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 has taken over the responsibility of all aspects of managing Zingela from his parents, Mark and Linda, who developed Zingela over a period spanning more than 3 decades. 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. Peter is as passionate about the area as he is about all aspects of conservation. He has initiated numerous research projects in the Tugela Valley, including the giraffe identification project and a fascinating eel project. We are slowly 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, hurdling fallen aloes, stumbling upon game in the paths…and we hope you will too.”
Laird, Renée and Scheugnet are responsible for bringing Zingela Trail Run to Zingela.
As avid outdoor enthusiasts and regular visitors to Zingela, they felt that there was space in the market for a small, unique, bushveld experience for trail runners looking for a less commercialised event. In the last 3 years they have added Live Music and a Gin Bar to the event, which has brought a welcome dimension to Zingela Trail Run on the banks of the Tugela River.
Zingela’s Giraffe
We are proud to partner with Zingela’s Giraffe Identikit Project.
Zingela is a 500,000 HA 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. Read More.