Camping
Camping in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi has no campsite. Ezemvelo's 2025/26 tariff lists no camping in the park, so the cheapest way to sleep inside is a Hilltop rondavel or a Mpila safari tent. This page sets out what those cost, what sleeping in an unfenced camp involves, and where to pitch a tent outside the gates.
If you only want the answer
You cannot camp inside Hluhluwe-iMfolozi: the 2025/26 Ezemvelo tariff has no campsite. The nearest thing is a 2-bed safari tent at Mpila for R1,320 (about $81) a night for two, or a Hilltop rondavel with shared ablutions for R1,160 (about $71), plus the R320 daily conservation fee per international adult. Book both at bookings.kznwildlife.com. Tent pitches exist only outside the park, on private land near Hluhluwe town.
Can you camp in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park?
No. Ezemvelo's 2025/26 tariff, valid to 31 October 2026, lists no campsite and no caravan stands at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, and none of its booking pages for the park offers one. The two resorts in Ezemvelo's booking system are Hilltop and Mpila; the bush lodges sit under those. If you travel with a tent, you sleep outside the park and drive in each day.
The good news is that the cheapest roofs inside are not much dearer than a pitch at many South African parks. Both are Ezemvelo-run and both are booked through the same system.
| Option | Run by | Price for two (per night) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilltop, 2-bed rondavel | Ezemvelo | R1,160, about $71 (2025/26 tariff) | Two beds, communal ablutions; restaurant, bar, shop and fuel in the camp; 20 units |
| Mpila, 2-bed safari tent | Ezemvelo | R1,320, about $81 (2025/26 tariff) | Two-bed tent in the iMfolozi section; generator power 06:00 to 22:00; 12 units |
| Mpila, 4-bed safari tent | Ezemvelo | R1,980 for three, +R660 for a fourth (2025/26) | For a family or two couples; 2 units |
| Mpila, 2-bed chalet | Ezemvelo | R1,400, about $86 (2025/26) | The cheapest chalet in the park; 12 units |
Standard-season rates from the 2025/26 tariff, page 13, read 24 September 2026. High season (public holidays and adjacent weekends) costs more: Mpila's units run from R1,760 base. The R320 daily conservation fee per international adult comes on top.
What a cheap night inside really costs
For two international adults, one night in a Mpila safari tent costs R1,320 for the tent and R640 in conservation fees: R1,960, about $120. A Hilltop rondavel brings that to R1,800, about $110. South African residents and SADC nationals pay R320 in fees for two instead of R640.
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is one of the few Ezemvelo parks where overnight guests pay the conservation fee every day, so sleeping inside saves you nothing on fees. What it saves is the drive: from Hluhluwe town it is 17 km to Memorial Gate, and from there 55 km on to Mpila at the park's 40 km/h limit. There is no vehicle fee.
Sleeping in an unfenced camp at Mpila
Mpila is fenced against elephant and nothing else. Any animal smaller than an elephant can walk into the camp, predators included, and Ezemvelo asks residents to stay within the area of their own unit after sundown. Bring a torch, keep children close and do not walk between units after dark.
Power comes from a generator between 06:00 and 22:00, according to Ezemvelo's 2025 Mpila page, and private generators are not allowed. Ezemvelo's 2023 booking conditions asked guests to bring their own drinking water, and the camp's curio shop stocks only basics: the nearest proper shops are in Mtubatuba, about 50 km away. Unleaded petrol is sold at Mpila from 07:00 to 18:00 when it is in stock; diesel is not mentioned.
Camping outside the park
The tent options are on private land around Hluhluwe town, outside the park. Bushbaby Lodge & Camping, 7.5 km from Hluhluwe, is a budget place with camping; we did not capture a pitch price, and its cheapest room was R585 a night for a double with shared bathroom on Booking.com for 14 October 2026. Hluhluwe Bush Camp Glamping Village, 10.9 km out, showed R855 for a mobile home the same night, and AfriCamps at Bonamanzi R3,090 for a furnished tent.
From any of these you drive in through Memorial Gate and pay the daily conservation fee on each day you enter. Gate times are strict: 05:00 to 19:00 from November to February and 06:00 to 18:00 from April to September, so leave the park in good time.
How booking works
Ezemvelo takes bookings at bookings.kznwildlife.com, where Hilltop and Mpila are the two resorts listed for the park, or by email at bookings@kznwildlife.com and on +27 33 845 1000. Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out at 10:00. Bring the credit card you paid with and your ID or passport, which reception asks for on arrival.
Cancelling costs 10% more than 45 days ahead (minimum R100), 25% between 44 and 30 days, 50% between 29 and 15 days and the full amount from 14 days. Guided walks and drives are booked at reception when you arrive.
Before you go
- Arrive before the gate closes. Late entry is possible only at Memorial Gate between 19:00 and 22:00, under escort, for R500 per vehicle, and only after phoning your camp.
- Bring a torch, insect repellent and tick repellent; Ezemvelo advises walkers to use it.
- Malaria risk is low but not zero: the park lies in uMkhanyakude District, where the US CDC recommends preventive tablets. Ask a travel clinic.
- Fill the tank in Hluhluwe or Mtubatuba; fuel inside the park depends on stock.
Something this page does not answer?
Ezemvelo publishes no camping at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi. If you are planning a tent trip around the park, ask us and we will help you find the nearest pitch.
Ask us. We answer questions about the park itself, and we can usually tell you which camps work on one route and who to write to. If what you want is a trip someone else arranges, we will say so and hand you to an operator we know, and we earn a commission if that becomes a booking.
Nothing on this site sits behind the form. Every figure we have is already on the page.