A large part of the region that is nowadays known as the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve was preserved for hunting only by the Zulu kings. Hluhluwe has been a game reserve since 1895. Together with Umfolozi, the other main part of the park, an area of 100 000 ha is covered. The name Hluhluwe refers to monkey rope (Dalbergia armata), a plant that was used by Zulu herd boys to muzzle calves. Umfolozi is the name of the river that flows through the western part of the combined park. The area is astoundingly beautiful and hosts a large variety of plants and animals.
The Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve is the oldest conservation area in Africa and one of the largest game parks in Africa. It is located in Zululand in Kwazulu-Natal. The vegetation consists mainly of indigenous bush and the vegetation of the Zululand thorny bushveld.

Game thrives in the area where summer is warm and winter is mild. The best time to visit the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve is in winter (May to September) when the plant cover is not so dense and game tends to concentrate around water holes.

Hluhluwe has a camp of twenty huts and four cottages. There are facilities for day visitors at Maphumulo, Hilltop Camp and Gunganeni Gate. Umfolozi provides two hutted camps, Masinda and Mpila. A bush camp, Sontuli, is available on the bank of the Black Umfolozi River. A luxurious guest house is also available.

The Big Five as well as the elusive cheetah and the wild dog are hosted at Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve. The new, combined park includes a corridor that was previously owned by the state and because there was previously no development this part possibly contains the most dense concentration of animals. A large variety of predators and antelopes (such as duikers, steenbok, reedbuck, impala, kudu and wildebeest) occur in the park. The park is also home to more than 400 bird species. The bateleur eagle, ground hornbill and the white-backed vulture are worth mentioning. The park was proclaimed to protect the white rhinoceros from extinction – today there are approximately more than 1 800 white rhinos and about 350 black rhinos. Giraffe, warthog, bush pig, spotted hyena, black backed jackal, crocodile and baboon are also found in great numbers.