Life on the Road in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park

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On the road in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), you can expect chance encounters at busy intersections, frequent traffic jams, a crash or two and an occasional car chase. It’s all a part of the spontaneity of life on the road in this undisturbed wilderness.

But, before I tell you more about this beautiful place and our chance encounters with the inhabitants of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park,

How do You Pronounce Hluhluwe-iMfolozi?

Shloo-shloo-we-om-fa-low-zee. I know it is quite a mouthful, but say it aloud once or twice, and you’ll quickly get the hang of it.

Where is the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park?

You’ll find the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park about 250 kilometres north of Durban in South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province.

As the name suggests, the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park is an amalgamation of two parks. And as we discovered, each park has its own distinctive landscape that delights the eye with visual treasures at almost every corner.

Hluhluwe, in the north, is hilly, rugged terrain adorned with mist-belt forests, deep valleys and dense bushveld.

While iMfolozi in the south is open savannah and wetlands embellished with riverine forests and thick reed beds lining two mighty rivers, the Black and the White Umfolozi.

A Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park-Style Traffic Jam.

It’s mid-afternoon when we enter the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), and we’re a little pressed for time. We’ll face a hefty fine if we’re not inside Hilltop Camp by five o’clock when they close the gates. 

But there’s a traffic jam up ahead.

A young giraffe stands on the edge of the road. Deep in thought, she chews her cud and stares off into the distance, where massive clouds congregate, promising rain later.  She appears oblivious to the traffic waiting for her to cross and join her family on the other side.

After a minute or two spent in giraffe contemplation, she notices the line of cars waiting patiently for her to cross and decides not to cross the road here.

 Instead, she strolls through the long grass lining the road as if looking for the perfect car to cross in front of. Rejected, the first car pulls off, and so do the second and the third.

We are the next car in line. She steps onto the road and pauses again.

This time she gives my husband a coy glance through her long silky eyelashes before crossing to join her family.

There are no Zebra Crossings here.

From Memorial Gate, the tar road through the Hluhluwe section snakes up and along the soft spines of seemingly gentle green rolling hills. The landscape is a visual treasure chest of emerald hills fading into blue and grey in the distance. And narrow, deep verdant valleys below.

But we aren’t the only road users.

We stop to allow a herd of zebra coming down the hill to pass us on the road. For a warthog too.

And a cape buffalo who steps down from the ridge in front of us, preferring to walk on the road instead of the steep hillside.

Despite the heavy traffic, we make it through Hilltop Camp’s gates with a few minutes to spare.

Breakfast with a View in Hilltop Camp

I’m a sucker for a cooked breakfast. It’s my favourite meal of the day.  So, when I decided to book us in at Hilltop Camp, it wasn’t because the camp ticked my most important accommodation box, a swimming pool. Or the stunning location perched high on the hills, or for the beautifully laid out interactive Umbhombe Forest Trail surrounding the camp, it was for the cooked breakfast with a view.

Early morning mists curl lazily up out of the valleys obscuring a hilltop here and then another over there. Between eating our breakfast and watching the play of light over the hills, we pour over the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park map.

The park has an extensive network of dirt roads but only one tar road running from Memorial Gate in the north to Mpila Rest Camp in the south. We typically prefer to drive along dirt roads, believing that we improve our chances of wildlife encounters off the beaten track.

But on this trip, we’re driving a low-clearance hire car, and in recent weeks there have been extremely heavy rains in northern Kwazulu-Natal. Neither of us relishes getting our hire car stuck in the mud in a deep valley with no cell phone reception.

So, we decide to stick to the tar road down to Mpila in the iMfolozi section and hope that serendipity will bless us with great game sightings.

A Crash of Rhinos

Those beautiful early morning mists wafting out the valleys mingle with clouds that appear to have dropped down to earth to meet them. It’s grey and gloomy. Without sunlight, it is hard to spot anything that might be lurking in the dense bush lining the road.

I’m thinking of suggesting we call it quits before the rain starts and return to Hilltop when my husband says, ‘what’s that?’

Two large but indistinct grey bodies stand motionless in the middle of the road. Are they elephants? Or maybe rhinos? It’s hard to tell in this light. Whatever they are, they’re facing away from us.

Slowly, my husband eases the hire car closer but not too close; we don’t want to startle them or invade their personal space. The most comfortable distance for them and us is about 100 metres. One of the shapes turns, no doubt to see what this noise is, and offers a perfect profile. We’ve encountered a crash of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park’s famous rhinos. Although, a stubbornness of rhinos might be a better description.

They block the road, standing with their heads low to the ground, occasionally shifting their weight from one foot to another. The only movement is their oxpecker friends flitting from rhino to rhino to pick a choice tick from an ear here and a neck crease there.

Another rhino steps out of the bush, and now the road is full of unmoving rhinos. There is nothing to do but wait until they decide to move off.

Elephants on Main Street.

After twenty minutes or so, the rhinos move off, disappearing into the bush as if they were never there. And any thought of abandoning our drive has vanished with them.

Especially as we round the next corner just in time to see an elephant mamma cross the road, her baby follows, moving in a comical Charlie Chaplinesque run-walk style as if it is still mastering the art of simultaneously operating all four legs.

Another elephant follows. And another, and another. A glimpse of a flapping ear or a large grey behind and the periodic sharp cracks of breaking tree branches are the only things that betray their presence in the thick bush.

Hang on a second. Those sharp crack sounds are coming from all around us.

We have driven slap-bang into the middle of a super herd of elephants and their babies. And the middle of a matriarchal herd is not a good place to be. Like all good moms, elephant mothers can be aggressive when strangers get too close to their kids.  The last thing we want to do is make an elephant mom uneasy.

We have a healthy respect for elephants. A couple of weeks ago, the grumpy elephant landlord of Marakele National Park chased us down a hillside in reverse! I can assure you that driving at speed in reverse while an elephant chases you is not fun.

In the rear-view mirror, my husband notices another elephant crossing behind us. That settles it; we are out of here. And this time, we’ll move forward.

We make it out of the herd without incident. As we pass by, we notice a waterhole next to the road where more elephants are splish-splashing in the water.

Roadside Mud Baths

Travelling the 44-odd kilometres from Hilltop  Camp to Mpila Camp takes us a couple of hours. We stop for zebras crossing, warthogs, nyalas and kudus too. Another giraffe traffic jam, and even more elephants. And to take in the spectacular views from the many lookout points and picnic spots along the way.

By the time we reach Mpila Camp, the sun has driven away the clouds, and it’s hot and humid. We buy ice creams and watch a warthog take a mud bath in the camp. 

After every muddy roll, he grunts in satisfaction. We’re envious of his obvious delight in these cool muddy waters and decide to return to the sparkling blue swimming pool at Hilltop Camp without further delay.

3 of the Big 5 in One Tableau

But serendipity is at play here, and she is determined to show us that there is plenty of life on the tar road of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi.

We reencounter the elephant super herd. This time they are in a large clearing not far from where we first ran into them. It’s a perfect spot to watch the antics of the babies and the rambunctious teenagers at play.

But they aren’t the only ones here.

A herd of dainty impalas nibble on the shrubs surrounding the clearing.

A warthog family roots for tasty snacks on their knees, closely watched by an opportunistic southern yellow-billed hornbill hoping for a dislodged bug.

It takes us a while to notice that two of the smaller elephants aren’t, in fact, elephants. They are rhinos. Their substantial bulk allows them to blend seamlessly into the herd.

Mid-afternoon light casts a golden glow on everyone in this picture-perfect tableau. I’m in amateur photographer heaven. I don’t know where to point my camera because there is so much going on here.

And then a herd of buffalo steps out into the clearing.

Game viewing doesn’t get any better than this. And I abandon my camera to live in this precious moment.

Engrossed in the life around us, we are blissfully unaware of an approaching car that speeds heedlessly through this tranquil tableau startling a teenage elephant who trumpets in alarm. And everyone scatters, including us.

Instead of taking his fury out on the idiotic driver, the enraged teenager chases us, trumpeting and flapping his ears furiously for about 200 heart-stopping meters.

A Self-Drive Safari is a Journey of Serendipity.

Humbled by the natural beauty of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and its inhabitants. We return to Hilltop in one piece to sit on our patio in quiet contemplation with a soothing glass of wine in hand instead of a wallow in the swimming pool.

A vervet monkey watches us intently from the branches of a nearby tree where unseen birds tweet, chirp, trill and cluck their sweet songs. A nonchalant nyala doe and her baby graze the sweet grass around the patio.

And it occurs to us that a self-drive safari is a journey of serendipity. Each wildlife encounter is a spontaneous, unscripted, fleeting moment of chance. Of being in the right place at the right time. We’ve always believed we improve our chances of wildlife encounters on the little-travelled dirt roads until today’s drive on the main road of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi.

Have you been to Hluhluwe-iMoflozi Park? I’d love to hear about your trip in the comments below.

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park Know Before You Go

Did I Mention that this is South Africa’s Oldest Game Reserve?

Before becoming protected game reserves in 1895, the area we now know as the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park was the legendary hunting ground of Zulu kings. Then during colonial times, it was the playground of great white hunters.

Today it’s a sanctuary for wildlife and world-renowned for its rhino conservation efforts.

Accomodation in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park

There are several private 5-star luxury lodges in the park. However, for budget-conscious travellers like us, there are two options, either Hilltop Camp or Mpila Camp.

Both camps offer guests a variety of accommodations, from 2-bed self-catering rustic huts and safari tents to luxury 8-sleeper lodges.

Hilltop Camp has a restaurant and offers fully catered or half-board packages. And if you book a chalet, that fabulous, cooked breakfast with a view is included in the rates.

Hilltop Camp has a restaurant and offers fully catered or half-board packages. And if you book a chalet, that fabulous, cooked breakfast with a view is included in the rates.

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park Gate Times and Daily Conservation Fees.

If you’re staying in and around Hluhluwe, Mtubatuba, Richards Bay or Saint Lucia, it is possible to make a day trip to the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

In the summer months (1 Nov to 28 Feb), the gates open at 5 am and close at 7 pm.

And in winter (1 Mar to 31 Oct), the gates open at 6 am and close at 6 pm.

And, of course, nature’s splendour isn’t free. From 1 November 2023, the daily conservation rates for South African and SADC residents are:

• R 140 / adult per day and R 70 / child per day.

For non-residents:

• R 280 / adult per day and R 140 / day per child.

But if you’re a SANParks Wildcard holder, you don’t have to pay the daily conservation fees; however, you must show a printout of your latest wildcard payment receipt.

DISCLOSURE: I have no commercial relationship with Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, KZNwildlife or any of their affiliates. All photographs, experiences and opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

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