Where We Be
On the popular Sontuli Loop, we come across this baby white rhino scampering around its mom -- definitely a highlight of our time here
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Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, South Africa
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Every single southern white rhino population in
the world has its origin in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi
Park. In the late 1800s, indiscriminate killing of
white rhino had reduced the population down
to just twenty, with those twenty all located in
Imfolozi Reserve. Since then "Operation Rhino"
has moved more than 3,500 white rhino from
here to other game reserves, zoos, and parks
around the world.
Hluhlue-Imfolozi (pronounced shluh-shloo-way
im-fuh-low-zee) is the oldest proclaimed nature
reserve in all of Africa, established in 1895. It's
much smaller than Kruger but still a Big 5 park
with a full plate of predators and prey -- and
plenty of paved and unpaved roads to explore.
We spend two days in the southern half of the
park (Imfolozi) and one in the northern half
(Hluhluwe) -- about the right amount of time.
Here we're treated to our first-ever sightings of
white rhino in Africa -- the second largest land
mammal after the elephant. We also finish big
on our last day when three male lions decide to
lie down in the middle of the road and refuse to
budge, to the joy of some drivers and the
dismay of others.
After lunch, we enjoy a little siesta at our chalet at Hilltop Camp
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More cars, more fun -- the lions hold their ground
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Luckily, we only have to make a U-turn, so we don't have to run the gauntlet these folks did
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For the lions, it's a dominance game
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Another car edges past -- and the lions are having none of it
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This one stares straight in at the occupants as if to say, How dare you!
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The lions take exception as another vehicle squeezes past in the grass. (Memorial Gate is one of only two main park gates and dusk is fast approaching.)
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They lie down in the middle of the road...
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Near dusk we head towards Memorial Gate on the paved road -- just as three young male lion appear out of the bush
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Our closest sighting yet! We risk a pic or two before moving on.
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A herd of Cape buffalo -- including a calf -- is visible below the restaurant
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Next morning we drive towards Hluhluwe -- and come across this Samango (Sykes) monkey checking out a vehicle in the parking lot at Hilltop Camp
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A cheeky vervet adds to the lunchtime fun
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A nyala fawn frolics just outside our chalet (juveniles and females look quite different from males)
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Warthogs -- often kneeling to graze -- are also commonplace in Mpila Camp
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Our first-ever white rhino sighting happens at a watering hole close to Mpila Camp
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Just outside the hide we have our happy encounter with this baby white rhino
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The Sontuli Loop is probably the premier drive in Imfolozi because of the abundance of animals near the river
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At the Ubhejane Hide, we watch a malachite kingfisher fishing from his perch at a watering hole
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As we continue around the gravel Sontuli Loop road, we have even more encounters with white rhino
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Our chalet at Mpila Camp is nicer than we expect. The indoor kitchen comes in handy since there's no restaurant here.
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Mpila Camp is built on a hill and is unfenced, so you'll have a good chance of seeing impala, monkey, nyala, warthog, and even hyena in camp
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Impala are almost a given at Mpila Camp
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Nyala are also abundant, both on game drives (left) and outside our chalet (right)
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We also have a delightfully close encounter with this Cape buffalo at a river crossing
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But eventually we come to realize it must be mating-related -- with the females playing keep-away from the male (see middle photo) as if their lives depended on it
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Not long after, we see two warthogs butting heads up close, play-fighting
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The drive to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi from St. Lucia is only about an hour. We enter at Nyalazi Gate and head towards Mpila Camp in the heart of the Imfolozi reserve.
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Colorful rhino at the park's check-in (Wild Cards are accepted here)
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A white-fronted bee eater hunts insects in a tire track
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Next morning on the Sontuli Loop, we come across a herd of impala running around like crazy
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At first we figure a predator must be chasing them -- some of the leaps are nothing short of spectacular
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Lunch with a view at Hilltop Camp
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On our afternoon game drive we spy a white rhino right beside the gravel road
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Blood is visible on their manes and paws
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Presumably soaking up the last of the day's heat
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We soak up the experience, having them all to ourselves for awhile
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Eventually a car approaches. The lions' heads turn -- and the car beats a hasty retreat. Lions 1, Cars 0.
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This lion eyes a low-flying airplane
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