Month by month
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi in May
May is the start of the dry season in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, and for many visitors the best all-round month: dry, mild, and quieter than the winter school holidays that follow.
If you only want the answer
About 26 mm of rain, days of 24.7°C and nights of 14.5°C. The bush starts to thin, game is easier to see, and the camps are calmer than in late June and July. Choose May if you want dry-season viewing without the holiday crowds.
May weather
The normals give about 26 mm of rain over just 4 wet days, a sharp drop from April, with days of 24.7°C and nights of 14.5°C. Gates open 06:00 to 18:00. Mornings are cool enough for a jacket on an open game drive.
Why May works for game viewing
With the rains over, the grass begins to die back and the bush thins, which makes animals easier to see from the road through the dry months. Elephant, buffalo, giraffe and nyala are the species you can count on; lion and wild dog are a chance in any month. The wilderness trails run through the dry season, from R3,350 per person under the 2025/26 tariff.
Booking in May
May falls between the Easter holidays and the South African winter school holidays, so Hilltop and Mpila are usually easier to book than in July. Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge's air shuttle from Durban's Virginia Airport or Richards Bay costs R7,800 per person one way from 1 May to 30 June 2026, rising to R8,600 from 1 July.