Blogs from Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Africa

Morning safari at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve Today we had to wake up extra early and leave Bibs Backpackers by 4:30 am to get on the bus to arrive at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve for the morning safari. We had a packed breakfast at the safari courteously of Bibs Backpackers. Then we were off on our African safari, a highlight of our trip. I got to chance to sit in the shotgun seat which was pretty awesome and a new experience for me. The Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa and is known for its rhino conservation. As of 2008 there are more than 1600 white rhino in the reserve and hundreds of animals have been moved from here to game reserves around the world. However, due to the increase in rhino ... read more

1:45 p.m. We are in an interval between our dawn safari and our dusk safari in Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park. Awakened at 5:15 a.m., we left a little after dawn in the cool of a cloudy day following a bit of rain overnight – perfect for game spotting and photo taking because the light was soft. Unfortunately for residents, the rains have been light this rainy season, which is expected to lead to water shortages and animal stress in a few months. Our guide, Karl, was a hectic driver and animal enthusiast. He was as excited as we were when he spotted animals, particularly rhinos and elephants. He was good at stopping for birds. His directions would usually consist of “There!”, and he would only say, “ten o’clock past the jeep”, if pressed. We relied on each ... read more

Yesterday, we almost float away from our campsite, and thereby we missed a change to discover a great area and the last “non-safari” National Park. From today; the national parks will be different: Hello safari! Yes, finally, the safari would started. It defiantly would be the highlights of my trip. This was a child dream; a safari in Africa and it shall be coming true! I could defiantly not wait to see the first animals in the wild, especially the giraffes! I like them, due the fact they have so long necks. Too bad, I had to wait two extra days to see them, but we saw quite a lot other animals, including 4 of the big 5? Which ones? Keep on reading! We left the Amphitheatre Backpacker Lodge, a time later than we planned. The ... read more

The racial tension in South Africa is palpable. I guess it is understandable given that Apartheid ended only 18 years ago, however I wasn’t prepared for the blatant racism I experienced. Expecting them to get over their racism and come together as a united community in the short time after such a horrific past seems not only unlikely but also unfair – they are, after all, only human. And yet, I found myself feeling frustrated and angry at the way people spoke to each other and the way they responded to me based on the color of my skin. Other whites seemed to assume I was also racist and spoke to me thus, most blacks and coloreds seemed to assume I was racist because I was white and for the most part shied away from conversations ... read more

Eigentlich wollten wir heute nochmal chillen und erst mal ein wenig am Strand liegen, bevor es dann in den Hluhluwe-Park gehen sollte. Doch Ken, unser Gastgeber in St. Lucia war heute morgen nicht so mundfaul und empfahl uns, gleich loszufahren und den iMfolozi Park zu erkunden. Also schnell noch den frisch gepressten O-Saft und das Spiegelei rein und dann ging es los. Erst mal ein Fernglas und Futter für die Kühlbox und dann weiter. 12.30 Uhr waren wir dann am Eingang. Anmeldung, damit keiner verloren geht. Kaum waren wir im Park, hat es geschüttet wie verrückt. Ich wäre am liebsten umgekehrt... Aber wir wurden für unseren Mut und die Fahrt durch die Sturzbäche belohnt: nach den ersten Zebras war kein Halten mehr: es folgten Rhinozeros (faul in einer Wasserlache liegend, wo wir ihn 4 Stunden später ... read more