Spend one day in Hluhluwe Imfolozi and the next in Isimangaliso Wetland Park, exploring 2 large game reserves. This excursion also includes a 2-hour boat tour to see hippos and crocodiles in the Great St. Lucia Estuary, also in Isimangaliso. Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve is situated in the heart of Zululand, where Africa’s Big 5 (Lion, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo and Rhino) roam the flourishing savanna. Created in 1895, it is the oldest park in South Africa and covers more than 98,000 hectares of beautiful African landscape. The Park contains an immense diversity of fauna and flora and is characterized by a rugged topography. The list of animals in the park is long and varied. The Hluhluwe Imfolozi Reserve stands out for the conservation of the white rhinoceros. Its Centenary Capture Center is renowned for its exceptional research in animal capture, rehabilitation and release, as well as its approach to sustainable ecotourism in South Africa. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park was declared South Africa’s first World Natural Heritage Site. Formerly known as the Great St. Lucia Wetlands Park, the UNESCO site dates back more than a century. The reserve is considered the third largest park in South Africa, with a unique ecosystem that covers more than 280 km of almost virgin coastline and 328,000 hectares of magnificent landscapes. The protected area is home to one of the largest hippopotamus populations in South Africa, as well as around 1,000 crocodiles. Isimagaliso has a wealth of flora, birdlife and fauna, such as lions, zebras, African elephants, leopards, giraffes, black and southern white rhinos and ospreys. We will return to Durban in the afternoon of the second day.
