The rains

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in the green season

From October to March the summer storms turn the Zululand hills a deep green, the rivers rise and the bush closes in around the roads. The park stays open throughout, with longer gate hours than in winter, but it is a harder place to find animals.

If you only want the answer

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is open all through the rains, and from November to February the gates stay open from 05:00 to 19:00. Expect 74 to 95 mm of rain a month, day highs of 27 to 29°C, thick bush that hides the game, and low-level river crossings that can flood. Wilderness trails stop from mid December to the end of January. If seeing animals is the main point, May to August is the better choice.

What the rains do to a visit

The management plan says most of the year's rain falls between October and March and that hail storms occur one to three times a year; from December to February the rain often comes as afternoon storms. The grass grows tall and the bush thickens, so animals that stand in the open in July are hidden a few metres from the road in January. This is a wooded, hilly park even in the dry season, and in summer that effect is strong.

The roads are the other cost. Only the spine from Memorial Gate past Hilltop to Mpila is tarred, and the low-level crossings over the Hluhluwe and iMfolozi rivers flood in heavy storms. On 22 February 2025 both bridges were overflowing, and Ezemvelo reported that Hilltop could be reached only through Memorial Gate and Mpila only through Cengeni Gate. Ask at your camp before driving the gravel loops after rain.

The numbers

Month	Rain (average)	Day high	Night low
November	74 mm	26.9°C	17.7°C
December	95 mm	28.1°C	19.1°C
January	94 mm	29.1°C	20.2°C
February	92 mm	28.9°C	20.3°C
March	74 mm	28.3°C	19.5°C

Open-Meteo climate normals for 1991 to 2020 at one point between the two sections. The management plan gives a range of about 650 mm a year in the low west to 985 mm in the high north, and records summer maxima up to about 35°C in the valleys, which the averages smooth out.

Who the rains suit

Self-drivers who want long days: gates open 05:00 to 19:00 from November to February, two hours more than in winter.
Photographers after green hills, storm light and full rivers.
Visitors who dislike cold mornings: night lows stay around 18 to 20°C.
Travellers combining the park with the St Lucia beaches, 56 km from Nyalazi Gate.

Who should wait for the dry season

First-time safari visitors who mainly want to see the large mammals: thick bush makes everything harder.
Anyone set on a wilderness trail over Christmas or in January: Ezemvelo's schedules show no departures from mid December to the end of January.
Self-drivers in a low car who plan to explore the gravel loops after storms.
Visitors who want quiet camps over the festive season, the park's busiest time.

Health in the rains

The rain months from October to March are also mosquito season. The US CDC lists uMkhanyakude District, which contains the park, Hluhluwe town and Mtubatuba, among the areas where it recommends malaria tablets, while Ezemvelo calls the park a low-risk area and urges visitors to consult a doctor. Take medical advice before you travel, and use repellent against ticks on walks.

Booking in the rains

Ezemvelo does not lower its rates in summer: its high season follows public holidays and the weekends next to them, and the camps are full from mid December into early January. Book Hilltop and Mpila well ahead for those weeks. A new Ezemvelo tariff year starts on 1 November, so a quote made before then may be adjusted on arrival, as Ezemvelo's booking conditions warn.