Camping near Durban

QUESTION: I will be meeting friends from the UK in Durban next month and would like to take camping for a night, preferably in a game reserve environment. As we have a very limited time together, can you recommend somewhere within an hour's drive of the city. - Jake Green

ANSWER: A great spot is Shongweni Dam and Game Reserve, which is only 30 minutes drive from Durban. A national heritage site, it has great scenery, with waterfalls, forests and steep cliffs. The reserve is home to rhino, buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck, wildebeest, warthog and a variety of birds. You can either camp overnight or stay in the Mkangoma Bush Lodge. A good choice to impress your friends would be one of the tented camps, which are built on stilts and sit right on the water's edge. Other dams which offer campsites and some game or bird viewing are the Albert Falls Dam, the Hazelmere Dam and the Inanda Dam. For bookings, contact Msinsi Resorts and Game Reserves (Tel: 031-765 7724).