Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve is the premier game reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal, and is also Africa’s oldest game reserve. Situated just north of Durban, Hluhluwe is the home to the Big Five – lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant. There are many other wild animals in the game reserve, all living in their natural habitat and a great way to see how them all in person, going about their daily business! Amongst others, you can see zebra, springboks, impala, kudu, warthogs, giraffe and much more.
Durban is the biggest tourist centre about 2 hours away from Hluhluwe, so it is possible to do it in a day trip from Durban. There are many different tour operators offering day trips to Hhuluwe Umfolozi, and you can even spend a few days there, sampling the World Heritage site of St Lucia Wetlands as well, where you can take a boat cruise on the lagoon and get up close and personal with a hippopotamus as it peeks it head out of the water!
There is a variety of accommodation options in the Hluhluwe area as well, ranging from campsites right up to super 5 star luxury. The area continues to grow with options as interest grows in Durban as a whole as the city’s profile is raised around the world.
Durban is a perfect tourism destination for South Africa, as the city is right on the fabulous Dolphin Coast and has fantastic beaches for surfing as well as just soaking up the sun. There are many beachfront cocktail bars and restaurants catering to your every need as you relax on your holiday, and world class hotels for you to base yourself in.
The majestic Drakensberg Mountains are just a couple of hours away, as well as the battlefields of the Boer and Anglo Zulu Wars. You can fly direct into Durban’s King Shaka airport on Emirates from Dubai, as well as connecting flights on SAA and British Airways via Johannesburg. As King Shaka International Airport becomes more popular, there are sure to be many more direct international flights. Currently Emirates flies in daily, will Qatar and Turkish Airlines now also set to operate flights as well direct into the city.
Hluhluwe Umfolozi benefits from year round great weather, and never really gets that cold even in mid winter. When it does get cold though, what better feeling than cuddling up with a hot drink under the stars of an African night!
Source by Graeme Michael Watson
