Hlane Royal National Park Birding Tour

Hlane Royal National Park, home to the largest herds of game in the Kingdom, encompasses 22,000 hectares of north-eastern Swazi bushveld dominated by ancient hardwood vegetation. Home to 4 of the Big 5: Lion, Elephant, Rhino, and Leopard amongst a whole host of other species such as Hippo, Giraffe, Crocodile & diverse game. Hlane is also blessed with an abundant and diverse bird life, including the highest density of nesting White-Backed Vultures in Africa. You can also find the most southerly nesting colony of Marabou Storks within the park.

'Hlane' means 'Wilderness' in siSwati and has two rest camps: Ndlovu Camp found immediately inside Hlane Royal National Park's main gate; and Bhubesi Camp, a completely self-catering pristine camp located 14km from Ndlovu. At Ndlovu Camp, enjoy a sundowner on the decks of the semi-open-air restaurant and admire the resident Rhinos before retiring to your campsite, caravan, en-suite Rondavel, or cottage.

Guests at both camps along with day visitors can take advantage of a wide range of activities - self-drive roads, open Land Rover Game Drives, Lion or Rhino Tours, Guided Mountain Bike Trails, Birding Walks, and the Umphakatsi Visit to the neighboring real Chief's Village, all led by knowledgeable Swazi guides. Hlane also offers one or two-night fully-catered Ehlatsini Bush Trails - ideal for bush fanatics!

Head for the bush and experience the sights and sounds of Hlane against the roar of Hlane’s magnificent lions – the symbol of royalty and the pride of Swaziland.

Hlane National Park offers walking and horse riding game saris tours and most common are the sunrise and sunset game drives!

Hlane is managed for the species inhabiting it, with both self-drive and limited access areas. The Lions are in a separate limited-access area, only accessible by guided game drives.

All activities are guided and depart from Ndlovu Camp, except self-drive in select areas. Day Visitors are welcome to self-drive and picnic, visit the restaurant, or take part in activities. Sunset and sunrise activities are not possible for guests staying at Bhubesi Camp unless a full group booking and arranged with Management to depart from Bhubesi Camp.

After breakfast pack, your hat, sunblock, camera, and binoculars, and head for the White-fronted Bee-eater colony. Take the Shallows Trail; onto the Hippo Trail and get to the colony as early as possible to witness the bee-eaters emerge for the day. Beware of the hippo returning to water at this time.

Continue with the Hippo Trail around the Hippo Pool, through the forest, onto the lower slopes of Nyonyane Mountain, and along the furrow through the grasslands. The diverse habitats are home to a wide variety of birds. For the more energetic, detour up the Summit Trail for montane species, taking time in the ravine forests for more forest birds.

For the less energetic, an afternoon drive up the mountain will offer similar results with less effort! Accommodation – Beehive Huts or Lontweni Self-catering Rondavels.