Zulu Falls, Mooi River, November, 2021
Author: Libby Deisel
Leader – Margret Kirsten
Hikers: Carolee, Astrid, Sue (Rowley), Sue (van Malsen), Peter, Kevin, Ali, Rebecca, Daryl, Sarah, Debbie, Iain, Grethe, Libby, Margret.
Margret, Libby, Carolee and Astrid were the first to arrive at the Zulu Falls Lodge which is in the most beautiful setting with a stunning view of the falls. There are several 2 bed en suite chalets and 2 seven en suite bed chalets, a large thatched lapa, a communal kitchen area and a swimming pool overlooking the falls. While awaiting the arrival of the others we went for a short walk, until the rain started – short sharp showers.
The rest of the hikers arrived around lunchtime and settled into their various chalets. Later in the afternoon it was decided to try the path down to the river in the hope of reaching the bottom of the falls. However, the weather was a bit unstable and the path very steep, so the decision was taken to try again very early the next morning.
A group of us set off at 6 am down the path to the river – slow going because of the steepness. However, the challenging part was when we reached the bottom and had to scramble over very large rocks to get to the base of the falls. There were lots of Southern Bald Ibis and Grey Herons nesting in the cliffs. We sat for awhile watching the bird life and then started the ascent up to the lodge – easier than going down! A few members of the group had not attempted the hike to the bottom, but had arranged a short walk to do some game viewing.
After a short rest, we hiked to the top of the falls, stopping on the way to see the remains of a building (probably a holiday cottage) with very curious walls with small boulders embedded in the concrete. We came to a view point with a magnificent view of the falls and were able to sit for awhile to study the nesting birds. We then had to climb over a fence to get to the river at the top of the falls where we stopped for lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing back at the chalets while Margret and Libby did a short recce to find the animals – we saw a few giraffe, zebra and wildebeest. It had been a perfect day, finished off with a braai in the evening. Some members retired fairly early to their beds, while Carolee brought her Bananagram out for a few of us to play amidst much hilarity.
Sunday morning was an early start to go on another hike overlooking the river in the Hidden Valley area where the Southern Sun music festival used to be held. We did not attempt the steep incline down to the river at this point as it was quite hot, so sat and admired the view for awhile before heading back to the chalets. We saw a large herd of wildebeest and some zebra. We were back at the chalets earlier than expected, so had time to relax, swim and have lunch before setting off for home.
It really was a great weekend, thanks to Margret for organising it and for the camaraderie of our fellow hikers. The bird life was stunning with the swallows nesting in the chalets and being able to view the birds at the falls.
