Umhlanga to Hluhluwe
July 7th, we departed Umhlanga for another long drive to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. The park is the oldest proclaimed reserve in Africa, comprising 960 sq. km of hilly topography in central Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Big Five can be found here, and through conservation efforts, the park boasts the largest population of white rhinos in the world.
Unfortunately, a few days before our arrival, 6 rhinos were killed by poachers, and then several days later, 3 poachers were arrested and 2 were killed by the anti-poaching patrols. We feel no sympathy for the poachers.
We encountered many rhinos, elephants, Cape buffalo, kudu and giraffes, and were very lucky to see a pack of wild dogs in the distance, which is a very rare occurrence. We still haven’t been up close to lions yet. I’m sure we’ll see these soon in Kruger National Park.
We stayed at Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge in a luxury villa suite with a private deck and incredible panoramic views of the hills and valleys of the surrounding park.
