everything’s going to turn out all right, you still get caught up in the exhilaration and challenge of the unpredictable terrain. We take the scenic coastal 4X4 route from Kosi Forest Lodge down to Thonga Beach Lodge. As relatively inexperienced off-road drivers, this is the perfect…
Read MoreA Whole New World
I am more of a ‘strandloper’ (beachwalker) than water sports kind of girl. But I joined in the snorkelling at Thonga Beach Lodge mainly to impress my partner. Looking perhaps a little less than impressive, I was breathing like a hippo, and walking like a spastic turtle as I made my web-footed way into the…
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