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kwa Zulu Natal Region - Twinstreams

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Welcome To The Twinstreams Environmental Education Centre

GENERAL INFORMATION
Our office hours are from 08h00 -16h00 Monday to Friday. Booking is essential if you require accommodation or if you wish us to organize a course for your group.

WHO ARE WE?

Established in 1952 by Dr Ian Garland, Twinstreams is the oldest Environmental Education Centre in South Africa. Dr Ian Garland and many famous visitors planted the forest surrounding the Centre. It is estimated that he planted 80,000 indigenous trees on his farm 'Twinstreams'. The two streams after which the farm were named are:

The AMANZIMNYAMA RIVER- meaning 'Dark Water' (so named because of the tannins which decomposing vegetation releases into the water)
The SIYAYA RIVER- meaning ' We are going' (to the sea- less than 2 km from the centre).

The two streams meet just below Sinkwe Centre and end up on the beach near the public beach access ramp in the Umlalazi Nature Reserve.

When Ian retired from farming he sold his farm Twinstreams to Mondi Forests in 1987 on the understanding that the indigenous trees that he planted and the education centre that he had established would remain intact. Mondi approached the Wildlife Society of South Africa and offered us the opportunity of managing Twinstreams Environmental Education Centre. Mondi has invested a great deal of money and effort in ensuring that Twinstreams Centre is not only well maintained but is also continually being upgraded. This joint partnership between Mondi Business Paper and the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa has resulted in an ever-increasing number of visitors being encouraged to become more environmentally aware and to live their lives in such a way that their impacts on the environment are minimized.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

EDUCATION : Catering for all ages (ranging from pre-school to post-senility) our education staff plans and conducts all activities according to the active learning framework as laid out in the new Revised National Curriculum Statement. We offer assistance to teachers in acquiring fieldwork skills required for Outcomes Based Education through observing hands-on experiential learning taking place as our environmental officers interact with their learners. We tailor- make courses to suit your needs.

We also offer a basic ecology course presented entirely in isiZulu for corporates who wish to reclaim some of the skills levies that they have to pay on a monthly basis or for those isiZulu speakers who struggle to grasp English terminology.

TEAM BUILDING & GROUP DYNAMICS : We have an experienced team of officers who are capable of enabling even the most disjointed and disparate collections of people to form co-operative, functional units. Once again age is of no consequence and the process is actually a great deal of fun!

EXPOSURE TO A WIDE RANGE OF ECO-SYSTEMS : Our guides are equipped with the knowledge to take you on informative, interesting interpretive trails through:

dune forests;
sandy shores;
mangrove swamps;
wetlands;
raphia forests and
grasslands

all of which are available to Twinstreams Centre- either at the centre itself or at Umlalazi Nature Reserve.

OTHER THAN COURSES:

There are a number of activities you can do by yourself:

• Trails : There are a number of well- maintained trails through the indigenous forest. Most are on flat terrain and are easily negotiable. They vary in length from a few hundred meters to 10 km.
• Picnics : You may picnic anywhere along the trails. Please ensure that no litter is left behind.
• Braais : Fires are only allowed at designated braai areas.
• Social gatherings : Weddings; parties; church outings; family re-unions or any other gatherings you can think of.
• Fun : We have canoes, paddles and life jackets available for hire (to be used on the Umlalazi River in the Nature reserve).
• Water : There is safe drinking water from our taps. Avoid drinking stream or river water.
• Pets : No pets allowed as Twinstreams is a Nature Reserve.
• Speed limit : Please do not exceed 40 kph.

ACCOMMODATION:

We can accommodate up to 90 school children at a time. Our accommodation is rustic but is also clean and comfortable. All accommodation has electricity available.
We have two accommodation centres:

• Mick's Park: Built by Dr Ian Garland, this is the oldest accommodation centre at Twinstreams and is named after an old friend of Ian's- Michael Pennington. The two lofts can accommodate up to 30 children with 2 rooms below sleeping 7 people. Ablution, Kitchen and Braai Facilities are available at Mick's park.

• Sinkwe Center: Sinkwe's dormitories can accommodate 32 people. This is the more modern of the two accommodation centers and consists of 8 rooms, each containing two double bunk beds. Ablution, Kitchen and Braai Facilities are available at Sinkwe. Sinkwe also boasts a large sun deck- ideal for outdoor meals on those balmy Zululand evenings.

• Chalets: There are two small wooden chalets close to the administration offices which can accommodate two people each. When they are not being used to house the teachers accompanying their learners on course they are available for private use. They have access to their own ablution facilities and use the braai and kitchen facilities at Mick's Park (about 30 m away from the chalets).

WHERE ARE WE?

Twinstreams is approximately 3 km south of Mtunzini and 160 km north of Durban. Situated in the beautiful rehabilitated forest the Educational Centre is:

• only 20 minutes walk from the beach;
• 6kms from Umlalazi Nature Reserve;
• 6kms from Mtunzini shops.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION:

• Walking Trails:
• Tongaland Trail (1 km)- passes through trees common to the Tongaland region of KwaZulu- Natal .
• Umdoni Trail (1.5 km)- takes you to the renowned indigenous plant nursery which shares our name- Twinstreams.
• Amanzimnyama trail (2 km)- follow the Umdoni Trail then return alongside the Amanzimnyama River.
• Beach Trail (4 km)- walk alongside the Amanzimnyama River all the way to the beach.
• Umlalazi Nature Reserve Trail (10 km)- after taking the beach trail, walk along kilometers of wide, unpopulated sandy beaches.

• Tree spotting: collect a copy of the list of trees planted by Ian Garland and see how many you're able to find in and around the centre.

• Twitching : Other than the obvious, common birds some of the 'specials' on offer at Twinstreams are: Narina Trogon , Palmnut Vulture, Giant Kingfisher, Hamerkop, Natal Robin, Trumpeter Hornbill, Wood Owl, Giant Eagle Owl, African Finfoot.

• Mammals : Bushbuck, Red Duiker, Vervet monkey, Bushpig, Bushbaby, Porcupine, Genet.

• Butterflies : Field identification booklets are available at the office

• Reptiles : Forest Cobra, Spitting Cobra, Gaboon Adder; Boomslang.

• Scope : The term "ENVIRONMENT" includes the political (decision making) economic(jobs and money) social(people living together) and biophysical(scientific) dimensions.

• Staff : OUR TWINSTREAMS STAFF ARE QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED.

PROJECTS

• Aerial boardwalk: we have the plans, the wood, the EIA and the will and are hoping to have our boardwalk meandering through the canopy of the forest along the course of the Amanzimnyama River completed this year, 2008.
• Conference centre and new kitchen: Mondi Business Paper have kindly donated a new kitchen at Sinkwe Centre and we now have a 40 seater conference facility which was completed at the end of 2007
• Upgrade of Peace Cottage & the Eco- house: these upgrades are also planned in order to allow for more luxurious accommodation for adult special interest groups.