• Zebras roam the hills of the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park.south africa image by TEMISTOCLE LUCARELLI from Fotolia.com
  
  Mtubatuba is nestled among the sugarcane fields of Zululand roughly 34 miles north of Richards Bay and Empangeni. From its humble beginnings as a small railway town, Mtubatuba has grown into its role as a home base from which guests tour some of the area's most visited attractions, including the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Numerous hotels and country cottages dot the town's rolling hills, but its single boutique accommodation is a bed and breakfast located just outside of the main thoroughfare.
  
  

Guest Rooms

• The Mtubatuba Boutique Bed and Breakfast offers five individually designed and decorated guest rooms: the Green, Blue, Red, Family and Executive Room.
  
  The Green Room is furnished in the colonial style with two three-quarter beds, dual vanities and a deep claw-foot bath tub. This room has a balcony that overlooks the swimming pool and vlei, or small pond. Complemented by hues of soft blue and yellow, the Blue Room includes a private patio, which leads into the garden. The Red Room boasts contemporary African decor, including traditional arts and crafts, and is located adjacent to the large upstairs veranda. Guests traveling with their children can book the Family Room, which comes furnished with a box of toys, children's books and a croquet set. This room also has direct off-suite access to the private garden and overlooks the duck pond. The Executive Room provides a spacious, open layout, over-sized king-size bed and private veranda.
  
  Each of the guest rooms includes a bar fridge stocked with fresh milk, a selection of tea and ground coffee and homemade biscuits. Gowns, slippers and additional travel essentials are also provided.
  
  

Facilities

• The grounds include a swimming pool, sun deck, duck pond and private garden. Indigenous flowers like forest bulbs and the litchi orchid grow wild beside mango and banana trees. Rare birds like the palm-nut vulture are often seen feeding on the raffia palms that surround the pool, while other species, including the weaver, nest in the ground's other trees.
  
  The bed and breakfast serves a full English or continental breakfast on the veranda, and dinner is available on-site daily. Each meal is prepared with fresh organic herbs and vegetables obtained from the garden, and vegetarian dishes are available upon request. Picnic lunches may also be requested. A welcome drink is provided upon a guest's arrival, while a complimentary nightcap of port and chocolate is poured nightly.
  
  

Nearby Attractions

• Its location in Mtubatuba makes the bed and breakfast an excellent home base for exploring Zululand attractions, including the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park and its game reserve, which is located 15 miles northwest. Established in 1895, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve is the oldest game park in Africa and is home to the "Big 5": lions, rhinos (black and white), elephants, buffaloes and leopards.
  
  South Africa's first World Heritage Site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, is also 15 miles northeast of Mtubatuba. This 820,389-acre park boasts three major lake systems, eight interlinking ecosystems and much of South Africa's remaining swamplands, as well as Africa's largest estuarine system, over 525 bird species and 25,000-year-old coastal dunes. The park offers scuba diving, snorkeling, canoeing, game- and bird-watching and fishing opportunities.
  
  Thula Thula, the oldest private game reserve, is located about 45 minutes from Mtubatuba. The reserve houses a diverse population of African wildlife like hyenas, wildebeests, zebras and giraffes, and conducts safaris on the reserve grounds.