Prince Dabulamanzi Trail.
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Dreadnought Waterfall
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The three-day Prince Dabulamanzi Trail, named after the Zulu prince and half brother of King Cetshwayo, is strung like a delicate necklace across the rolling agricultural landscape between Eshowe and Entumeni in southern Zululand.
Ezulwini, the headquarters of Dabulamanzi kaMpande during the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War was situated close to the Trail. He must have hunted and run through most, if not all, of the area covered by the Trail.
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Entumeni Dam
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The driving forces behind the creation of the Trail are two Entumeni sugarcane farmers- Louis Gunter and Gavin Lawrie. Louis is the chairman of the 20 000 ha Eshowe-Entumeni Conservancy while his neighbour Gavin serves on the KZN Conservancy Association’s committee. Three neighbouring farmers and KZN Wildlife make up the balance of the Trail partnership.
Our walking group joined Louis and guide Jotham Maduna at the entrance to the Entumeni Nature Reserve, 12 km from Eshowe, which also doubles as the start of the second day of the three-day hike.
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Entumeni
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“At present there is limited accommodation available on the Trail. However we are aware that the World Wildlife Fund may make a grant of up to R250 000 in the near future to improve all aspects necessary to launch a Trail of acceptable
standard and facilities,” Louis explains. Already WWF and SAPPI have funded the spectacular Dlinza Forest Aerial Boardwalk at Eshowe.
Accompanied by our guide, Jotham Maduna, we set off through the 750 ha Entumeni Forest, the trail leading through a series of switchback ridges, gradually descending until we reached the Ngotshe River. Jotham, who has been trained by Birdlife SA at Wakkerstroom, made several sightings of Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Yellowstreaked Bulbul and Natal Robin under the high canopy of flatcrowns and fluted milkwoods. Jotham points out where the government’s poverty relief programme, Working for Water, is providing funding for unemployed people to eradicate the ever-present curse of alien invasive vegetation- here mainly chromoleana odorata moving into the mist-belt grasslands.
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Spotted Thrush
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The Ngotshe is full after welcome rains in the area and as we follow the stream the forest gives way to timber plantations and sugarcane. The hot humid conditions had also brought out the pesky horseflies and it is also a welcome relief to escape their attention.
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Narina Trogon
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A midday break alongside Louis’ farm dam allows further interesting sightings such as Dwarf Bittern, Reed Cormorant and other waterfowl. From the dam the Trail winds up through sugarcane- ahead a pink band of sandstone barred our progress, but rounding a corner we detected a narrow sliver of light beaming down through the gloom. “Dreadnought Crack!” Jotham informed us and we begin a slow climb up an ever increasingly slope between sandstone kranzes. After a hard scramble the Trail emerges onto grassland below Dreadnought Hill, all the while hugging the forest edge and pink sandstone kranzes. It then tracks up the Mkono River until it reaches the spectacular Mkono Waterfall cascading down through through another gorge. From here it is but a short stroll to the overnight camp. Louis, Gavin and other Conservancy members have made provision for camping- and the spot is frequently used by school and church groups at the weekends.
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Bushbuck in Dlinza Forest
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That evening Louis, Gavin and their families joined us at the Dreadnought Bush camp. While a nearby a Wood Owl competed with the other night sounds, Gavin and Louis put the Trail into context with the work of the Conservancy and eco-tourism in the Eshowe-Entumeni area.
“The Trail can be compared to a spoke on a wheel. We envisage a number of tourism ‘must-sees’ in the area all in some way connected to the Aerial Boardwalk. An increasing number of birders are starting to visit the Zululand Birding Route as a result of Birdlife SA’s marketing at a national level,” Louis says.
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Zebra at Amatikulu
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The Conservancy has 30 members and employs 12 full-time game guards who patrol the area. “We enjoy a very good relationship with the neighbouring tribal
community. Recently when a kudu bull strayed across into their land, a local induna organized the local youth to herd it back here.” The area is also stocked with impala, reedbuck and zebra. Other smaller mammals found here include antbears, cape fox and scaly anteaters.
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Eshowe from the Air
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On the last day Gavin showed us a projected and as yet untapped arm of the Trail towards the now closed Entumeni Mill and its Heritage Site. We also track the intended route of the third day of the Trail, down the Mkono River past a spectacular kranz inhabited by breeding Bald Ibis before looping back to Eshowe.
Their long-term vision sees hiking trails radiating out of this Trail- each would employ people from the area as guides, bringing employment and opportunities to local residents.
There is a financial cost to creating and maintaining the Trail, but both farmers believe that this is entirely offset by the long-term benefits of conserving important areas for their bio-diversity.
This article is taken from the April 2004 SA Sugar Journal.
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Clivia
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Eshowe is centrally positioned in an area surrounded by scarp forest and linked to other neighbouring forests by pockets of indigenous bush and grassland, which make it an excellent base for birding the Zululand forests.
Dlinza Forest, which is in the heart of Eshowe, hosts birds like the elusive Spotted Ground- Thrush which can be seen scratching for earthworms in the forest leaf litter, while above in the forest canopy Delegorgue's Pigeons can be heard throughout the summer months making their loud ascending then descending call. To the west of Eshowe at a higher elevation, is the Entumeni Nature Reserve, which has a forest superficially similar to Dlinza forest but hosting different birds like Yellow-streaked Bulbuls and African Broadbill which do not occur in Dlinza. A trail established by local cane growers meanders through farms and links the two reserves. This is the Prince Dabulamanzi Trail, named after one of the Zulu King Cetshwayo's great generals.
About 15 km north of Eshowe is Lake Phobane, nestled in a valley, which was once the heart of King Shaka's Kingdom. This is a unique birding area and because of the wide range of different habitats in close proximity, a great variety of bird species are to be found here.
For Bookings.
Contact: Louis Gunter at
gunter@freemail.absa.co.za( 035 4749004) or Gavin Lawrie at
gavin@netactive.co.za(035 4766776)
Accommodation in nearby Eshowe at The George Hotel or Zululand Backpackers. 035 4744919.
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Eshowe Logo
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Zululand Eco-Adventures.
Eshowe. Zululand.
KwaZulu Natal. South Africa.
info@eshowe.com
035 4744919..
Your Guides:
Graham Chennells. Walter Cele. Victor Mdluli.
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