 
Gateway to Magical MaputalandWhat Maun is to the famous Okavango Delta in Botswana, the village of Mkuze is to Maputaland, northern KwaZulu-Natal. Another great African destination, Maputaland combines superb scenery, varied and abundant wildlife (both terrestrial and marine) and an authentic cultural experience. Mkuze's premier accommodation establishment, the Ghost Mountain Inn is where the Maputaland journey usually begins. Situated near the legendary Ghost Mountain, this privately owned country hotel prides itself on personal service and being a home away from home. Facilities
Cuisine
Ghost Mountain Inn arranges open-vehicle game drives through Mkuzi Game Reserve (40 000ha / 98 800 acres), only 16km away. Sheltered by the mountains, most of Mkuzi's terrain consists of ancient coastal plains with savannah grasslands, fossil pans, wetlands, rare riverine fig forests and sand dunes. Over 400 bird species have been recorded. Another short day excursion is to Pongolapoort Bioreserve (31 000ha / 76 570 acres), which offers elephant tracking and tiger fishing on the Pongola Dam (16 000ha / 39 520 acres). (See "Regional Places of Interest" below.) How to get there
Ghost Mountain - The Legend
Looking east from Mkuze, two very pronounced features of the Ubombo mountain range can be seen. On the left is Gaza, on the right Tshaneni. Over the years, there have been many claimed sightings of strange lights and flickering figures among the fissures and cliffs at the summit. Weird unexplained noises have also been heard. Considering the history associated with this mountain, it is not surprising that it is believed by many to be haunted... Burial tradition From early times it was customary to inter-deceased family heads at the foot of the mountain. Even Soshangane and his family - mummified and wrapped in black bull skins - had been transported by bearers (who travelled by night to avoid detection by the Zulu) for hundreds of kilometres in order to honour the burial tradition. Massacre Zibhebhu maintained the upper hand in a series of bloody fights. In desperation, Dinuzulu enlisted 800 Boers, led by Louis Botha (later General Louis Botha, who was also to become a Prime Minister of South Africa), who were promised rewards of farms for their help. In June 1884 Dinuzulu's combined army invaded Zibhebhu's territory. Zibhebhu was a resolute leader heading some of the finest Zulu warriors, and he too had some white soldiers in his ranks. However, he was outnumbered and forced to make a fighting retreat. On 5 June, in a rugged gorge near the Ghost Mountain, the Battle of Tshaneni was fought. The Mandlakazi stubbornly and viciously met steel with steel, but heavy fire from Dinuzulu's white comrades-in-arms mowed them down, while the Usuthu tore into their adversaries, turning the Mandlakazi retreat into a rout. Those who survived fled into the dense forests of Tongaland. The battlefield was littered with thousands of bodies. A traveller passing close to Ghost Mountain in the early 1920's reported that skeletons were still strewn on its slopes.
Ecocultural ExperienceMAGICAL MAPUTALAND At the southernmost tip of the great coastal plain that flanks Africa's eastern seaboard lies Maputaland. Bounded by the junction of the Lebombo Mountains in the north-west, the Ubombo Mountains - the same range but named differently south of the Pongolo River gorge in the south-west - the Greater St Lucia lakes system in the south, and the Indian Ocean in the east, it extends over an area of about 8 000km² - and includes neighbouring parts of South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique. Protected areas
The influence of the warm, southward flowing offshore Mozambique current, combined with the continuity of a tropical climate down the low-lying Mozambique Plain, accounts for a diverse tropical flora and fauna. It has an unspoiled coastline, pristine estuaries, unpolluted lake systems, beautiful natural forests, and an uncommonly high concentration of protected areas that are home to all the emblematic species of Africa, and prolific bird and marine life. Newly discovered Ecotourism Recommended reading: Places of Interest - with times from Ghost Mountain Inn
Networking Ghost Mountain Inn is a member of the Maputaland Tourism Alliance. Including among its founder members leading tourism businesses either based in northern Natal, or operating tours and safaris through the region, the Alliance offers an authentic, integrated regional tourism product. Other members are:
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