Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve
Wildlife & Animals
South Africa Parks
Philip lives in South Africa and has authored many guidebooks to African destinations, including the Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa.
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is a scenic reserve and offers good wildlife viewing. All of the Big Five are present, but while white rhino, elephant and buffalo are regularly seen, big cats sightings are hit-and-miss. Giraffe and Burchell's zebra are some of the more common species found throughout the park.
Wildlife Highlights
The park is famous for its white rhino conservation success and has one of the largest populations in the world. Black rhino is also present in significant numbers but rarely seen. The gracious nyala is a Kwazulu-Natal special as it is very common in the province, but rare elsewhere. Lucky visitors might stumble on a pack of wild dog, and the elusive leopard is sometimes spotted on night drives.
Best Time for Wildlife Viewing
The best time for wildlife viewing in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is during the dry months of June to September. The end of the Dry season, from August to September, is a particularly nice time since temperatures are higher than in mid-winter and animals are concentrated around predictable water sources at the end of a long dry period.
