About the park

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, often shortened to HiP, lies in Zululand in northern KwaZulu-Natal, about 280 km north of Durban. It covers roughly 96,000 hectares of hills, river valleys, forest and thornveld, and it is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa.

The park is managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the provincial conservation authority. It is the only state-run park in KwaZulu-Natal where all of the Big Five can be seen, and it is best known as the place where the southern white rhino was brought back from the brink of extinction.

Two sections, one park

Hluhluwe in the north and iMfolozi in the south began as separate reserves. They were joined by a corridor in 1989, and one entrance fee now covers both sections, with no barrier between them.

Hluhluwe (north)

The northern section is the more rugged of the two, with steep hills, forested ridges and the Hluhluwe River. Hilltop Camp, the park’s main rest camp, sits on a forested hill here with wide views over the Zululand hills.

iMfolozi (south)

The southern section opens into broad, deep valleys carved by the Black and White iMfolozi rivers. Mpila Camp, the Centenary Centre and the iMfolozi Wilderness Area are in this section.

At a glance

Where to start

Read about the wildlife and the history of rhino conservation, then go to Plan your visit for gate times, fees and rules.