South Africa: Animal reserves

There are an abundance of quality reserves, particulary in and around the Kruger National Park, in Kwa - Zulu Natal and to the North West of Johannesburg bordering on Botswana. I am concentrating on those I have visited and enjoyed immensely. The lodges at Shamwari, near Port Elizabeth, Ngala in the Kruger and Phinda on the East coast between Durban and the Mozambique border are all outstanding.The big five - Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Rhino and Buffalo are present at all these reserves.It is not possible to overestimate the scale of the reserves in this huge country. At Ngala we were visited by an elephant who strolled across the lawn during dinner. The ranger had no idea where he had come from or where he was going but he added that he could amble 500 miles to the Mozambique coast! That these reserves are well worth a visit goes without saying.