Hluhluwe & the Game Reserves, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

· Big Five game-viewing in several game reserves
· Good concentrations of white and black rhino
· Diverse eco-systems leading to varied wildlife
· Game Reserves are close to the Indian Ocean so can combine with beach lodges for a bush and beach holiday
· Romantic game lodges for honeymooners
· Several family friendly and exclusive use game lodges

KwaZulu Natal’s game reserves are not as well known as the Greater Kruger Park but should not be overlooked. The original game reserve, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve is the best known of several good game parks in Zululand as the northern part of KwaZulu Natal is known. Hluhluwe is particularly famed for its concentrations of rare white rhino, as well as elephant, black rhino, buffalo and their ever-present predators. As it is a national park, game-viewing is either by open top game vehicle or under your own steam in a rental car, or even by foot on one of Hluhluwe’s walking safaris. You can stay in the restcamp accommodation within Hluhluwe, which is simple but well designed, but most of our clients stay at one of the nearby private lodges such as Hluhluwe River Lodge. Close to Hluhluwe Game Reserve lies the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, a World Heritage site, with its river cruises, whale and dolphin encounters and superb birding, and Mkuze Game Reserve, also known for its excellent birding.

North of Hluhluwe lie four large private game reserves. Over the last twenty years, KwaZulu Natal has seen vast tracts of land restored to wildlife conservation, as farms are returned to natural bushveld. This began with the superb Phinda Game Reserve. Rich both in game and in stunning scenery, Phinda boasts the diversity of seven ecosystems, including sand forest, mountain bushveld, savanna and wetlands. Thanda Game Reserve and AmaZulu Game Reserve, to the north of Phinda, now also offer the Big Five as well as 15 species of antelope. Here you can consider AmaKhosi Lodge, Mkuze Falls Lodge or Thanda Main and Tented Camps. Whilst still further north, at the foot of the majestic Lebombo Mountains and overlooking the shimmering waters of Lake Jozini, lies Pongola Game Reserve. At Pongola you encounter a variety of antelope, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, hyena as well as elephants and loads of activities - not just open top game drives but bush walks, sunset boat cruises, tiger fishing (for novices or the experienced), and the chance to join the acclaimed "Space for Elephants" elephant monitoring programme. Traditional Zulu communities live close to these reserves and both Phinda and Thanda have been particularly progressive to involve these communities in tourism with cultural villages and craft projects selling beadwork and Zulu crafts into the tourism industry.

The Game Reserves are easily accessible by rental car or by road transfer from either Richards Bay or Durban. There are also direct charter flights from Johannesburg into Phinda Game Reserve and from here you can get a road transfer to Thanda Game Reserve or indeed to the lodges of Coastal Maputaland.

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