Jan 31 2020
Off

We swerve for moving rocks – Leopard Tortoise @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

So as you should know by now, if you have followed our blogs so far, we are extreme animal and nature lovers. So we swerve for “living rocks” who wanna cross the road. Especially when they rushing to find shelter for the night. What do we mean by swerving “living rocks”? Of course we mean the tortoise… As far as research goes I guess the most common tortoise around here is the Leopard tortoise. So the other day when we were coming home from Sodwana Bay. We saw this little rock racing towards the road, we luckily saw it in the nick of time, just as it stepped into the road.   Leopard tortoises are common pets in Africa, they can handle immense heat and chilling temperatures which makes them quiet hardy and easy to keep, just don’t let them drown in your pool! They can grow up to – 40cm (16in) and weigh up to 13kg(29lb) making them the fourth largest tortoise in the world. Although oddly enough The leopard tortoise will grow bigger the further north or south they are living in. At the far sides of the northern of Southern parts of their habitat areas they can grow up 70 cm (28in) and weigh up to 40kg (88lb). Juveniles and young adults are typically vividly  marked with yellow and black markings, often resembling leopard spots. But as they grow older they may start to loose their color and start to change color to brown, I guess this could be due to the sun. They typically love the savanna regions and are complete herbivores. They will eat just about any fruit, vegetable or plant provided to them in their environment. Mating maturity can start from 12-15 years of age. But thinking about it they do live between 50-100 years in the wild, so it makes sense that it takes so long for them to mature.

Jan 30 2020
Off

The shy one was sighted – Thread-Fin Butterfly @ Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Everybody who has ever snorkeled or dived and tried to take a video or pic of a butterfly fish knows how hard that can be. Its rare enough to actually find a butterfly fish, especially in rocky reef areas, where they usually live. We have only spotted the raccoon butterfly fish a hand full of times and even more rarely been able to capture it on camera. But this time instead of finding the more common raccoon butterfly fish, we spotted a new kind of Butterfly – The Thread-fin Butterfly fish. They might be a bit more of a common variety but this is the first one we have ever seen in Sodwana Bay’s Waters. They usually swim in pairs and like any other butterfly are very elusive and wary of everything. Research suggests that they usually swim in pairs and are monogamous (Stick to one partner), although they will choose a new partner in crime if one should die. Sounds like most humans… This one unfortunately did not have a partner, which would suggest it is either still to young or hasn’t chosen a life partner yet. Thread-fin’s can grow up to 23 cm(9in) long and lives in water depths of 1 – 35m (3-115ft) deep. Fun fact they also darken their colors and night. No-one knows why.

Jan 29 2020
Off

New Html5 is Better! @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

www.htmlup.co.za   The new way of doing HTML. NO need for slow loading CMS – just do it the right way! If you are not going to constantly make changes to the content of your website, then HTML5 is for you. No more slow loading and long waiting times. Launch your new HTML 5 website today. Built on Bootstrap technology your sure to get the best of all worlds. Out of the Box solutions for your new project or business website. Responsive and ready for any mobile device – just like that! Ask us how? info@htmlup.co.za

Jan 29 2020
Off

The wild one’s story @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Our Sibaya Story… You have most probably already seen the gallery of the wild one, but we haven’t shared the whole story about where she came from and how she got from Witbank all the way to Sodwana Bay. We were on our way back to iSibaya after completing a 2 week contract in Pretoria, we decided to make a quick stop at Witbank Ultra City garage. We were on our way to the bathroom after taking the dogs for a walk. When suddenly this little grey ball of fluff appears seemingly out of nowhere, playing with herself. I walked right up to her and picked her up. She never made a fuss or try get out of my arms. Although she is a stray, she acted almost like she use to be someones pet. I have been wanting to get my 5 year old cat a friend for quiet sometime now since all the other pet members have been paired up together. She is the perfect little kitten, never brings out her claws when she plays, is still learning to get along with the big dogs, but has found a playmate in our Jack Russel pup. They remind me a lot about the Disney movie – The fox and the hound. She seems to love photo shoots and uses the house as her own personal palace. She is a true princess. We recently let her go free without any attachments to stop her from going to far and so far so good. She stays real close the house as much as possible. Every day there are new stray dogs and cats, either been dumped on the street or been born into their cruel world. Maybe stop once in a while and try help 1 of these poor creatures out either by giving them a new home, asking around for someone to help adopt them or calling a non-kill animal shelter to help give them a new lease on life.

Jan 28 2020
Off

South Africa’s largest Province – Kwa-Zulu Natal @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

KwaZulu-Natal; also referred to as KZN and known as “the garden province;  is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu (“Place of the Zulu” in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, enjoying a long shoreline beside the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg and its largest city is Durban. It is the second most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng. Two areas in KwaZulu-Natal have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park.

Jan 28 2020
Off

Sibaya Lake @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Southern Africa’s largest natural freshwater lake Lake Sibaya is tucked against forested coastal dunes, parallel to iSimangaliso’s coastline. At an estimated 7 750ha, Lake Sibaya is the largest of its type and has been listed as a RAMSAR Wetland of International Importance. Marine canyons offshore of Lake Sibaya and the presence of relict estuarine fauna suggest that the Lake was previously connected to the sea by a large river. Its pristine, crystal clear waters fringed by pure white sand are fed entirely by run-off from the high vegetated dunes reaching 165m. No rivers flow in or out of Lake Sibaya. Check out the Hippo Pod that inhabits this extraordinary Lake! [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UozTyEhERqM[/embedyt] Please like, subscribe and hit the bell icon to be notified of each new video!