Hluhluwe - iMfolozi Park

Past & Present

As the oldest reserve in Africa, this region has a rich history.

During the 19th Century, much of the wildlife in the area was killed by intense unregulated hunting for skins, ivory and rhino horn, devastating animal populations within decades.

By the late 1800s, fewer than 50 white rhinos remained in the Umfolozi area, the last survivors on Earth.

These dwindling numbers lead to formal protection of the Imfolozi Junction and Hluhluwe Valley reserves in 1895.

From the 1960s onward, species were carefully reintroduced, and the corridor linking Umfolozi and Hluhluwe was incorporated in 1989, creating a fully functioning ecosystem that allows natural wildlife movement.

By 2010, thanks to significant political will and private sector collaboration, the Southern white rhino population had recovered to more than 20,000 across Africa. Descendants from the last 50 or so left in iMfolozi had now established populations in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Kenya.