About the Team
The Zingela Team
Peter Calverly is the lucky guy who grew up along this exceptionally beautiful stretch of the Tugela River.
Peter and Jenny Calverley are the second generation to be running Zingela. The Calverley’s have nurtured a healthy relationship with the local community and hosted thousands of guests in the valley over the last 40 odd years. Having grown up at Zingela, Peter is passionate about the area and all aspects of conservation. He has initiated numerous research projects in the Tugela Valley, and is on a never ending quest to improve the experience of every visitor. We think we might have succeeded in converting Peter and his lovely wife, Jen, into trail runners.
“We feel that Zingela Trail Run has something special to offer the purist adventurer who finds value in a more personalised experience. We absolutely love the ruggedness of the area, the arid, thorny bushveld, the fallen aloes, stumbling upon game in the paths…and we hope you will too.”
Renée and Laird are responsible for bringing Zingela Trail Run to Zingela.
As avid outdoor enthusiasts and regular visitors to Zingela, we felt that there was space in the market for a small, unique, bushveld experience for trail runners looking for a less commercialised event. We have guided groups into this beautiful stretch of the Tugela Valley on our mountain bikes for more than 15 years and are grateful for the opportunity to share this beautiful place and the incredible trails to like-minded adventurers.
Zingela’s Giraffe
We are proud to partner with Zingela’s Giraffe Identikit Project.
Zingela is a large, private reserve located in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. It is debated as to the number of species of Giraffe that Africa is home to, however the population as a whole has decreased by 40% over the past 30 years. Our research focuses on the Southern giraffe; 20 of which were introduced to Zingela in the 1990s. Since then, their numbers at Zingela and the surrounding reserves have increased to what is estimated to be over 100 individuals – however, actual population size is currently unknown. As with any conservation effort, our first step was to investigate abundance and distribution to allow us to determine what action to take next.