Where the
Wild
things are
THE BIG FIVE, THE SMALL FIVE,
AFRICA’S OLDEST NATURE
RESERVE AND A NEIGHBOURING
WORLD HERITAGE SITE TO BOOT;
THE HLUHLUWE-IMFOLOZI PARK
HAS IT ALL. ALAN VAN GYSEN
PACKED UP THE FAMILY AND
HEADED OFF TO NORTHERN
KWAZULU-NATAL FOR A CLOSER
LOOK, WITHOUT A SINGLE “ARE
WE THERE YET?” ALONG THE WAY.
ALL PHOTOS BY ALAN VAN GYSEN
As any parent will tell you, the success of
a family holiday is directly proportional to
the distance one has to travel with kids
and the activities available to keep them
busy. Too far and you will be assailed by
incessant pleas of “Are we there yet?” And
good luck if there’s not enough on offer
once you get there – all of which makes
the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park a real treat.
Spanning a mere 960 square kilometres,
the park is tiny in comparison to its
famous cousins, the Kruger National Park
(a staggering 19 485 square kms) and
the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (9 500
square kms). But what Hluhluwe-iMfolozi
lacks in sheer size, it more than makes
up for in boundless wildlife packed into
a relatively small area that’s easy to
navigate. Throw in the Big Five, a short
drive from Durban (less than 250km) and
the park’s world-famous rhino-protection
programme, and it’s a win all round.
42 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE