Durban - We’re often asked where the best places are to see rhinos in the wild, so here are some of our favourite locations.
Some game reserves are reluctant to publicise the presence of rhinos, because of the threat of poaching, so we have not included those.
Other reserves see rhinos as an important part of the visitor experience and are happy to encourage rhino tourism and the revenue it brings.
Hluhluwe-imfolozi Park
Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
www.kznwildlife.com
A beautiful reserve in the rolling Zululand hills, with all of the big five, including plenty of rhinos.
Spend two or three nights here and you can’t fail to see white rhino, with a good chance of the odd black rhino thrown in.
Accommodation is good value, roads are driveable by 2×4, and the twin reserves are a manageable size, making this an excellent choice for self-drive safaris.
Stay at Hilltop camp in Hluhluwe if you want a decent restaurant and bar, or self-cater at Mpila if you want easy access to the quieter Imfolozi section.
Kruger National Park
Limpopo, South Africa
www.sanparks.co.za
You could spend months exploring the nearly two million hectares of South Africa’s premier national park and still barely scratch the surface of what it has to offer, but you won’t need to spend more than a day or two here to find rhinos – there are estimated to be up to 9 000.
The southern half of the park has the highest density and white rhinos are seen on most game drives. Black rhinos are much harder to find in the dense thickets. Like Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, Kruger is easy to visit on a self-drive DIY safari.
Pilanesberg Game Reserve
North West, South Africa
www.parksnorthwest.co.za
Just two hours from Joburg or Pretoria (and next door to Sun City), Pilanesberg is easily accessible if you’re limited for time, and has all the big five, including conspicuous white rhino, plus some other interesting species such as brown hyena.
It’s a manageable size for a self-drive day visit or a couple of nights in one of the lodges or camps, with around 200km of good roads, and some nice hides as a break from driving.
uMkhuze Game Park
Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
www.kznwildlife.com
uMkhuze’s white rhinos aren’t too difficult to see on game drives, and its black rhinos put in an occasional appearance, but it’s the game viewing at Kumasinga hide that makes this reserve stand out.
On any morning in the drier months you are guaranteed an astonishing spectacle, as hundreds of animals, usually including rhino, come down to drink the water that surrounds the hide.
Great for photography. Neighbouring iSimangaliso Wetland Park (www.isimangaliso.com) also has rhinos.
Hlane Royal National Park
Swaziland
www.biggameparks.com
If you want to get really close to white rhinos on foot, this is the place. You can self-drive in Hlane, but the real attraction of the park is the fantastic rhino viewing from the main camp, Ndlovu.
Rhino come to the adjacent waterhole and nothing but a low electric fence separates you from them.
Simple, rustic accommodation is very cheap. Another Swazi park which is very good for both black and white rhino is Mkhaya, where you can take game drives or walking safaris as either a day visitor or in an all-inclusive package as an overnight guest at the charming Stone Camp.
Desert Rhino Camp
Damaraland, Kunene, Namibia
www.wilderness-safaris.com
The Desert Rhino Camp is operated as a collaboration between Wilderness Safaris and Save the Rhino Trust, the NGO which has helped preserve Damaraland’s desert-adapted black rhinos.
A visit here is really an unforgettable experience.
Damaraland is home to the largest free-roaming population of black rhino in Africa, but tracking them on foot or in a vehicle in this vast, breathtaking landscape takes time, patience and stamina. It’s well worth the effort when you finally find one, though.
Etosha National Park
North west Namibia
www.nwr.com.na
One of Africa’s greatest game parks and surprisingly accessible even to self-drive tourists.
Black rhino (and a few introduced white rhino) are occasionally seen on game drives, but the stand-out rhino watching is after dark, at the waterholes adjoining Okaukuejo and Halali rest camps.
Visit during the dry months and you have a good chance of double-figure black rhino sightings at Okaukuejo’s floodlit waterhole – while sitting comfortably sipping a cold beer.
Halali can be almost as good.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Laikipia, Kenya
www.olpejetaconservancy.org
Ol Pejeta is East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary, and the animals are not hard to find on an early morning game drive. Introduced white rhino are also conspicuous.
If you somehow manage to miss the free-roaming black rhino, you can visit and help feed Baraka, a blind rhino kept in an enclosure as an “ambassador”.
Ol Pejeta also has four of only seven northern white rhinos that are known to have survived in the world, and it is hoped that the animals,which were relocated from a Czech zoo, will resume breeding.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Laikipia, Kenya
www.lewa.org
Decidely up-market (Lewa is a favourite of Prince William), but well worth a once-in-a-lifetime splurge, not only for the excellent black and white rhino viewing.
As well as all the big five, Lewa has specialties such as Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk and Somali ostrich, and there are some lovely hides for close-ups.
The scenery is also beautiful. Lewa is heavily involved in community conservation initiatives in neighbouring areas.
Lake Nakuru National Park
Rift Valley, Kenya
www.kws.org
Lake Nakuru is close enough to Nairobi for a day trip (taking in some spectacular views of the Rift Valley), but that would hardly do it justice.
Better known for its flamingoes, now sadly much reduced in number, the park has a good population of easily spotted white rhino, and harder to see blacks.
White rhino can be spotted at any time of day, but for black rhino it’s better to stay at a lodge in the reserve and go out early.
l Project: African Rhino is a multimedia photo-journalism project raising awareness about rhino conservation in Africa, with a particular focus on successful initiatives and scientific developments in the face of current and future threats, including the poaching crisis. Visit www.africanrhino.org
Sunday Tribune