Wild in the Park : A relatively small reserve nevertheless packs in the animals

When darkness falls and the Lebombo Mountains are but a dim shadow separating Zululand from Mozambique, the locals claim to have seen flickering lights in the cracks and crevices of the mountain cliffs. At night from Ghost Mountain, strange sounds carry across the veld.

It is here that the Gaza family bury their dead. The Gazas were leading members of the Ndwandwe tribe who fled from this area pursued by a Zulu war party centuries before. As has been the custom since those early times, when the head of the family dies, his body is embalmed, wrapped with all his possessions in the skin of a freshly slaughtered black bull and carried more than 600 miles to a secret burial tomb in these mountains. There are few who know the whereabouts of the tombs. The location is jealously guarded for fear of grave robbers.

As a native South African, I had heard this story for years. So en route to one of my favorite places to see wild animals in South Africa, my husband, James, and I decided to spend the night at Ghost Mountain Inn, a pretty hotel in the nearby town of Mkuze, not far from our destination. It was, disappointingly, a peaceful night, uninterrupted by lights and eerie wailing.

But in the morning we set out for what would promise to be much more dramatic environs, the Hluhluwe Game Reserve. Hluhluwe (pronounced shloo-shloo-we) is one in a cluster of game parks in KwaZulu-Natal Province close to the eastern coast of South Africa. It was September--spring in the Southern Hemisphere--and the air was heavy with the fragrance of the yellow pompon blossoms of acacia trees.

Hluhluwe is located in the subtropical coastal belt near the Indian Ocean and was proclaimed a game reserve, together with the neighboring Umfolozi game park, in the latter part of last century. It is one of the oldest game reserves in all Africa, and its landscape alternates between stretches of lush vegetation and tree-dotted, open grassland (most other game reserves in South Africa are drier and more open). It’s a safe place to visit in every way, unless you disobey park rules and get out of your car, or walk about in an unfenced camp in the dark. All wild animals are potentially dangerous.

We go back to South Africa, where we have family, often, but our most recent visit last September was a nostalgic event. Many years ago we lived not far from Hluhluwe, and our weekends were spent with our four young children traveling its dusty roads in search of animals. Our 3-year-old daughter was able to pronounce rhinoceros before she could count to 10. For four weeks we explored several national parks and game reserves, from the Kalahari Gemsbok Park in the desert areas of the northwest to Kruger Park, perhaps South Africa’s best known wild animal park, in the east. Finally, we arrived at Hluhluwe, where we were to spend a brief two days.

Unlike Kruger--with 5 million acres, one needs at least a week to do it justice--Hluhluwe is a manageable 240,000 acres. Although it’s smaller, Hluhluwe’s range of animals is every bit as diverse as Kruger’s. And because it is more compact and lush, the concentration of animals is high, making game viewing extremely rewarding.

According to a recent game count, there are 620 giraffes, 1,600 white rhinos, 350 black rhinos, 1,900 zebras, 7,800 buffalo, 2,000 gray duikers (a type of antelope), 165 elephants, 60 lions and an astonishing 20,000 impala. Chances of seeing leopards, hyenas, wart hogs, hippos, baboons, crocodiles and dozens of other species are all good.

Hluhluwe has played a significant part in the world of animal preservation. Years ago, when the white rhino was threatened with extinction, the park worked tirelessly to draw the world’s attention to the imminent tragedy. As a result, the white rhino was saved and today it flourishes.

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Though guided tours can be arranged, we wanted to see the game park on our own, so we rented a tiny, subcompact car at the Durban airport, roughly a three-hour drive from Hluhluwe. After our night in Mkuze, we drove about 20 minutes to Memorial Gate, where we paid the admittance fee of $1.50 per person, plus about $6 for the car. After close questioning as to whether we were carrying firearms, the barrier was raised and we entered Hluhluwe.

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A faint flush of green was on the bushes and acacia trees that dominated the spring landscape. In South Africa, all seasons are good for game viewing, but between April and August, the dry winter months when vegetation is relatively sparse, is particularly good.

Rooting in the rough ground at the entrance to the reserve was a family of wart hogs. Just two miles farther into the park, our way was barred when a ponderous gray shape emerged from the thick bush. It was soon obvious that this great elephant was the matriarch, the leader and protector of the herd that followed.

James touched the brake gently so as not to alarm her, and our car came to a halt. Another giant emerged, and another and another. They just kept coming! On the other side of the slow-moving procession, a massive truck drew up and stopped. By this time the old matriarch was becoming agitated. Placing herself four-square in the middle of the road facing the truck, she raised her trunk high in a threatening display. Her ears spread like huge fans on either side of her massive head. With impatient warning grunts and rumbles, she ripped at branches overhanging the road, tearing and tossing them aside.

Meanwhile, her charges continued to pour from the bush. James, who was once a game warden, counted 92 as they lumbered past. They were a mixed group, some no more than 6 months old, tubby little infants with rubbery trunks that flopped around in an uncontrolled frenzy as they scurried along trying to keep up with the adults.

After they passed, we drove on, and in minutes came face to face with a comical looking fellow called a ground hornbill. Rivaling a wild turkey in size, he was red-faced, with long curly eyelashes. I couldn’t help laughing as he fluttered and pranced in front of the car. How could we resist him? Although strictly against park rules, I broke down and offered him a biscuit, which was gobbled up in two seconds flat.

Within no time at all, it seemed, the sun was sinking fast, and curfew time was almost upon us. Visitors are expected to be in camp a half-hour before sunset. We had just made it through the gates at Hilltop Camp as Land Rovers, packed to capacity with tourists (many of them German), were heading out for a guided night drive.

Our accommodations were in a chalet with panoramic views across miles and miles of wild bush country. After a roast beef dinner (we had missed the night when a game dish, perhaps wart hog, is served), we retired early.

It was a night of disturbances. At 2 a.m., James woke me to listen to the spine-chilling sound of two hyenas calling; their hysterical chuckling is a ghastly noise that makes the hair on the back of your neck rise no matter how many times you’ve heard it. At sunrise, we were awakened by a family of small vervet monkeys frolicking on our balcony.

Before leaving that morning, we mentioned our previous day’s elephant sighting to one of the game wardens, and he confirmed my husband’s head count: There are exactly 92 elephants in that particular Hluhluwe herd, an uncharacteristically large group. This, said the game warden, was because orphaned juveniles (whose parents were the victims of poachers) had been transported to Hluhluwe from Kruger Park in the hope that they could be integrated with mature elephants. Unlike most young animals, where instinct plays a vital role in development, young elephants depend heavily upon mothers and aunts for their education and survival.

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Later that morning, as we came out of the Nzimane Loop, one of the game-viewing auto routes through the park, we noticed that the car we had been following closely for the previous 20 minutes had come to a standstill. A more tender scene would have been hard to find at that moment: A huge white rhino stood patiently on the grass at the side of the road while her half-grown baby lay beside her, suckling contentedly.

Our companions in the leading car were reluctant to disturb the pair, probably out of fear of the consequences from the tank-like behemoths, we guessed. We decided to lead the way. Although I was anxious, to say the least, James assured me that we were safe. The white rhino, although larger than the black rhino, is generally more docile. This is important information to have since Hluhluwe has a denser population of rhino than any game park on the African continent, and visitors have a very good chance of encountering them.

We edged forward cautiously. Mother tossed her mighty head, baby lumbered to his feet and the two, in perfect unison, moved silently into the bush.

It had been a good day. In addition to rhinos and elephants, we had seen wart hogs, giraffes, kudus, buffalo, wildebeests, zebras, nyala (a rare antelope) and more.

It was almost closing time in the reserve as we headed along the road toward the exit. Then, ahead of us, we saw a large troop of baboons, perhaps 25, sprawled at the roadside under a leafy combretum tree. A number of them were lying flopped out on their backs, while others searched meticulously through each others’ hairy bodies with long delicate fingers, looking for ticks or any other tasty morsel.

An inquisitive female left the group and clambered onto the front of our car. Hoping to coax her off, James put the car into reverse and moved slowly backward down the deserted highway with the baboon looking very perplexed as her friends were left in the distance. Onto the roof she jumped. We could hear her pacing back and forth above us.

Suddenly she hung over the side and peered at us through the windshield with her head upside down. As soon as the car slowed, she leaped to the ground and sauntered off toward her companions, glancing back periodically to ensure that we were not planning any further humiliation.

For me, some of the most relaxing, fulfilling and memorable times of my life have taken place in Hluhluwe and other of these vast, lonely game parks--Hluhluwe in particular. For those who have never heard the wild cry of the fish eagle as it soars the skies, or the trumpeting of an elephant as it thunders through the bush, or who have never breathed in the smell of the hot African earth, I can assure there is no greater thrill.

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GUIDEBOOK: Beast Bets

Getting there: American (in partnership with South African Airways), KLM, British Air and Air France fly from LAX to Johannesburg with a change of planes in various U.S. and European cities. Advance-purchace, round-trip fares start at about $2,185, but fares are scheduled to rise Dec. 1. South African Airways has frequent daily hourlong flights between Johannesburg and Durban for about $120.

Getting around: We rented a subcompact for about $25 per day at the airport; most major car rental companies are represented. For those who shudder at the prospect of driving on the left side of the road, there are many companies in Durban that offer tours to the Hluhluwe and Omfolozi game reserves. Day tours start at $100 per person, overnight tours from about $275.

Where to stay: Ghost Mountain Inn, Old Main Road, Mkuze; tel. and fax 011-27-35-573-1025 or 573-1027; from $30 per person. Just a short drive from Hluhluwe, this hotel is situated in an indigeneous African garden with outdoor swimming pool and central to some of KwaZulu-Natal’s finest game reserves. Hilltop Camp, Hluhluwe Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal; tel. 011-27-35-562-0255, fax 011-27- 35-562-0113. With its hilltop site offering panoramic views of the game reserve, the camp provides cottages and rondavels (traditional round thatched cottages) from about $20 per person, or a luxury lodge, Mtwazi, from about $35. There are also more rustic tent-camp accommodations.

Safety: South African game reserves are generally safe, but for more information on safety concerns, see Travel Advisory on page L14.

Health: Anti-malaria medication is advisable; ask your physician.

For more information: South African Tourism Board, 9841 Airport Blvd., No. 1524, Los Angeles, CA 90045; tel. (310) 641-8444 or (800) 782-9772, fax (310) 641-5812.

--A.G.