Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
Private lodge with villas, pool and spa · Western Hluhluwe section, on Mpembeni community land · Isibindi Africa Lodges
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Mid-range
Inside the park
Community or local
The only private lodge inside Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, on the western side of the Hluhluwe section, 28.6 km from Memorial Gate with the last 10 km on gravel. It is run by Isibindi Africa Lodges, a South African family company. The lodge's own site says it stands on Mpembeni community land that the community chose to incorporate into the park, and that it is a joint venture between the National Empowerment Fund and the Mpembeni community who own the land. Rooms run from Safari Rooms and Family Rooms to Luxury and Honeymoon Bush Villas, with a pool, spa, bar and restaurant, air conditioning and wifi in the main area. The rate covers meals and two drives a day. Choose it if you want lodge comfort inside the park; because it is inside, you pay the daily park fee on top.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Inside the park, so drives start at the door
- Meals and two game drives a day included
- A free Mpembeni community walk or drive
- Children welcome, with game drives from age 6
- Pool, spa and grid power with generator backup
Cons
- Park fee and a R145 nightly levy come on top of the rate
- Last 10 km is gravel; the lodge recommends a high-clearance vehicle
- Wifi only in the main area
- Two-night minimum stay
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Family rooms
- Solar or 24h power
- Spa or massage
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
- Community visits
Read from Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge'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 Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
From $266 pppn. The lodge's own rates, read 24 September 2026, per person per night sharing: Safari Room and Family Room from R4,350 (about $266), Luxury Bush Villa from R6,190, Honeymoon Bush Villa from R7,010. Single supplement 30%, 2-night minimum. Includes all meals, two game drives a day and an Mpembeni community walk or drive. Excludes drinks, guided walks (R770, age 14 and up) and the Isibindi Foundation levy of R145 per person a night (over 13s, 1 July 2026 to 30 April 2027). Park fees are extra: the lodge quotes R330 per non-SADC adult a day for calendar 2026, R10 above Ezemvelo's own 2025/26 table (R320). Our source does not record whether VAT is included.
Full board. Meals are included; drinks, activities and park fees are not.
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 Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge
Is this lodge really inside Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park?
Yes. According to the lodge's own site it stands on Mpembeni community land that the community incorporated into the park, on the western side of the Hluhluwe section. That is why guests pay the daily park fee on top of the lodge rate.
Does the lodge take children?
Yes. Its information sheet says children are welcome and game drives take them from age 6; guided walks are for 14 and older. Family Rooms are priced from R4,350 per person sharing, the same as Safari Rooms.
What is extra on top of the lodge rate?
Drinks, guided walks (R770 a person), the Isibindi Foundation levy of R145 per person a night for over-13s, and park fees, which the lodge quotes at R330 per non-SADC adult a day for 2026. Transfers are extra too: R3,650 per person one way from King Shaka airport, R2,375 from Richards Bay.