FOR a little bush luxury, it is hard to beat Hluhluwe-Mfolozi-Hluhluwe’s Hilltop Camp but I must confess I prefer the less luxurious, wild and remote Mpila.
The iMfolozi section of the park, in which Mpila is situated, has a wonderfully untamed atmosphere.
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The scenery is perhaps not as pretty as in Hluhluwe, but iMfolozi is rugged country, a place of harsh rocky slopes and photogenic vistas of typical African savanna, grasslands, riverine woodland and wide floodplains. Three major rivers and countless streams and water courses wind their way through Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. As the name suggests the Hluhluwe side boasts its wide and beautiful Hluhluwe river but somehow the Black and White Mfolozi seem to have more impact on the land, giving iMfolozi its unique character.
Mpila offers excellent comfortable self-catering accommodation but is unfenced and somehow is more in touch in the park’s wilder elements.
We have had some big beasties on the lawn in front of our chalets when we’ve stayed there and we wouldn’t dream of turning our backs on the braai fire. Hyenas roam the camp and would love to share your supper.
I am not sure why, but iMfolozi just has an older feel about it, although both sides of the park have histories that go back a long time. And the park’s rhino population also has special historical significance for both sections, once two separate entities separated by a corridor.
There is a real sense of history when you visit the now united park and there an awareness of the pioneering spirit that drove the lateral thinkers who cared for it so well. They deserve their unique niche in the history of conservation in South Africa.
With sections of the park proclaimed game reserves as far back as 1895, Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park, along with the St Lucia Game Reserve, now incorporated into iSimangaliso Wetland Park, can claim to be the oldest formal reserves in Africa. In 1989, the corridor section was proclaimed, making the two neighbouring parks a single conservation unit.
It has had its ups and downs, particularly when conservationist interests clashed with the interests of the local farmers. Much of the game in the iMfolozi and corridor sections was eradicated as part of the nagana campaign that lasted from 1919 to 1954. It was thought that wild animals were reservoirs for this tsetse fly-born disease. Fortunately, the rhino were spared.
During Operation Rhino in the 1960s, the united park became famous for the conservation of white rhino. Animal capture was also honed during this period and the park’s rhino capture unit is credited with helping to save the endangered white rhino from extinction. Over the years the programme has been so successful that many Hluhluwe- iMfolozi rhinos have been relocated to other game reserves. The work done by its animal capture unit still sets a benchmark.
Another pioneering feat is the creation of wilderness trails. Today’s adventurous souls who enjoy guided hikes through other national parks can be grateful for the foresight of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi administrators. They took the first brave step of allowing nature lovers to leave the safety of their vehicles and to discover the wonders of true wilderness on foot.
For those who enjoy a little solitude and like to wander off the beaten tracks iMfolozi boasts a wonderful network of scenic gravel routes, remote picnic areas and lookout points. However, it was very close to Mpila camp that Bill and I had our most exciting iMfolozi game sighting. We were sitting at a viewing site overlooking the main bridge over the Black iMfoliozi River when we suddenly noticed a leopard under the bridge on the banks of the river. We spent ages watching its kitty cat antics and enjoying the best encounter with a leopard we’d ever had. Many cars passed over the bridge as we watched but nobody else noticed Mr Spots, just metres away from their vehicles.
We eventually had to leave the leopard to his evening preening and playing as we had to return to camp before gate closing time but the wonderful encounter will always be one of my very best iMfolozi memories.
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