Mpila Camp
Unfenced main camp: safari tents, chalets, cottages · iMfolozi section, 18 km from Nyalazi Gate · Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Mpila Camp yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (Ezemvelo)
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife's camp in the southern iMfolozi section, 18 km from Nyalazi Gate and 55 km from Memorial Gate. The camp is not fenced except against elephant, and Ezemvelo asks guests to stay at their unit after dark. You choose between 2- and 4-bed safari tents, 2- and 5-bed chalets and two 6-bed cottages, all self-catering. Power comes from a generator, 06:00 to 22:00 on the 2025 camp page, and the 2023 booking confirmation asked guests to bring their own drinking water. There is a curio shop with basics and unleaded petrol when stock allows; the nearest shops are in Mtubatuba, 50 km away. Mpila is the only camp that lists a night drive. Choose it for a wilder feel at a low price; the provincial authority owns and runs it.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Night drives Monday to Saturday at 18:00, Sunday at 17:00
- Unfenced except against elephant
- Safari tents from R1,320 for two
- Bank credit and debit cards accepted at the camp
- Check-in point for the iMfolozi wilderness trails
Cons
- Generator power only, switched off at night
- Bring your own drinking water and food; the shop sells basics
- Unleaded petrol only, and only when available; no diesel listed
- The night drive price is not stated in the tariff
What's here
- Self-catering
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
- Night drives
Read from Mpila Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryR320 per international adult per day at USD 1 = R16.35 (23 Sep 2026), 2025/26 tariff valid to 31 Oct 2026.
- $20per person, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults pay $120 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Ezemvelo's 2025/26 tariff lists no vehicle fee for Hluhluwe-iMfolozi.
Guests at Ezemvelo's own camps and at the private lodge inside the park pay the conservation fee for every day as well; it is not included in the accommodation rates.
The full fee schedule for Hluhluwe-iMfolozi ParkRates at Mpila Camp
From R1,320 per safari tent for two. Ezemvelo 2025/26 tariff (1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026), standard season: 2-bed safari tent R1,320 (minimum 2, about $40 each); 2-bed chalet R1,400; 4-bed safari tent R1,980 for up to three plus R660; 5-bed chalet R3,000 for up to four plus R750; 6-bed cottage R3,200 for up to four plus R800. High-season bases run R1,760 to R5,000. Ezemvelo is not a VAT vendor and its rates include the Community Levy. The conservation fee is extra and paid daily by overnight guests too: R320 per international adult, R160 for South African and SADC residents. A new tariff is expected from 1 November 2026.
Self-catering. You cook. Nothing else is included unless the entry says so.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked on 24 September 2026. Ezemvelo's figures come from its 2025/26 tariff, valid to 31 October 2026; a new tariff is expected from 1 November 2026 and had not been published on that date. The private lodge inside the park, Duiker Game Lodge's package and the Ezemvelo camps are priced from their own sources. Every other figure outside the park is Booking.com's lowest displayed price for one night, 14 to 15 October 2026, two adults, and is marked as a reseller rate; it moves daily. Dollar figures use R16.35 to the dollar (ECB, 23 September 2026) and are per person sharing. The conservation fee is extra everywhere: R320 per international adult a day, R160 for South African and SADC residents.
Questions about Mpila Camp
Is Mpila Camp safe for children?
Mpila is not fenced except against elephant, and Ezemvelo asks guests to stay within their unit's surroundings after sundown, so small children need watching. Ezemvelo game drives take children from three and walks from 12 or 13. The 5-bed chalets and 6-bed cottages suit families.
Can I buy fuel and food at Mpila?
Unleaded petrol is sold from 07:00 to 18:00 when available; no diesel is listed, so fill up in Mtubatuba. The curio shop carries basics only. Ezemvelo's 2023 booking confirmation asked guests to bring their own drinking water, since the park's water is pumped from silty rivers.
How do you get to Mpila Camp?
Enter at Nyalazi Gate, 30 km from Mtubatuba, and drive 18 km to camp, or come in through Memorial Gate and drive 55 km south on the tar road via Hilltop. In February 2025 flooded river crossings cut the park in two, and Mpila could only be reached through Cengeni Gate in the west.