Dlinza Forest

Dlinza is about 250 hectares of scarp forest sitting inside the town of Eshowe, which is unusual enough on its own, and the way to experience it is unusual too: a steel boardwalk about 125 metres long runs at canopy height through the trees, ending at a tower some twenty metres up that puts you above the canopy looking across the tops. From there you see forest birds at eye level rather than as silhouettes far overhead - the spotted ground thrush, an endangered migrant, is the one birders come for, along with narina trogons, crowned eagles and delegorgue's pigeon. Below, ground paths run through the forest floor among bushbuck and blue duiker. The Zulu name refers to a place of meditation or seclusion. The forest is protected and survives as an island in farmland and town, which is precisely why it matters ecologically; the canopy boardwalk was the first of its kind in southern Africa, and every three years a nativity play written in 1953 is staged among the trees.

What you'll find

• The aerial boardwalk - 125 metres of walkway at canopy height through the trees.
• The tower - a twenty-metre platform looking across the forest tops.
• The ground thrush - an endangered migrant birders come specifically to find.
• The forest island - remnant scarp forest protected inside a town.

When to go

September to April; the ground thrush is present in the warmer months. Two hours.

Good to know

The boardwalk is short - this is a morning, not a day. Mist is frequent and can close the canopy view entirely. Bird activity drops sharply after mid-morning. The forest is small enough to walk out of quickly.

Nearby

Eshowe town is around it; the Zululand game reserves are north.

Key facts