Hluhluwe
Hluhluwe Park covers some 96 000 ha set in the heart of Zululand, one of the oldest game reserves in Africa where Zulu kings such as Dingiswayo and Shaka hunted. Today the "big 5" of African legend stalk the verdant savannah. The Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park and the coastal marine reserves of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park was established in 1895, viewing hides overlook waterholes enabling visitors to see animals up close. Hluhluwe Park became world famous for its white rhino conservation and its Game Capture unit recently upgraded into the Centenary Capture Centre, a bench mark for animal capture and sustainable utilization throughout Africa.
Hluhluwe is characterised by hilly topography,and this northen section of the park is noted for its wide variety of both bird and animal life. Hluhluwe is one of Africa's most rewarding birding destinations and is renowned for it's abundance of raptors, such as the Bateleur, Crowned, Tawny, Crested, Black, Wahlberg's, African Fish, African Hawk, Brown Snake, Blackbreasted and Martial eagle. Apart from game-viewing drives, there are two self-guided auto trails which provide information on both the management and natural history of the reserve.
The following animals can be seen in Hluhluwe: Elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, black rhino, white rhino, giraffe, Burchell's zebra, cheetah, spotted hyaena, hippo, crocodile, warthog, bushpig, black wildebeest, blue wildebeest, serval, large spotted genet, civet, caracal, African wildcat, wilddog, Chacma baboon, Samango monkey, Vervet monkey, Sidestriped jackal, Blackbacked jackal, Porcupine, Striped polecat, Antbear, Aardwolf, Cape clawless otter, White-tailed mongoose, Banded mongoose, Water mongoose, Dwarf mongoose, Slender mongoose, Thicktailed bushbaby, Pangolin, Honey badger, Springhare, Scrub hare and Rock dassie. Antelope include Nyala, Eland, Kudu, Waterbuck, Mountain reedbuck, Reedbuck, Bushbuck, Impala, Red duiker, Blue duiker, duiker, Klipspringer, Tsessebe, Steenbok and the smallest antelope called Suni. Hluhluwe is open from5:00 to 19:00in summer and in winter Mar to Oct from 6:00 18:00.
