The Mkuze Game Reserve constitutes the north western spur of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park).
Mantuma Camp - A place of great beauty and high contrasts, it is renowned as a mecca for bird lovers, with more than 420 bird species on record. This diverse habitat includes wild dog, black and white rhino, elephant, giraffe, nyala, blue wildebeest, warthog, eland, hippo, impala, kudu and other smaller antelope. Rare species occurring are hyena, suni and leopard.
The Rhino Dine-O takeaway situated near Mantuma is open from 07:00 - 09:30 for breakfast; 11:30 - 14:00 for lunch and 17:00 - 19:00 for dinner.
PLEASE NOTE: The water is chlorinated and filtered for human consumption but is very salty. Mineral/spring water is on sale at the camp curio shop and Rhino-Dine-O takeaway OR you can bring your own drinking water.
A swimming pool is situated in the hutted camp and campsite respectively, strictly for accommodated guests only.
The curio shop sells basic necessities.
Accommodation options in the Mkuze Game Reserve:
8 Bed Nhlonhlela Bush Lodge - situated a few minutes drive from the main camp (Mantuma camp). The Lodge comprises of 4 x Two-Bed units, connected to the central lounge, kitchen, deck and dining area by wooden boardwalks. All units are en suite with shower and toilet. The lodge is served by solar powered lighting. Good torches and a gas light are recommended.
Guests to this private and tranquil piece of the African bush can enjoy the area reserved for their exclusive use, go walking, or they can visit one of the three excellent hides to watch the constant procession of wild animals coming down to the water holes for their daily drink.
Guests must bring all their food and drink requirements with them though limited supplies can be bought at the camp shop at Mantuma. The lodge is served by solar powered lighting.
Hutted accommodation
2-Sleeper Chalets - fully equipped for self-catering
4-Sleeper (2 bedroom) Chalets - fully equipped for self-catering
6-Sleeper (3 bedroom) Cottages - fully equipped for self-catering
2-Sleeper Rest Huts (with communal ablution and -kitchen facilities)
The self-catering units are fully equipped with linen, towels, crockery, cutlery, stove, refrigerator and cooking utensils.
Tented accommodation
2-Sleeper Safari Tents
4-Sleeper Safari Tents (a 4-Bed Safari Tent comprises of 2 X 2-Bed Safari Tents next to each other, sharing a kitchen)
The tents are with 2 single beds each, en-suite shower, basin and toilet, Eskom power, fridge, crockery, towels and linen.
The kitchen of each tented unit is situated outside - open kitchen.
- No plug points for electric razors are available.
- Visitors need to provide their own food supplies and are required to do their own cooking and washing up.
- Units are serviced daily.
- Mosquito nets are provided in each accommodation unit.
PLEASE NOTE: The accommodation complexes are either not fenced or do not have a totally game proof fence surrounding them. Please do not walk beyond the vicinity of your own chalet or campsite after sunset unless it is essential to do so.
Gate opening and closing times:
Summer (Oct–Mar) - 05h00 – 19h00
Winter (Apr–Sep) - 06h00 – 18h00
There is NO allowance for LATE entry through these Gates.
Distance and Time from Gate to Camp: 10km, approximately 20 minutes drive.
The nearest town which has a full range of services is Mkuze which is 28km away.
- Four game viewing hides are situated next to 4 pans. Visitors park their cars and enter the hides on foot. Depending on the surface water in the reserve, but normally during the drier winter months, large concentrations of game may be seen at the waterholes.
- In addition there are 2 bird viewing hides.
- The Fig Forest Guided Walking Trail (guided by a field ranger) should not be missed.
- Guided game or birding walks can be booked at the camp office and these take place twice daily starting at 06h00 in summer, and 15h00 in winter ( 2 hours)
- Guided night game drives (weather permitting)
Good to Know
- Low-risk malaria area in summer; mosquito nets in all unit
- Bring your own drinking water (camp water is fine for cooking & bathing)
- Children are warmly welcome
- No pets permitted in the reserve
- Wild & Rhino Cards not accepted
- Stock up in Mkuze town or Hluhluwe; camp shop is limited
- No firewood may be brought into the park
On the northern edge of KwaZulu-Natal, between the Lebombo Mountains and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park — South Africa’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site — uMkhuze (its official name) stays gloriously off the beaten track. No queues at sightings. No crowded waterholes. Just you, your family, and the bush.
At its heart is Mantuma Camp, the reserve’s main rest camp — a relaxed mix of thatched chalets, rustic rest huts and shaded safari tents. Beyond it lie the exclusive Nhlonhlela Bush Lodge and the easy-going Emshopi Campsite: three ways to make the reserve your own, each with its own braai stand and star-bright nights.
Drive your own vehicle through the loop roads. Spend an afternoon watching nyala drift in to drink at Kumasinga Hide. Cook on the fire while the bushveld settles. The team at reception have been here a long time, and they know where to point you. This is safari the old, honest way.
The Super Seven. 420 bird species. And a pan full of hippos.
uMkhuze’s diversity of habitats (fig forest, fever-tree pans, acacia savanna, Lebombo slopes) makes it one of the most species-rich reserves in southern Africa for its size.
Beyond self-drive — get deeper into the wild.
Self-drive is the heart of uMkhuze, but a guide opens another layer. These experiences are arranged through the camp; availability varies by season, so ask when you book. We’re adding more all the time.
Guided Bush Walks
Step out on foot with a qualified field guide — tracking, birding and the small details you miss from a vehicle. The Lebombo Loop walk offers panoramic views.
Guided Game Drives
Morning drives with an experienced ranger who knows where the lions denned last week and which pan the elephants are favouring.
Birding & Hides
420+ species and a network of waterhole hides. Specialist birding outings and photographic hide sessions are on the way.
The original uMkhuze experience: simple thatched rondavels with twin beds, set in a quiet corner of camp. Bathroom and a fully-equipped communal kitchen are a short walk away. No fans and no in-room kitchen, but what you get instead is the high thatched ceiling, a private braai stand outside, and the lowest price in the reserve. Honest, unfussy, and deeply nostalgic.
A private en-suite chalet with a bath/shower combination and toilet, a kitchenette inside the unit, and a small thatched stoep. Cooled by high thatched ceilings and room fans rather than air-conditioning. A quiet space for couples or solo travellers, close enough to the main camp but set apart enough to feel like your own.
Permanent walk-in safari tents pitched in a wooded grove with extra shade overhead. Each two-sleeper tent has its own private en-suite shower and toilet, plus a kitchenette nearby. The four-sleeper version is actually a pair of two-sleeper tents, each with its own bathroom, that share a kitchen and dining facility between them. The right setup for families or two couples who want a little privacy at night and company over breakfast. Cooled by high thatched canopies and room fans.
Two bedrooms, one bathroom with a bath and a shower built into the bath, a full kitchen, a lounge–dining room and a thatched veranda. Brick walls under thatch keep it naturally cool throughout, with air-conditioning in the lounge–dining area for the hottest part of the day. Our most popular family unit at Mantuma.
Permanent walk-in safari tents pitched in a wooded grove with extra shade overhead. Each two-sleeper tent has its own private en-suite shower and toilet, plus a kitchenette nearby. The four-sleeper version is actually a pair of two-sleeper tents, each with its own bathroom, that share a kitchen and dining facility between them. The right setup for families or two couples who want a little privacy at night and company over breakfast. Cooled by high thatched canopies and room fans.
The largest units at Mantuma. Three bedrooms, a main bathroom with bath, toilet and hand-basin, plus a separate shower and an additional separate toilet, a full kitchen, and a generous lounge–dining room that opens onto a long thatched veranda. Brick walls under thatch, with air-conditioning fitted in the lounge and dining area to take the edge off mid-summer afternoons. Built for families or two travelling couples.
The reserve’s camping and caravan site, set 1 km inside the western eMshophi Gate, separate from Mantuma main camp and a short drive to it. Thirty-five stands set under shade trees, with neat ablution blocks, hot showers, electrified stands, a small swimming pool, and a children’s jungle gym on the lawn. Bring your own everything; this is camping the honest way.
An eight-bed bush lodge set apart from the main camp, perched above Nhlonhlela Pan. Booked exclusively as a single unit, so bring the extended family or two travelling parties together. Fully self-catering with private chef arrangements available. The kind of quiet you can only get from being the only people in your section of the reserve.
All bookings are confirmed once payment or partial payment is received.
Cancellations greater than 45 days prior to arrival = 10% of amount (min R100)
Cancellation within 45 to 30 days of arrival = 25% of the amount.
Cancellation within 29 to 15 days of arrival = 50% of the amount.
Cancellation within 14 days & arrival date = 100% of the amount.
Amending booked dates is as good as cancelling a booking if it falls within the cancellation period. Same policy applies to amending a booking.
Cancellation policy are voided when booking dates are amended to be cancelled to avoid cancellation policy. So once dates are amended, cancellation policy are not applicable.
High season is applicable over public holidays, school holidays, long weekends, events and high occupancy periods. Tariffs may differ to those advertised.
From the south, the turn-off to the Mkhuze Game Reserve is signposted 35 km north of Hluhluwe. From this point, the road is gravel. Approximately 15km further turn right onto another signposted road through the Lebombo mountains.
The entrance is 10km along this road and the route is clearly signposted.
Visitors from the north should take the road through Mkuze Village, which is 18km from the entrance gate and 28km from Mantuma camp. This road is well signposted.
Children welcome.
