Dlinza and Ongoye Forests
See trees the way birds do at Dlinza Forest in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal, where a 150-metre-long aerial boardwalk has been built through the treetops. Birding up here is a delight.
These twin forests in central Zululand are special in many ways, not least because they lie close to Eshowe in the heart of Zulu country, and not many small forests survive that kind of close attention. As far as forests go, they are indeed little, at around 250 ha each. They are classified as scarp forest, and they cloak the rolling hills in cathedrals of greenery while looking out over a hot and humid plain.Tree specials to watch out for are giant umzimbeet, forest mangosteen, forest waterberry and Pondo fig.
Bird specials include olive woodpecker,scaly-throated honeyguide, crowned and trumpeter hornbills, eastern bronze-naped pigeon, lemon dove, spotted ground-thrush and green twinspot. In Dlinza, there are boardwalks to protect the forest floor and there's an elevated observation tower where you can get an eagle's-eye view of the area, and maybe see an African crowned eagle to boot.