Self - Drive and other Hluhluwe Game Reserve, South Africa Things to Do Tips

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is a self-drive game park (unless you are staying in some of the private lodges or going on a morning/night drive).

Easy to read, clearly illustrated maps are sold at every entrance to the park. Take some time before you leave the main gates, to look at the map and navigate your route. The park also offers three self-auto trails - you can buy the map and booklet at the main gates or the camp receptions, and you can follow the trail in your car, stopping off at points of interest along the way, that are highlighted in your book.

I have often found that it is best to spend a few hours driving around the park before checking in on your first day. Head into your camp just after lunch, check in, unpack and then throw a few snacks together before heading out to a nearby water hole for some sundowners as the sun slips over the savannah.

Take note of the speed limit and keep to it! There are often speed traps (believe it or not) throughout the park.

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Website: http://www.kznwildlife.com/umfolozi_act.htm

They always say the best game to be seen is first thing in the morning, or late afternoon as the sun goes down...Well, getting up at a sparrow's hasn't always been the most productive time of game spotting for me! Never the less, we decided on our last trip to get up fairly early, give breakfast a skip, pack up and head out so we could have breakfast en route - preferably at a picnic site!

We stopped off at a picnic site overlooking the river - on the far bank are tall cliff faces (ideal for baboons) - and there were loads of trees about, so birdlife was plentiful!

An ideal way to pass the early morning hours...wrap up warm though - it can be a bit chilly (even in Africa!) before the sun warms the day up. We saw loads of birds, a few crocs, loads of buck and some vultures soaring up above - lots of tracks on the sand by the water's edge - and two elephants crossing the river! Bonus!

Pack a thermos of coffee, get the bacon, onions and sausages going on the skottle and you are A for away!

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Directions: Once again - just follow the signs on the map to a picnic site - you can't go wrong!

You will often hear the term the BIG FIVE while on safari...the term refers to five particular animals in Africa: the Lion, Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant and Leopard. You may wonder why these five animals fall into the BIG FIVE catagory, and not perhaps the giraffe, cheetah or hippo! The term doesn't actually refer to their size, or their scarcity, the term was originally used by big game hunters when describing the five animals most difficult to hunt because of their ferocity when cornered and shot.

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi can boast having all the big five in their park. While we have seen many times over the lions, buffalos, rhinos (both black and white) and the elephant, we have not yet managed to spot the leopard - the elusive leopard! My dad and I dream about seeing one in a tree...well, maybe one day! It keeps us going back for more!

I read a great quote the other day, but forget who said it...basically it goes something like this: If you come to the end of your stay in the park, and have not yet seen a lion, be rest assured at least you can leaving knowing he has seen you! I guess the same applies to our leopard spotting...I am sure we have crossed his path more than once over the years!

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There are two types of Rhino in the park: the White Rhino and the Black Rhino. The White Rhino was brought back from the very brink of extinction by conservation efforts in the park during the 1950-1960's...in fact, most of the Rhinos found in Southern Africa stem from being transferred from Hluhluwe-Umfolozi game park.

Black and White do not refer to their colour - both are grey - the White Rhino got its name from its mouth: it has a long wide mouth. The early Dutch settlers in SA referred to them as "wide" mouthed Rhino - the Dutch word for wide sounds similar to the english word for "white"...or that is what I heard anyway - hence the name stuck.

The Black Rhino has a prehensile lip - a sharp pointed lip - they eat shrubs and their heads tend to extend upwards, while the White Rhinos are grazers and their necks naturally hang down. Another way to tell the difference is the way they walk when their baby is around: the White Rhino always walks behind their baby, the Black Rhino always walks in front of it!

The Black Rhino is the more aggressive of the two, and had a tendency to charge - so don't get too close!

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The elephant is one of Africa's big five. Literally the world's largest land mammal they are an impressive sight walking through the African savannah.

If you have a pair of binoculars with you, when you spot some elephants (and you are close enough) take a look at their eyes - they have the most wonderful set of eyelashes! So unexpected!

While we have spotted elephants on river banks and wandering along the open plains, they are also to be found in quite dense foliage.

Keep your eyes open for freshly broken branches and stripped trees are often distinctive signs that elephants have moved through an area of bush.

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The Latin name for Giraffe is "camelopardalis" meaning "camel marked like a leopard". It is this mottled hide that helps them camouflage themselves against the light and shade patterns created by the sunlight shining through the trees.

A giraffe's coat darkens as it ages, so the older a giraffe, the darker the patterns on their hide, and like the zebra, a giraffe's coat pattern is unique - just like our fingerprints!

Giraffe have incredibly long legs and their loping gait is quite distinctive. It is interesting to watch, as both legs on the same side move simultaneously, rather than the front and back legs moving independently of one another.

Despite their long necks, giraffe only have seven vertebra - the same number as humans and most other mammals!
They have superb eyesight - as you would expect from such an elevated position - and a great sense of smell. As a result, you will often find them in a similar vicinity to both the zebra and the wildebeest who take advantage of the giraffe's early warning system!

Giraffe can be easy to spot as their heads tend to loom way above the trees...we've often seen them in pairs or groups of three or four. They are facinating creatures...especially when they attempt to lower themselves down to lap at water...I also love watching them graze - their tongues are blue-black in colour and wrap effortlessly around thorny branches whipping off acacia leaves without spearing themselves in the process.

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Burchell's Zebras are common in the game reserve.

Their distinctive black and white markings form a type of camouflage called "disruptive colouration" which effectively breaks up the outline of the body. So while during the day zebras are quite visible, after dark their outlines appear indistinct confusing their predators by distorting their true distance.

As with the giraffe, a zebra's hide is unique - no two zebras share the same pattern of stripes.

Zebras often wander through the camps at nightfall...it is not uncommon for a herd of them to pass by your hut as you are sipping your sundowner. Usually they appear in the early morning too - a wonderful sight to wake up to!

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I love watching warthogs in the park! They are frequent visitors to campsites and almost no day goes by without spotting them rooting about in the grass around your cottage!

They have quite large heads in proportion to their bodies, are grey in colour and usually have distinctive "warts" on their face - hence their name. They also possess very large tusks, which you can imagine they use to great effect when threatened.

I almost got too close trying to photograph one once and he had no qualms about letting me know he wasn't keen on me getting so close!

Warthogs are different to bush pigs in that they have much larger tusks. Their skin is covered in bristles while a bush pig is hairier. Bush pigs also have no warts. The warthogs also hold their tails straight up in the air - like small aerials - as they run, while bush pigs keep their tails down.

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Bush pigs are similar to warthogs, however you can tell them apart by their lack of facial warts! They also have smaller tusks and more hair than warthogs..

Bush pigs tend to be nocturnal. Interestingly enough, bush pigs are also the largest animals to build nests for their young!

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When in Africa...! A South African culinary delight is the braai (BBQ).

What better opportunity when in the bush, to whip out the charcoal and light up the braai; throw on some meat - perhaps a string of boerewors (farmer's sausage, a local delicacy) - cook up a bowl of potato salad (onions, cooked potatoes, mayonnaise and seasoning), salad, some chakalaka (spicy pickled vegetables) and maybe a garlic bread or two...all washed down with a beer or glass of pinotage.

There is something wonderful about eating out under the stars and the game park is the perfect place to do it! All the rondavels and cottages have braais. Some are a little further into the bush than you would like, but that just adds to the adrenalin of cooking in the real outdoors :)

Charcoal and firelighters are on sale in the camp shops.

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