Into the bush at Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

You can have a beautiful hotel room anywhere in the world but the primary reason to come here is to see the Big Five. Two game drives per day plus bush walks will provide plenty of thrilling encounters. Due to the park’s world-renowned white-rhino conservation, you’ll find a rhino haven. Sometimes I’ll be driving along and pass a crash of as many as ten. It’s especially beguiling at the beginning of spring after the first rain when a huge number of rhino babies appear all in one morning!

The diverse topography in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park lends itself to a variety of animals. On one side you have the river and its surrounding green hills where the shy black rhino resides. To the right, it’s more savannah landscape like that of the Kruger, preferred by cheetah who can sprint on the wide-open flat spaces.

The allure of staying at Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge is that our guides really know what they’re doing, like our trail guide, Nunu, who’s supremely talented. Most of the time they lead walking safaris completely barefoot. They read wind direction and the animal’s movements from elephant, lion and rhino – you never know what you’re going to find! Walking safaris also allow you to concentrate more on smaller creatures such as the trapdoor spider, dung beetle and all the birds. It’s a very sensory experience.

One of the most unique activities on our books are the homestays with a Zulu family. You experience living like a local; sleeping in a hut, collecting thatching grass and rounding up the cattle… You really appreciate things that you wouldn’t even register. Like turning on a tap for water. Out here they walk to the nearest water source with a bucket on their heads. It’s a real eye opener.