WESSA - Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve

Welcome to WESSA - Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve; this beautiful reserve occupies 917-hectares of land and is home to many indigenous plants, mammals and reptiles. Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve offers guests self-catering accommodation, walking trails and rustic bush camps.

Walking trails range in time from half an hour to five hours, where the Grassland trail offers the greatest diversity in plant life and bird species as well as enabling you to have very close encounters with the giraffe and wildebeest. It is approximately 8 km in length with thicket along the river, acacia woodland and opens out to the most beautiful African savannah bushveld. The trails are mostly undulating or very steep and not for the faint-hearted and are mostly of a circular nature.

Dwarfs Dawdle trail takes you on an exciting expedition through a forest hanging on the side of a large sandstone and dolerite cliff. The forest walks allow you to smell and feel the moisture and humidity and to enjoy dainty forest carpets of ferns and flowers. The insect life is abundant and you are sure to collect many spiders webs as you walk, dont be alarmed even they have tremendous beauty sometimes being gold in colour or with suspended water droplets. Watch out for the elusive rock dassie and nerina trogon and hear the mournful trumpeter hornbill. If you are fortunate you may even encounter the rock climbers scrambling over the rock-faces like spiders with their appendages stretched wide to make use of every foothold.

Shelter Falls is the first little valley closest to the chalets and allows you to do one of the two short walks down to the Cascades or Shelter Falls waterfalls. Alternatively you may want to bring old shorts and try the natural bum slide where its hard to land gracefully in the tumbling stream. The reserve has overnight wooden bush camps and these camps take you right back to basics where the silence is deafening. Fully equipped units are also available which have beds and lighting, and a kitchenette.

Dont miss out on coming to one of the best-kept secrets in the Midlands, and enjoy watching the sun rise at the ever popular view site and being caught up in that amazing view.

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Reviews

"Our Cottage was lovely, no complaints"

20 June 2017

"Was a pity that we only stayed for one night. Lovely setting at Baumans cottage"
"Disappoonted"

05 December 2016

"Having spent many wonderful weekends at the Anniversary Cottage, we were very disappointed to discover that they were being renovated and were assured that Baumann Cottage was just as quiet. When we got there, we discovered that it too is being renovated and we were put in the chalets, which I specifically said we did not want. Had I known this, I would have cancelled my booking. They are extremely well kitted out and comfortable but very noisy. A main road from Howick runs directly behind them and a very noisy gate and intercom system was right next to us. There was also constant traffic along the road to Ambers. This was certainly not the weekend to get away from the stress of city life that I was hoping for."
"Peacefully gorgeous"

27 April 2016

"Spent four lovely days here in an updated unit pleasantly redecorated in comfortable surroundings with wild life at ones door. Very comfortable for an interlude in Howick."
"Great value for Money"

19 January 2016

"This is the third time that I have stayed overnight at the self-catering cottages at Umgeni Valley. The cottages are very convenient for me when visiting family and friends in the Midlands. The cottages have always been simple, clean and functioning, and at my last visit have been refurbished. If this is what you are looking for and you want to support the good causes of environment conservation and environmental education then the WESSA cottages are a good call."
"Review"

15 April 2015

"Hi the stay and the place was absolutely beautiful. The staff was very very friendly and helpful. Can't wait to go back.."
"Quick stay"

15 December 2014

"Chalets are deceptively larger than they appear. Everything you need for a couple."