After your guide collects you from your Durban Hotel/B&B or Guest house he will take you on a educational 2.5 – 3 hours drive to Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game reserve – The oldest game reserve in Africa established in 1895. Your guide will cover points of interest like the History of Durban, KwaZulu Natal and South Africa and the different population groups as well as how the came to be in South Africa. There is special focus on our Zulu Nation the major “Black African” tribe in the area as well as the different crops we come across on route to Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game reserve. Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve: Upon entering, game viewing begins immediately and your guide will talk you through the different animal behavior you may encounter. Hluhluwe Umfolozi game reserve has the highest population of White Rhino in the World for the area of 960 Square Kilometers. Projects in the 1950′s and 1960′s brought back this large prehistoric looking herbivore from extinction!

Breakfast Game Drive At your guides discretion – After enjoying a buffet breakfast, we head out for a game drive. Leaving Hilltop camp we have the opportunity to see any one of the Big 5 and a variety of Antelope, Giraffe and Zebra. We make our way towards the Umfolozi side of the reserve, where sightings of Lion, Hyena and Black Rhino are more common. The above itinerary can be changed depending on what you may or may not have seen. Optional Night Game Drive The open vehicle game drive is an option that can be taken at 5pm – 8pm at night where the guide will use a spotlight to find animals after dusk. This gives you more chance for finding the Cats as the Lion and Leopard are Nocturnal. This however does not mean that we will not see them in the day time resting in the shade or in the early morning feeding on a kill from the night before! Dinner Dinner is at the Hilltop camp restaurant, a hot and cold buffet with a variety of traditional African and international dishes.

Breakfast Game Drive A final breakfast is followed by a game drive with your safari guide. This is a final chance to find what we have not or a chance to recap on what we have seen. We will then make our way out of Hluhluwe Umfolozi game reserve and onto the St Lucia Estuary-Isimangaliso Wetland park, for a boat cruise along the Estuary.

St Lucia Estuary-Isimangaliso Wetland Park Here we will have the opportunity to see, Crocodile, Hippo, Fish Eagles, King Fishers as well as Monitor Lizards. A perfect opportunity for photographers to capture the beauty of South Africa’s 1st World Heritage Site! Depart for Durban After we are finished with the Boat cruise it is time for some Lunch in St Lucia town before heading back to Durban. This is a great way to end the safari and we always feeling really satisfied and relaxed.