Durban: Full Day Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Drive Review

Thinking of experiencing a real South Safari adventure near Durban? A full-day trip to Hluhluwe Imfolozi might be just what you are looking for. I went on one recently, and here is, too it’s almost what you might expect.

Setting Off from Durban

The day started very early, which, well, it is something to know. The pickup from my hotel in Durban was at, like, 6:00 AM. It seemed so early, but apparently that’s what you have to do if you want to get to Hluhluwe Imfolozi and have ample time for seeing wildlife. The drive itself, it’s more or less about two and a half to three hours, very give or take depending on traffic and the specific route that is, I mean, they actually take. That gave me a chance to see some of the countryside, which, well, that was a nice bonus, you know? Rolling hills and tiny towns, a bit like you might find them in an older movie – it was quite nice, so to speak.

Arrival and the Open Vehicle Safari

Reaching Hluhluwe Imfolozi, a bit like I say – the vibe totally shifts. Right away, I transferred to an open-top safari vehicle. Apparently, that’s important for getting the real “feel” of being on safari, and arguably, being more open with all the elements. The air becomes noticeably crisp and very clean, with, like, a hint of that, almost earthy scent. We headed straight into the park. The guide, his name was Sipho. It might be, tends to be very knowledgeable about the area and all the different animals, and well, just so enthusiastic. That, almost, definitely added a whole extra dimension to what the trip felt like, so yeah!

Close Encounters with Wildlife

It didn’t take all that long before we saw some animals, you know. First up, well that was a group of giraffes grazing on some pretty tall trees. You might want to expect, it really is something how gracefully those giraffes do just about everything. We stopped, that is, more or less to watch a herd of elephants by a waterhole. Sipho told all of the group lots about their behavior and the family dynamics, things, maybe, like where they eat or just where they stay to survive, so, anyway that was cool, wasn’t it? Very closely following, well we spotted zebras, wildebeest, and even a couple of rhinos, too. The rhinos were especially amazing since they are more or less an endangered, that is, more or less species, I guess you’d say, that kind of a big bonus in my view.

Lunch with a View

Lunch was something of a laid-back affair at a picnic site that had, basically, a view. It wasn’t anything super-fancy, right, but everything felt pretty tasty after, like, a morning out in the park. I actually liked the sandwiches, as matter of fact, those were pretty good. Just a chance to sort of, I mean relax and chat with some other people on the tour, really – we could just recap all that we had already spotted. It actually added, in way a social touch to all the wilderness that was all about the experience, so you are relaxed a little.

Afternoon Exploration and More Wildlife

After lunch, the drive went on. We ventured into other parts of the reserve. Sipho kept an ear and eye open for different animal sightings, you know? The scenery can slightly change, and that feeling of always having the, I mean potential to find another animal any time soon is that it gets you pretty much really on edge to pay very close attention. Sadly, we didn’t actually see any lions. The place can often be known to be rather elusive on this very part of the game drive. We did very well find other pretty big cats. We sort of glimpsed, like, a leopard. It was almost camouflaged that I saw a part of what it was behind some brushwood – it was hard getting to actually see it though, and pretty darn briefly, honestly – which to be completely honest was kind of the whole idea about, I mean being out in wild nature.

Heading Back to Durban

Very late in the afternoon, we started heading back. The drive very much seemed a bit longer then, I guess, simply as it usually does feel at that point with being completely worn out. The sun began that it started to drop over KwaZulu-Natal, which makes the trip very cool, a way for reflecting over all the scenes of the day. I, as matter of fact dozed that time a fair amount on the ride. By that I got back to my hotel it was the evening. I was very very tired, but very excited and well remembering everything too that time to.