Hluhluwe Big Five Safari: Full-day Wildlife Tour

Six to ten hours in the oldest proclaimed game reserve in Africa, tracking the Big Five from an open safari vehicle

A full-day Big Five safari from Richards Bay Harbor to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, Africa's oldest proclaimed game reserve, with a licensed English-speaking guide, open-air vehicle and bush barbecue lunch included. The park is home to the African Big Five, cheetah and wild dogs, and it was the reserve that saved the rhino from near extinction in the 1960s when fewer than 100 remained. Your guide has years of experience and will track wildlife throughout the day. The duration depends on your ship's arrival and departure times. All park conservation levies, transfers, refreshments and blankets are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full-day Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Big 5 Safari

• Depart Richards Bay Harbor
• Enjoy tea, coffee, and muffins
• Receive park introduction from ranger
• Explore Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park wildlife
• Experience Big 5 and other animals
• Have Bush BBQ with traditional dessert
• Enjoy refreshments during safari

The experience

You depart Richards Bay Harbor in an air-conditioned vehicle and head straight to Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. Once you arrive, tea, coffee and muffins are waiting before you board the open safari vehicle with your ranger. The park spans 96,000 hectares and is home to the African Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) along with cheetah, wild dogs and much more. Your guide will introduce you to the landscape and the day's route, then you spend the hours ahead watching the bush come alive from an unobstructed vantage point in the open vehicle.

Lunch is a traditional South African braai (barbecue) with salads and a milk tart for dessert, served in the park. Refreshments and bottled water are available throughout the day in coolers on the vehicle. Blankets are provided for warmth during early morning or late afternoon drives when the air cools. The safari's length, anywhere from six to ten hours, is built around your ship's schedule, so the timing works with your port call rather than against it.

The park itself carries weight in African conservation history. It was the reserve that single-handedly brought the rhino back from the brink of extinction in the 1960s, when fewer than 100 remained on the continent. King Shaka also used the southern section (Imfolozi) as his personal hunting grounds centuries ago. Your guide draws on 22 years of collective safari expertise and will navigate you through the landscape with that history in mind.

What’s included

• Full-day game drive in an open safari vehicle with a licensed English-speaking guide.
• return transfers from Richards Bay Harbor in an air-conditioned vehicle with bottled water.
• pre-safari tea, coffee and muffins.
• traditional South African braai lunch with salads and milk tart dessert.
• refreshments and bottled water throughout the day.
• blankets for the game drive.
• all park conservation levies.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 05:00 and 08:00

AgesAdult (18 to 85 years) · Child (6 to 17 years) · Under 6: can't be booked

GroupUp to 9

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 5 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Heritage Tours & Safaris

Is this one for you?The six to ten hour window is built around your ship's schedule, which means you can spend a full day in the park without rushing back to the harbor, but it also locks you into the port call timing, so this works only if your ship is docked long enough for the drive, the safari and the return transfer.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 17 years). Children under 6 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What animals will I actually see on the Hluhluwe Big Five safari?

The park is home to the African Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo) as well as cheetah and wild dogs. What you see on any given drive depends on where the animals are that day. Your guide will use their experience to find them, but sightings are never guaranteed.

How long is the full-day safari and does it fit my ship's schedule?

The safari runs six to ten hours depending on your ship's arrival and departure times. Your guide will plan the route to get you back to Richards Bay Harbor in time for your departure, so the length adjusts to your port call.

What's included in the lunch on the safari?

Lunch is a traditional South African braai (barbecue) with salads and a milk tart for dessert, served in the park. Refreshments and bottled water are available throughout the day in coolers carried on the vehicle.

Why is Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park significant for rhino conservation?

The park single-handedly saved the rhino from near extinction in the 1960s when fewer than 100 remained on the planet. It is Africa's oldest proclaimed game reserve and remains a critical stronghold for the species today.

Will I be in an enclosed vehicle or an open one?

You travel to and from Richards Bay in an air-conditioned enclosed vehicle, but the game drive itself is in an authentic open safari vehicle so you have unobstructed views of the wildlife and the landscape.