Sivananda Etshaneni Airport

Sri Swami Sivananda

SIVANANDA ETSHANENI AIRPORT

Etshaneni Mountain

Divine Life Society of South Africa is pleased to announce that work has commenced on the construction of the Sivananda Etshaneni Airport.

The Sivananda Etshaneni Airport that the Umkhanyakude District Municipality of Zululand is going to develop in collaboration with Divine Life Society will serve a very useful and important purpose. Like all our other projects, it will assist in disseminating the teachings of our Divine Master.

Illuminated duratran cabinets with our Master's inspiring sayings will be set up. Pictures of scenic wonders and colourful birds, flowers and animals will be displayed in them and also mounted on the walls. What will attract tourists and visitors the most will be our four "Compassion" books, which contain delightful animal stories by world-class authors of the East and West. As most of the tourists would be visiting the various animal and nature reserves mentioned below we are sure that our "Compassion" series will be very popular and sell very well.

Once again our Divine Master's teachings will be given a practical dimension, as love of animals and protection of nature and environment are important aspects of his teachings. As is usual with them, our framed pictures of birds, flowers and animals with inspiring sayings will also clamour for attention, like they did in our Yoga Lessons for Children. Now these sweet Spiritual Darlings of ours will get an opportunity of visiting foreign countries and settling there.

Our well-known "Peace" books will also attract foriegn tourists because the instructions contained in them are universal in appeal, intensely practical in application and highly inspiring. In this way our Divine Master's spiritual message will spread to many countries abroad, thanks to the Umkhanyakude District Municipality of Zululand. We give herewith the Nature and Game Reserves in north Zululand.

Temba Elephant Reserve
Kosi Bay Nature Reserve
Ndumo Game Reserve
Pongolapoort Nature Reserve
Mkuze Game Reserve
Itala Nature Reserve
Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park
Umfolozi Game Reserve
Lake Leleza Nature Reserve
Enseleni Nature Reserve
Richards Bay Game Reserve
Umlazi Nature Reserve
Pongola Bush Nature Reserve

Wild Life-Courtesy: "Elephant Coast"

Umkhanyakude means "Elephant Coast". It has literally dozens of reserves and parks and, while they range in size and style, they all provide the wild places that support the area's dense game and bird populations. The wildlife is woven into a fascinating history with, for example, the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, which was first declared a game sanctuary in 1887. Before that, it was a hunting preserve of the Zulu kings. There are now two community owned and run game reserves and more are planned for the future.

The area is home to a number of animals on the endangered and vulnerable list, such as the wild dog and the black rhino, which was saved from extinction through work done in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, which now boasts the largest population of black and white rhino in the world. Many parks have the Big Five, but it can be just as enjoyable to be close to a towering giraffe.

While all the parks have a variety of game, some are known for their pans that are home for crocodiles, hippos and water birds. Others are better known for their varied vegetation and stunning views. Visitors can enjoy game drives in open vehicles, bush walks, game tracking and bird spotting. The provincial game reserves as well as a few of the private reserves offer day trips, and accommodation varies from luxury lodges to bush camps and self-catering chalets.

The Elephant Coast, with its incredible bio-diversity, must be one of Africa's most rewarding bird destinations. Well over 460 bird species have been identified in the area with its plethora of habitats, including flood plains and pans, dune forest, sand forest, coastal thickets, mangroves and grasslands. It is home to 80% of the total number of bird species found in the whole of Natal, making the Elephant Coast a veritable feast for bird lovers.

St. Lucia and the coastal area in particular is recognised as a globally Important Bird Area (IBA). Each area that falls within the Elephant Coast has its own birding attractions. For example, Hluhluwe Game Reserve is renowned for its abundance of raptors and, while both Mkuze and Ndumo reserves boasts about 420 species, they specialise in tropical birds and water-birds, such as the White and Pinkbacked Pelicans, Yellowbilled and Openbilled Stalks, Pel's Fishing Owls, Broadbilled Rollers and Pinkthroated Twinspots, to name but a few. The raffia forests around the lakes are known for the spectacular Livingstones Lourie and the rare Palmnut Vulture.

Together with the incredible variety of bird life, the whole range of accommdation and the fact that the excellent birding spots can be reached by car, boat and on the numerous walking trails, the Elephant Coast is one of the globe's most exciting birding opportunities.