Shongweni Dam and Game Reserve

Shongweni Dam and Game Reserve is located about 30 minutes from Durban and offers an extensive variety of leisure and water activities for the whole family. With an abundance of wildlife to be found, a game drive is a must that can be booked through the game reserve.

The game drive route offers spectacular flora and fauna gems for sightseers and photographers alike. The Ntini Trail takes two to three hours by foot and is a spectacular outing undertaken with the accompaniment of a field guide.

Resident wildlife includes rhino, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, waterbuck, impala, kudu, wildebeest, jackal, caracal, dassie, warthog, ostrich, duiker and mongoose. More than 200 species of bird inhabit the area, making it a birder’s paradise.

What to take

Hiking Sunblock

Walking Braai meat

Shoes Food

Costumes Charcoal

Towels Firelighters

Cameras Refreshments

Binoculars Fishing rods

The Umzinyathi Canoe Club is situated at Shongweni Dam and Spirit of Adventure offers canoes for rental in all shapes and sizes. There are also beautiful campsites, picnic areas and tented cabins overlooking the water that make the stay that much more enjoyable.

Abseiling and mountain climbing are also par for the course at Shongweni, and don’t forget the days spent fishing. Or simply sit at the waterside and do nothing, it is holiday time of course, so you’re not expected to do much more. Okay, you might need to light a braai fire, but that’s not a chore, it’s rather a great pleasure.

Skink yourself a lekker dop when the braai fire flames leap into the starry night sky and take in the beauty that surrounds Shongweni Dam. During winter the reserve gates are open from 06h00 to 18h00 and in summer the reserve opens at 05h00 and closes only at 19h00.

HOW TO GET THERE

When travelling along the N3 towards Pietermaritzburg, take the Hillcrest/ Assagay/Shongweni exit 32. Turn left at the top of the off-ramp and follow the signs marked Spirit of Adventure/ Shongweni Dam/Shongweni Resources Reserve. A short distance later you will see sign boards that direct you to turn left onto the M48. After a few hundred metres turn right and then keep going for about six kilometres where you will reach the gates of the reserve.