We had previously heard a lot of good things about Kingfisher, but we had never been there. After some research, we wondered if our business, Joxilox Tours, would want to take our International Tourists there as part of a new "KZN Mountains and Sea Group Tour".
We contacted Malissa, the owner, who was super-efficient and very friendly. We booked for 3 nights - Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. She confirmed the booking and we started to plan the rest of our trip to KZN. The Chairman, of KZNNA, Graeme, was very helpful and he passed on contact details of a few "naturist-friendly" people and places in KZN (thanks Graeme).
We left Joburg at midday on Thursday, 22nd June and we headed for the Drakensberg Mountains. We had booked an overnight stay at a lodge, which is a textile lodge, with stunning views of the mountains. We had been hiking there many times over the years, so we knew the place. On the Friday morning we attended a meeting at a Guest Farm which is textile but naturist-friendly if we book the whole lodge. We were shown 2 cottages which each had 2 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and each bathroom has a jacuzzi. Those cottages are more private than the rest of the accommodation. The lodge ticked all the boxes for our International Tourists.
Within an hour, we headed for Lions River, near Howick to see 2 more naturist friendly lodges. Both lodges were owned by naturists, and both lodges ticked all the boxes for future group tours. The accommodation at both places was suitable. The one farm had 9 chalets and the other had 6 double rooms. We decided to include them as part of our group tours.
There are lots of excursions in the area including Howick Falls, the Capture Place of Nelson Mandela and Piggly Wiggly which has a coffee shop, pizza place and a wine estate. There are also numerous restaurants, shops, pubs and activities in the Midlands Meander. The Belgium Chocolate and Waffle places caught my eye.
Just after midday we left Lions River and we headed for the South Coast. We couldn't wait to see the Kingfisher Lakeside Retreat. On arrival, we received a HUGE welcome from the managers, Fanie and Fia. Over the next 3 days we got to know them, and you will not find a nicer couple. Part of the feel-good welcome was a small sign with our names on the sign, wishing us an enjoyable holiday. There were also a lot of feel-good messages painted onto smooth stones. Those messages on stones are in the safari tents, in the cottage and next to the path all the way down to the Mpenjati beach.
The Kingfisher Lakeside Retreat has WiFi and inverters (so guests are not affected by load shedding). There are 4 luxury safari tents and a 2 bedroomed cottage. Nick and Lins of Naked Wanderings had been there, and they had made a video which is on YouTube, and now that we were there, we were amazed that the Safari Tents were not just luxury – they were "WOW"!
Two of the four luxury safari tents have their own swimming pool (with 2 tanning beds) and apart from a nice shower they also have a high-back bath and twin hand basins in the bathroom. There is a queen size bed in the main bedroom and 2 single beds in the second bedroom. Everything is on a wooden deck including a bonfire place, a lounge suite and a table and chairs for meals. The other 2 safari tents do not have a swimming pool or a bath, but they are similar.
The kitchens are well equipped with a large modern fridge, a microwave oven, a gas stove, a kettle, toaster and all the cutlery and crockery expected in a luxury safari tent. There are plenty of cupboards and drawers which are "monkey-proof". Monkeys can sometimes be faster than the speed of light if you leave any food around.
We relaxed and we tanned nude even though it was winter. Of course, we had to take a walk to the Mpenjati (unofficial) Naturist Beach which is just down the path. We spent an evening around the fire with Fanie and Fia and we just "clicked" with them. They were very interesting, and we wish that they would write a book about their lives – we would want to buy the first copy.
Every day, at least 4 or 5 wild animals walked past our tent – they were a type of buck. There was also a lot of birdlife. Every morning, we woke up to the sound of birds. It reminded us of our home at SunEden. This really was a "home away from home". We could not find fault with the Kingfisher Lakeside Retreat. We felt tearful as we said goodbye to our new friends, Fanie and Fia. We recommend that you book a holiday there. Send a Whatsapp message to the owner, Malissa, to book your accommodation on 074 170 4242.
