Hluhluwe iMfolozi History

Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Hluhluwe iMfolozi Reservations

Hluhluwe uMfolozi (iMfolozi) Park, set in the heart of Zululand, is the oldest proclaimed game reserve in Africa and the place where traditional Zulu Kings of old, leaders such as King Shaka, hunted and put in place the first conservation laws. The Hluhluwe and uMfolozi Game Reserves were first established in 1895 and today boasts not only the “Big-5” and that is with black and white rhino, but also cheetah and wild dog,  along with numerous other mammal, bird, aquatic and plant species. Sightings of the various mammal species here is generally pretty good, with sightings of rhino, elephant, zebra, giraffe, nyala, blue wildebeest, buffalo, warthog, impala and many other antelope species, quite common. Sightings of lion, hyaena and wild dog being less frequent, and then cheetah and leopard rarely seen.

This Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park was the home of Operation Rhino during the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s, this initiative is widely acknowledged as being the savior of the White Rhino from extinction. By the turn of the century, the uncontrolled killing of southern white rhino for sport or for their horns had reduced the endemic population to only a few animals, which were located in the vicinity of the Hluhluwe uMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal. These animals thrived under the protection of the then Natal Parks Board, and by 1961 their numbers had increased sufficientlsy to allow translocation (moving rhino from one area to another) of excess white rhino to new reserves. More than 3,500 white rhino have since been moved to restock other areas within their former range and elsewhere in the world. The successful increase in population that followed "Operation Rhino" resulted in the white rhino being removed from the IUCN's Red Data Book of threatened species. Almost the entire World’s population of white rhino that are alive today, are, thanks to the conservation efforts of the then Natal Parks Board (now known as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) in the Hluhluwe/uMfolozi Park.

The Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park covers some 96 000 ha (roughly 95 kilometres from the Memorial Gate in the north to the Cengeni Gate in the south) and is characterised by hilly topography in the northern Hluhluwe section and then the more flat, larger southern component of the park of the uMfolozi sector. This park is generally hot in summer and mild to cool in winter, although cold spells may occur. The reserve has a good network of  game viewing roads, mostly dirt roads that are in good condition and that can be traversed in an ordinary sedan, that cover almost all areas of the park. The only area not covered by a road network is the Wilderness area in the south east where no roads exist, as this is an exclusion zone,  the area where the popular Wilderness Trails take place. A paved road will take one from the Memorial Gate in the north to Mpila Camp in the south.

Hluhluwe Imfolozi Visitor Map - Credit KZN Wildlife