A Week In Hluhluwe And iMfolozi

After spending the weekend with the family in Richards Bay, Sharon and I advanced on the iMfolozi gate with the newest addition to our family safely strapped into her car seat. Although we’d done a few weekend trips to places such as Underberg and Tala, this was to be our first family holiday with Emma.

Our first two nights in the park were going to be spent at Hilltop Camp (in Hluhluwe) and so we headed north through the corridor after entering the park. As per usual we took bets as to what animal we’d see first; I took the easy road and voted impala while Sharon took a slightly braver guess going with zebra. We were both wrong, it was giraffe.

The corridor was quiet game wise, but after entering Hluhluwe we had some good sightings of elephant, rhino and buffalo. Three of the big five ticked off and we’d only been in the park for a few hours.

And then our first test arrived; Emma did a twosie…and was hungry. Thankfully there was a picnic spot nearby so we pulled off the road and changed her nappy on the back seat of the Jeep. We then found a table in the shade of a large tree and fed her a bottle while overlooking a small stream running below a looming cliff. I distinctly remember thinking, “I could get used to this.”

After a quick snack of our own we continued our game drive through the park. Seeing as it was still too early to check in we bypassed the camp and headed down a nearby dirt road. This was when I discovered that the signage on some of the roads in Hluhluwe is completely wrong. And not only that, some roads aren’t on the map while others aren’t marked at all. Rather disappointing to say the least for a park of it’s calibur.

None the less we explored the park and eventually headed into Hilltop Camp at 1:30pm, hoping we could sneak into our chalet a little early. Sadly, despite us having a 3 month old with us, they just wouldn’t allow us into our accommodation a mere 30 minutes early. To pass the time we relaxed in the bar with an ice cold cocktail and enjoyed the views over the reserve.

When we were eventually allowed into our chalet we were happy with the accommodation. The chalets are small but have more than enough space and contain 2 single beds, a small fridge, a sink, cupboards, cutlery and crockery, towels, a table with 2 chairs and an outside braai. There is also a shared kitchen with a few pots and pans and shared ablutions with showers in the men’s, and showers and a bath in the ladies.

My only complaint about the accommodation is that the chalets are very much on top of each other, and considering what you pay for them, they could be built slightly further apart.

Shortly after arriving the staff arrived with a travel cot for Emma, including a mosquito net. Since we’d brought our own we kindly declined but I was none the less very impressed with the service.

After unpacking all our kit and setting up Emma’s cot we went about rearranging the car. This involved creating Emma a play area in the back by splitting the Jeep’s back seats and laying 2 of them flat. We then used this flat area for her play mat and her favorite chair. We were now game drive ready!

With a few hours left in the afternoon we set out for a short evening drive. The bush was surprisingly quiet and we saw very little actual game. In fact, by the time we arrived back at camp at 5:30pm I had not seen a single impala or zebra. This amazingly meant that after driving for 6 hours through the corridor and Hluhluwe we hadn’t seen either of the animals that Sharon and I guessed would be our first sighting. Spooky!

I guess it’s worth mentioning that, despite it being mid winter, the bush in Hluhluwe was thick and the grass was long (albeit very dry). This combined with the hilly landscape made game viewing tough. There was also an abundance of water all over the park (also unusual for winter) which probably also meant that the animals were more spread out.

As evening fell and the stars appeared Sharon set about preparing dinner in the kitchen while I braaied a rack of ribs on our outside fire. Much to my delight our braai was located against the bush and allowed me to distance myself for the chalets and enjoy the quietness of Africa.

The following morning we were up at 5am thanks to our bush alarm clock, Emma. We enjoyed coffee and rusks in bed and then headed out into the bush for our morning drive, praying it would be a more productive day. Due to the thickness of the bush and the hilly landscape I chose a road that headed into a valley filled with plains. Of course my decision may also have been because this route had a 4×4 only river crossing through a sandy river.

As we left camp the road was littered with branches and elephant dung, confirming that the breaking of branches just outside camp had indeed been the local herd. Sadly, on this occasion, we didn’t get to see the elephant.

Amazingly in the first 2 hours of our drive we saw only one animal, a nyala. And even more amazingly, after having been in the park for 24 hours, I still hadn’t seen a single impala. I was starting to get nervous. On the up side the river crossing made me feel manly so the road choice wasn’t a complete waste of time. And thankfully the second half of the morning drive was more productive and finally revealed that the park did indeed have both impala and zebra in it.

Back in camp we enjoyed a relaxed lunch and a few pages of our books. We also added a new activity to our lunch time rituals, and bathed Emma. And then it was back into the car and out on our afternoon drive.

The afternoon drive began with a fantastic sighting of a lilac breasted roller eating a grasshopper in the road. It may not sound like the most exciting viewing, but for the photographer in me it rocked. And from there things got better as just a short way down the road there were lion on a kill. Sadly they were in thick bush so the photographer in me was actually less excited about them than the roller, but hey, at least we’d seen our first cats.

The remainder of the drive was relatively quiet so we eventually looped back past the lion and then headed back to camp for our favorite holiday meal, braaied hamburgers.

The following day we opted to head for iMfolozi first thing in the morning. Despite Hluhluwe being a beautiful park the game viewing had been a bit of a let down. Yes we’d seen lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and a lot more. But we’d also often driven for hours at a time without seeing so much as an impala.

Ironically, during our drive to iMfolozi, we actually had some great sightings including a beautiful herd of elephant with tiny calves. None the less we continued through the corridor and were soon in iMfolozi. It was immediately obvious that the bush was far less thick with more open plains. And immediately we began seeing herds of impala, zebra, and the other more common mammals of Africa.

Being too early to check in we opted to do a quick round of Sontuli loop. This of course meant passing through Mpila Camp where we were staying in the safari tents. On an off chance we popped into reception and asked whether we could check in slightly early. Unlike the Hluhluwe staff the Mpila staff were warm and welcoming. They checked us in and told us that the tent was currently being cleaned but that we could still move in early.

Since it was still only around 10am we grabbed an ice cold drink and then headed off around Sontuli Loop. Shortly after entering the loop we came across a vehicle heading towards us. This was rather annoying since Sontuli Loop has always been a one way road. I stood my ground and gave him the stink eye while making it his problem to get around us on the narrow dirt road. It was only when we got to the picnic sight that we learned that they’d made the loop two way. So my apologies to the driver of that car.

After our quick loop we headed back to camp where we checked into our safari tent. It was beautifully located amidst acacias in the unfenced camp. In fact, when we arrived, our “garden” was filled with impala and warthog grazing on the small tufts of grass surrounding the tent.

Our safari tent consisted of a canvas tent with two large single beds, a cupboard, and a fan. Attached to the back of the tent is a bathroom made almost entirely out of reeds/bamboo which contains a shower, toilet and sink. The tent is built on a raised wooden deck with an outdoor dinning room table and an area to enjoy a few drinks. Finally there is a separate kitchen, also on the deck, with a fridge, gas stove and oven, and all the necessary cutlery and crockery. And yes, there is of course a braai which is located off the deck.

Considering the minor price difference between the chalets we’d staying in in Hluhluwe and the safari tents at Mpila, I’d pick the tents every time. They’re FANTASTIC!

Anyway, after unpacking the car we went through our usual lunch time ritual of eating, reading and bathing Emma. The only real difference was that I was forced to shower with Emma instead of bathing. This proved to be far more tricky than expected as I quickly learned that babies are rather slippery when soaped up.

We then hit a minor problem when we discovered that our power was out. This meant boiling a big pot of water to sterilize all of Emma’s bottles. Not really a problem but we weren’t 100% sure of the quality of the water. None the less, it was the best we could do, so that’s what we did. African babies are tough!

With us and the bottles all clean and brand new we headed out on our afternoon drive. We popped into one of the hides and then – gasp – did Sontuli Loop “backwards” on our route home. It was at this point that we were lucky enough to have a fantastic sighting of 3 male lions lying in a plain roaring quietly to themselves. We sat with them for a while before heading back to camp as darkness fell.

By the time we reached the end (beginning) of Sontuli Loop it was pitch black. I was sitting in the back with Emma fast asleep in my arms and Sharon was driving the Jeep. She increased her speed slightly as the gate closing time was fast approaching and we still had a few kilometers to go.

The car stopped…”hyena!” Sharon yelled…”no, wild dog!”

Sure enough, sitting in the road, were 3 wild dogs. Poor Emma was “thrown” into her chair as I grabbed my camera and fired off 3 quick shots while the dogs were still in our headlights. Sadly I had left my camera on the complete wrong settings (accidentally assuming no photos would be taken in the dark) and ended up with 3 blurred images.

In the meantime another car had pulled up behind us. The dogs trotted down the side of our car and then stood behind the Jeep and in front of the car behind us. This left us with a haunting image of a silhouetted wild dog. And then, as quickly as they had appeared, they vanished into the darkness.

Sharon drove us excitedly back to camp as I apologised to Emma and enjoyed a celebratory beer. What a fantastic day!

When we finally got back to Mpila a very dark camp greeted us – our power was still out. Not the end of the world but I was convinced I’d seen some tents with lights on. So after checking our switch board I grabbed my torch and walked off into the bush to check on the other tents. Strangely both the tent above and below us had power. Uh-oh, I thought! Thankfully, after digging around in the bush, I found an outdoor switch board with one switch down. I flicked it, and power was restored.

Dinner that night consisted of a true South African favourite, a boerewors braai with salad and garlic bread. It was also washed down with a celebratory glass of red champagne.

Wild dogs…check!

That night I lay in bed, happy that we’d seen wild dog, but sad that I hadn’t snapped off a good photo. Nick’s words kept running through my mind…pics or you’re lying.

The next morning Sharon drove once again. I left the route completely up to her and she headed off to Bhekaphansi Pan where we had a fantastic breakfast of boiled eggs and bacon rolls. We then continued on towards Sontuli where, as we approached the bridge that marks the start of the loop, we saw a mass of cars.

Sharon was the first to spot an animal and, in true Sharon fashion, she yelled out…”hyena!”. I quickly pointed that there were too many cars for it to just be hyena. “But I saw spots,” she said. “Cheetah!” was her next guess. And then we spotted 2 hyena in the grass. “Strange,” I thought to myself. The thought was however cut short when the hyena broke into a run and two wild dog appeared behind them in full pursuit.

Amazingly we’d stumbled across another pack of wild dog. This time there were 8 of them on an impala kill and we’d caught them in the act of fighting off 3 hyena who were trying to steal the carcass. The kill was in a small clearing just 10 or so meters off the road. Thankfully we were the third car in the growing mass and therefore had a great view as the action unfolded.

The car in the front of the group was perhaps a little selfish and sat there for close to an hour. This lead to some minor chaos as people from the back of the queue (who probably couldn’t see) got annoyed and tried to push between us and the dogs. But all in all we spent a fantastic hour watching the dogs fighting hyena and enjoying their kill.

Eventually, possibly due to the smell coming out of Emma’s nappy, we moved on. Sadly there was no picnic site nearby and I was stuck in the back. This saw my tying a handkerchief around my face – bandit style – and proceeding to change an overly full, overly aromatic nappy on the back seat. Fun times…but it was all worth it.

Upon arrival back at camp we quickly discovered we had run out of rolls and bread. Sharon therefore kicked into wife mode and put together a fantastic plate of tapas. This mistake quickly became my new favorite lunch and will be included on all future trips.

Our afternoon drive was equally as exciting and just as successful. We picked a few of the roads less traveled and soon were in the far corners of the park. At this point I found an unmarked road which looked rarely used. Since it lacked a no entry sign I turned the Jeep and headed down it. The acacias quickly closed in on us and soon I was grimacing at the sound the thorns made as they scraped down the length of the car. Turning around was not an option. And neither was reversing. Eventually the road basically came to an end in a small clearing and I managed to turn the Jeep and head back through the forest of scratches.

Back on the road we looped back towards camp and that’s when we came across a beautiful male lion lying 20 meters off the side of the road. We sat watching him for a while until the gate closing times once again forced us to proceed back to camp for the night for a fantastic last meal consisting of steak, salad and a bottle of wine.

That night it wasn’t just the 3 of us as a bush pig joined us for the evening, sniffing around the fire and trying to open our rubbish bin. His snout was bloody with sores which wasn’t great to see, but they seemed to be caused by how he used it to try and open the bins. Sad to see none the less and another show of how humans and animals collide.

The next morning we got off to a slower start as our stay in the park was over. After hard boiling a few more eggs we packed up the tent and spent a short while working out how to keep Emma’s play area while fitting all the rest of our gear into the car. We succeeded…just.

We then headed into the bush for the last time. Things got off to a great start when we came across a cheetah sitting proudly on a mound in the middle of a plain. After spending a fair amount of time we continued on, choosing a road that ran along the river. It turned out to be a good choice when we came across a pair of lion mating in the riverbed. We enjoyed their spectacular noises for a while and then decided, since it was nearing lunch, to call it a day and make for the gate.

We eventually reached the Nyalazi gate at around 13:30 where we swapped Emma’s comfortable chair for her travel system, packed away the cameras, and wished the bush a fond farewell.

Another spectacular trip was over. Two nights in Hluhluwe and two in iMfolozi. For those wondering which is better, well it really comes down to personal preference. I definitely preferred the safari tents of Mpila to the chalets of Hilltop. That said Hilltop has some spectacular accommodation options for those with a larger budget.

As for game viewing, well here I’d definitely recommend iMfolozi due to its less hilly, more open landscapes which suit game viewing perfectly. Hluhluwe has some spectacular scenery with its hilly landscapes, forests and bigger trees, but this can make game viewing difficult. For a birder however it may be a better option due to the variety. Either way, you can’t go wrong in the bush!

Until next time…