Close to the southern border of Swaziland, Itala Game Reserve is a very scenic and mountainous park covering about 30,000 hectares in the north of KwaZulu Natal. Its grasslands, ancient rocky outcrops and many rivers are home to several animals not found elsewhere in Zululand reserves: eland, tsessebe and red hartebeest.
There are no lions here so it is not a place to go if you only want to see the Big Five. It is, however, an excellent place for a relaxed game viewing experience in stunning surroundings. The reserve has 75 mammal species, including black and white rhino, elephant, leopard and cheetah. There are also 320 bird species.
The main rest camp, Ntshondwe, has won several awards for the best game reserve rest camp in South Africa.
