Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park

Proclaimed in 1895, Hluhluwe and iMfolozi are the oldest formally protected game areas in Africa, and their significance rests on one animal: by the early twentieth century the southern white rhino was down to a remnant population here, often given as around twenty to fifty animals, and every southern white rhino alive today descends from that group. Operation Rhino in the 1950s and 60s, run from iMfolozi, developed the capture and translocation methods that restocked reserves across the continent. The park covers about 96,000 hectares of hilly bushveld between two rivers and holds all of the big five, self-drive roads, and the country's first wilderness trails - multi-day walks with a ranger, no vehicles, sleeping out. Poaching pressure on rhino has been severe in recent years and anti-poaching operations are visible, which the park does not hide from visitors.

What you actually see

• The 1895 proclamation - the oldest formally protected game area in Africa.
• The rhino line - every southern white rhino descends from the remnant herd here.
• The wilderness trails - multi-day walking safaris with a ranger, no vehicles.
• The big five - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and both rhino species.

When to go

May to September - dry season concentrates game at water and thins the bush. Two to three days.

Honest expectations

Summer bush is thick and sightings drop. Roads include gravel sections that get rough after rain. Malaria risk is low but present in summer - take advice. Rhino sightings are managed carefully because of poaching, and rangers may not disclose locations.

Nearby

iSimangaliso and St Lucia are east on the coast; uMkhuze is north.