Zimanga - Umgodi overnight hid - What an experience!

Zimanga is the first reserve in Africa designed for avid safari enthusiasts and photographers with multiple hides to observe animals at eye level and one overnight hide where you stay the entire night in a dark room waiting for the unknown.

The hide is built into a waterhole with a large window opening up a few centimetres above the water level. Animals that visit the waterhole drink only a few meters from your bed. The drinking edge is 4m from the photographers' chairs - you can see them, but they cannot see you. There is a light that shines indirectly on the waterhole, and as it is on every night, the animals get used to it and know there is no danger. The industry-leading colour spectrum emitted by the light fixtures ensures true-to-life colour and illumination of your subjects.

And there I was - waiting, staring into the night, not knowing if one of those beautiful animals would show. At 3 am, a Rhino mother and her baby appeared out of nowhere, drinking gently, not making one ripple in the water and therefore showing an amazing reflection - and disappearing again into the dark. My heart was pounding and filled with joy. I have never seen anything so magical, and it was definitely worth staying up all night.