I had the opportunity to spend a night at Ghost Mountain recently. I had been there once previously for lunch (nice to sit around the pool under the trees etc) as it is quite a well positioned stop if you are heading up to Mozambique, Kosi Bay or Tembe Elephant Park etc.

I was glad we decided to stay overnight this time - and in fact wished we had longer as there are so many things to do in the area.

The night we were there the owners Susan and Peter Rutherfoord were there in addition to the Manager Craig (their son) - so we were in for a party! Not only did Zulu dancers entertain us in the boma, but they also has a 3-man band playing in the background while we had dinner which made it really festive. The buffet was impressive including local game dishes which we tried and were very nice.

Although it is quite a big property it somehow has the feeling of a small inn, I suppose because of the personal service and the fact that it is family-run.

The room was very comfortable and nicely furnished. A nice touch was a letter from Craig himself welcoming us and also the gift of a "travellers friend" - a little doll in-badge which raises money for an AIDS charity in KwaZulu-Natal.

In the morning we went out on their boat on lake Jozini with guide Jean who was an absolute hoot and had us all either in fits of laughter - or with shivers down the spine as she recounted the legend of the ghosts/lights moving up on the mysterious ghost mountain where the spirits of the dead move at night sometimes :o)

We spotted some great birds, hippos - and best of all, a herd of ellies with lots of babies (calves) came down to the waters edge of the Pongola Game Reserve and we watched them from the water which was a new experience for me.

They have a great pool and a deck at the edge of the property on a dam where you can go and enjoy the birds etc. There is also a spa. Sadly we never got time to enjoy any of these which is why we wished we'd allowed more time.

You can also visit Hluhluwe, Mkuze, Pongola etc from this base. It is a bit of a drive but easily do-able, or you can take their guided trips which are probably better as they know where to look etc - and you can save a lot on accommodation costs if you have limited budgets as the rates are really reasonable!

I would definitely recommend stopping there for at least 2 nights if you are ever in the area.