Description: Full Day tour of Hluhluwe Game Reserve.
Duration: 8 hours / Minimum 2 people

Tour Info:
Travel early in the morning along the north coast to South Africa's oldest Game Reserve "Hluhluwe". See the Big Five: Elephant, buffalo, lion, rhino and leopard, as well as nyala, zebra and giraffes.

Lunch, (not included) is served in the Hilltop Camp

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi lies in Zululand 260 km up the north coast form Durban. It delivers the big 5 plus all the planes as well as species like nyala and red duiker that are rare in other parts of the country. Equally important, it boasts one of the most diverse habitats on the planet, a unique mix of forest, woodland, savanna and grassland. You will find about 1250 different species of plant and trees here, more than in some entire countries.

Until 1989 the reserve consisted of two separate parks, Hluhluwe in the north and Umfolozi in the south, separated by a fenced corridor, but the fences have since been removed and the park is now operated as a single entity, combining the bush covered hills and the broad plains.

Thanks to conservation efforts the park can take credit for saving the white rhino from extinction. It was so successful that in 1960 it established its now famous Rhino capture unit to relocate rhinos to other African reserves and is currently trying to do the same for the black rhino. Due to poaching the black rhino population dwindled to 2250 form 14 000 in only 10 years. Twenty percent of the remaining black rhino live in this reserve.

Itala is considerably smaller than compared to Hluhluwe and due to this, and the fact that there are no lions present result in this delightful park being bypassed, even by South Africans. They do not know what they are missing, the other 4 of the big 5 are there including black and white rhino, cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes and an abundance of antelope. It is an excellent spot for birders who revel in the stunning landscapes.

The area is watered by 9 small rivers covered with rich soils, Itala also supports a varied cross-section of vegetation including wetland open savanna and acacia woodland. It is a rugged region that meanders through sand stone cliffs multicolored rocks granite hills ironstone outcrops and quartz formations.

Declared a World Heritage Site in 1999, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park presents an ever- changing kaleidoscope of lake, mash-land, forested coastal dunes and grasslands. The nucleus of the park is the Lake St Lucia, which was proclaimed a game reserve in 1897- making it one of Africa's oldest.

The lake is home to large populations of Hippo and Crocodile and is considered to be of international importance. It hosts over 350 bird species in its rich diversity of habitats- sometimes attracting large numbers of Palaearctic waders and pink back and white pelicans, flamingoes and other water fowl. The park includes St Lucia Game Reserve, Marine Reserve, False Bay Park, Mkuzi Game Reserve, Maputaland Marine Reserve and Sodwana Bay where the loggerhead turtles breed.

The Village of St Lucia is a popular holiday resort attracting a large number of anglers and those seeking to unwind in its beautiful surroundings. It is worthwhile to visit the estuary on relaxing 2 hour trip on board the Santa Lucia. At the St Lucia Crocodile Centre visitors can get close up views of the Nile Crocodile, the American Alligator and the dwarf and long-snouted African species. Visitors can go on several short self guided trails including one to the mangrove community along the estuary shore.

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