Africa's oldest game reserve, in the green hills of Zululand, and the place that saved the white rhino. Big Five country reached by road from Durban, with self-drive and guided game drives and the famous wilderness walking trails of iMfolozi.
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is the safari you can reach by road from the beach, and one of the most storied reserves in Africa. It lies in the green hills of Zululand, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, about two and a half hours up from Durban, and it is the oldest proclaimed game reserve on the continent, set aside in 1895. Two sections make up its roughly 96,000 hectares: hilly, forested Hluhluwe in the north, and the flatter, wilder iMfolozi in the south, joined by a corridor of bush.
It is, above all, the home of the rhino. When the reserve was proclaimed, the southern white rhino had been hunted to the edge of extinction, and it was here, through the work that became Operation Rhino in the 1950s and 60s, that the species was brought back: every southern white rhino alive today descends from this corner of Zululand. You can still see them here as well as almost anywhere, white and black both, alongside the rest of the Big Five in country that ranges from thick hillside forest to open valley grassland.
There are two ways to take it in. Most visitors come for the game drive, self-driving the good road network in a normal car or going out with a ranger who reads the bush, and a day or two does the reserve justice. The other is on foot: the iMfolozi wilderness is the birthplace of the guided walking trail, and a ranger-led walk through roadless country, sleeping out under the stars on the longer routes, is as deep an encounter with the wild as South Africa offers. Northern Zululand carries a low malaria risk, so take the usual precautions, aim for the dry winter for the easiest game, and book your drives, walks and camps well ahead.
The Big Five by vehicle, and the wild on foot. A day, or two with a night inside.
The reserve is laid out for game viewing, with a good road network you can self-drive in a normal car, or a guided drive in an open vehicle with a ranger who knows where the animals are. The hills and river valleys hold all the Big Five, and this is one of the surest places in Africa to watch white and black rhino in the wild.
The southern iMfolozi section is the birthplace of the wilderness trail, the guided walking safari, and it remains one of the great places to do it. A ranger leads you on foot through roadless bush, sleeping out under the stars on the longer trails, for a slower, deeper encounter with the wild than any drive can give.
May to September is best for game: the bush thins out, animals gather at the water, and the malaria risk is at its lowest. Mornings are cold in an open vehicle, so bring a warm layer.
A ranger massively raises what you see and explains the rhino story first-hand. Guided drives and the wilderness trails are booked through Ezemvelo, and the trails fill up well ahead.
Hluhluwe in the north is hilly and forested; iMfolozi in the south is flatter, drier wilderness. A corridor joins them, and you can drive between the two in a day.
Gates and camp gates close at set hours around sunset, and you must be inside by then. Plan your last drive to finish with time to spare, and never drive off-road.
Northern Zululand is a low-risk malaria area, unlike the Cape parks. Ask your doctor about prophylaxis, cover up at dusk and use repellent, especially in summer.
The Ezemvelo rest camps, Hilltop in Hluhluwe and Mpila in iMfolozi, put you in the reserve for the golden hours at dawn and dusk. Book ahead, or base yourself in nearby Hluhluwe town.
Book a game drive, a walk or a stay through our trusted partners, at the same price as booking direct.
A guided drive in an open vehicle with a ranger, for the Big Five and the reserve's famous rhino.
Book on Viator →A guided walking safari in the iMfolozi wilderness, on foot through roadless bush with a ranger.
See walking safaris →A guided day trip into Hluhluwe-iMfolozi from Durban or St Lucia, an easy way to see the Big Five without driving.
See day tours →The Ezemvelo rest camps inside the park, and lodges and guesthouses around Hluhluwe town at the gates.
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Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is where rhino conservation began, and one of the best places left to see them. Discover the rest of Zululand and its coast.
