African Train Safari Destinations

The Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park was once the hunting ground of Zulu kings. The sheer beauty of the landscape would justify conservation of the Hluhluwe Game Reserve and its companion, Imfolozi. The Hluhluwe River, named from the Zulu word for the thorny monkey ropes (Dalbergia armata) that grow in the riverine forest. The river here is about 85ms above sea level and the hill summits approach 600metres. The entire region has long been a haunt of game. Rich grazing and a variety of habitats made the valleys and slopes attractive to wild creatures.

By the 1890's the vast herds of free-ranging wild animals that had once roamed the whole area of Kwazulu had been largely destroyed by hunters. Only in the valleys of the Hluhluwe and Mfolozi rivers were the wild animals undisturbed, and in 1897 these two areas were proclaimed game reserves. The 96 453-hectare park is home to the world's largest concentration of rhino, boasting close to 1 600 white rhino and 350 black rhino, as well as lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, wild dog, cheetah, giraffe and scores of antelope species. Bird life is literally prolific.

Labels: African Collage, Durban Safari, Golf Safari