Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge — first-paint frame

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

A ridge lodge on the western boundary of Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park.

Stay in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi's first private lodge.

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge stands on a ridge of Mpembeni community land on the western boundary of Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, brought inside the park fence after nine years of negotiation.

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Waterbuck holding the bush line in the morningRhino Ridge Safari LodgeHluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
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  • Established 2015Community partnership since 2013
  • Hluhluwe-iMfolozi ParkKwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
  • “the first private lodge within Hluhluwe-iMfolozi”Durban press at the 2015 opening

About Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge is the first private lodge inside Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, described in the park's own history as "Africa's oldest proclaimed game reserve". It stands on a ridge of Mpembeni community land on the park's western boundary, brought inside the park fence after nine years of negotiation. The Mpembeni Community Trust, the National Empowerment Fund, and a private partner each hold an equal third of the lodge company. The lodge opened in March 2015 and draws most of its staff from the community next door.

Eighteen rooms sit along the ridge, spread up to 200 metres from the main lodge: eight glass-fronted bush villas, two honeymoon villas with plunge pools, four safari rooms, and two family suites of two rooms each. The nightly rate carries all meals, two game drives a day, and a walk or drive through the Mpembeni community. Guided bush walks, spa treatments, and park entry are charged separately. An infinity pool, a spa, and a gym overlook the reserve.

About Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge

Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge is the first private lodge inside Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, described in the park's own history as "Africa's oldest proclaimed game reserve". It stands on a ridge of Mpembeni community land on the park's western boundary, brought inside the park fence after nine years of negotiation. The Mpembeni Community Trust, the National Empowerment Fund, and a private partner each hold an equal third of the lodge company. The lodge opened in March 2015 and draws most of its staff from the community next door.

Eighteen rooms sit along the ridge, spread up to 200 metres from the main lodge: eight glass-fronted bush villas, two honeymoon villas with plunge pools, four safari rooms, and two family suites of two rooms each. The nightly rate carries all meals, two game drives a day, and a walk or drive through the Mpembeni community. Guided bush walks, spa treatments, and park entry are charged separately. An infinity pool, a spa, and a gym overlook the reserve.

Until Rhino Ridge, no private lodge stood inside Hluhluwe-iMfolozi. The lodge occupies Mpembeni community land at the park's western boundary, in the Hluhluwe section, and the community's ground came inside the park fence as part of the venture. Durban press at the opening called it the first private footprint in the reserve and recorded nine years of administration and negotiation behind it.

The ownership rests on a three-way split: the National Empowerment Fund, the Mpembeni Community Trust, and a private promoter each hold a third of the lodge company. The fund invested on behalf of the trust, which represents around 600 households under iNkosi Hlabisa and the Empembeni Tribal Council. Isibindi Africa Lodges, the KwaZulu-Natal group founded by Brett Gehren, operates the lodge, and most staff come from the Mpembeni community.

The partnership earned Gold for "Best Partnership for Poverty Reduction" at the 2017 Africa Responsible Tourism Awards, recorded to Isibindi Africa Lodges. The lodge holds Fair Trade Tourism certification. A separate Isibindi Foundation levy funds early childhood development centres and an environmental centre in Mpembeni and equips the park's anti-poaching rangers and K9 unit.

The main lodge is open-plan behind glass, with an infinity pool, a spa, a gym, and a boma. Group executive chef Carl Moller has led the kitchens for over a decade, with an emphasis on responsible sourcing. Game drives leave twice a day, morning and afternoon, with refreshments in the bush. Three-hour guided walks in big-five country and spa treatments carry an additional charge, as do park entry fees and the foundation levy.

The lodge sits three to four hours' drive from Durban's King Shaka International Airport, in a low-malaria area, with a two-night minimum stay year-round. Children are welcome; children under six skip the standard drives and ride a dedicated mid-morning drive at no extra charge.

What’s included

  • A lodge lounge opening to the water

    All meals

    Breakfast, high tea, and dinner are part of the nightly rate, served on the deck, in the boma, or in the glass-fronted dining room, with teas and coffees through the day.

  • An open safari vehicle on a sand track

    Two game drives daily

    Morning and afternoon drives into Hluhluwe-iMfolozi run every day, with refreshment stops in the bush.

  • An open safari vehicle on a sand track

    Mpembeni community walk or drive

    A guided walk or drive through the neighbouring Mpembeni community, the lodge's co-owner, is part of the standard rate.

  • An open safari vehicle on a sand track

    Children's mid-morning drive

    Children under six take a dedicated mid-morning drive at no additional charge, since they do not join the standard departures.

Plan your stay

Enquire

We will reply personally within four hours.

Where you stay

Sixteen villas and rooms on the western ridge of Hluhluwe–iMfolozi.

  • A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia
  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing
  • The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light
  • The lodge set among the coastal forest

Safari room

Sleeps 2

Four rooms on the ridge line with the park below.

  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing
  • The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light
  • A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia
  • The lodge deck above the water

Luxury bush villa

Sleeps 2

Eight villas set apart along the ridge.

  • A pool deck beside the lodge
  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing
  • The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light
  • A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia

Honeymoon bush villa

Sleeps 2

Two villas with private plunge pools.

  • The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light
  • A suite interior with a bed and timber detailing
  • The lodge set among the coastal forest
  • A wide view across the floodplain toward Lake St Lucia

Safari family suite

Sleeps 4

Two en-suite bedrooms joined by a passage.

Gallery

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Stories

Editorial stories are authored in Sanity and surface here once Studio entries land.

Experiences

Big-five days inside Hluhluwe–iMfolozi.

Open vehicle on a game drive at the edge of iSimangaliso wetlandOpen vehicle on a game drive at the edge of iSimangaliso wetland

Drive Africa’s oldest proclaimed game reserve twice a day among the Big Five.

Included
The lodge set among the coastal forest

Walk the Mpembeni homesteads on the community land that hosts the lodge.

Included
Wetland birds in flight over still water

Walk three hours on animal trails with an armed ranger in big-five country.

Extra
The lodge lounge with low seating and natural light

Take a treatment overlooking the reserve between the morning and evening drives.

Extra

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Map

Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The lodge stands on a ridge on the western boundary of Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park, on Mpembeni community land brought inside the park fence. The park was proclaimed in April 1895 as two reserves and is the oldest proclaimed game reserve in Africa. It covers about 96 000 hectares of hill country.

Fewer than 100 southern white rhino survived here at the end of the 1890s, the last anywhere. Operation Rhino in the 1950s and 1960s carried the species back across Southern Africa from this park. The Big Five live here, and more than 320 bird species are recorded.

Common questions

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