South Africa: Richards Bay

 Monday, April 10, 2023 Richards Bay, South Africa

We arrived at Richard’s Bay at 4 am. Six of us had agreed to meet at 5:45 am in the lounge near the disembarkation door. We were taking a private tour to the Hluhuwe-Imfoloi National Park. The ship should have been cleared by the local authorities by then, however it wasn’t. 

So we waited with a few others who were going the same place, some through a ship tour, others privately like us. The advantage of going privately is you can stay twice as long for much less money. The disadvantage: if you’re late back, they are not obligated to wait for you. If they left without us it would be a difficult, even scary, situation.

Twelve of us got into a large van and traveled through the countryside from the coast, passing through many villages on the way to the park. Cattle roamed freely through the countryside, and occasionally we would have to stop for cows on the road. I’m not sure how people kept track of them with no fences.

Once at Hlulhuwe-Imfoloi National Park (it was originally two parks), we got into our tour vehicle along with 2 other couples and the tour coordinator, Sonja. Getting into the vehicle was not easy. The seats are about 6 feet off the ground for one thing. There are steps up that are more like a ladder with the rungs far apart, and we had to step sideways from the top rung to get into our seats.

The national park was massive. Very few buildings or structures marred the hilly, green vistas and many large fields of grass. We were told the area was considered a semi-savanna, with more varieties of plants than a traditional savanna. There were no obstructions of any kind except for the outer boundaries. Rules for managing the park are stricter than for the private game reserves. It was fortunate we were able to get both experiences.

We chose the Hlhluwe side since we did not have time in one day to do both side of the park. Even the Hlhluwe side is massive. The main roads are paved. Side roads are dirt. Our driver’s name was Sabelo, and he was a good one.

Our guide Sabelo

The first animal we came across was a large male elephant, eating branches very close to the road. The driver explained the signs to look for when the elephant becomes irate. Then it’s time to leave. This one was pretty mellow and didn’t seem to mind our vehicle being close by.

This big guy was munching on trees

Next, we saw a family of warthogs, who can run surprisingly fast. 

Zebras. 

Giraffes at a distance, giraffes close by. Giraffes all over the place. We had binoculars to get a closer look, but even at a distance they were beautiful among the trees and foliage. 

Mom & baby

The males have bigger horns

At one point a large group of Cape buffalo were blocking the roadway. Every guide has told us they are the most dangerous animals in the park. Not only are they strong and able stomp another animal to death, they are adept at working together to do so. They are not carnivores but can and will kill if they feel threatened, or even irritated. 

We saw a skink (like a snake only slimier)! A flock of blue Guinea fowl blocking the road. Springboks, and rhinos. 

Skink

Blue Guinea fowl

Rhino poaching has been such a problem in the park they now cut the horns from the rhinos (like cutting our fingernails, they regrow). This park has thousands of white rhinos; thanks to the efforts of conservationists (the golfer Gary Player’s brother lead this effort) they are no longer endangered.

We stopped for lunch in a picnic area, then continued viewing animals. 

One of the last animals we saw was an elephant who came down to a nearby stream for a drink and to cool off by squirting water onto it’s back.

On our way back to the ship, we randomly got pulled over by the police (who appeared to be pulling over others as well). It was hard to follow exactly what was happening, expired tabs was the purported reason. Just when getting back to the ship on time was becoming a real concern, we were allowed to proceed and thankfully made it OK.