My daughter and I were driving on a tarred road from the northern KwaZulu-Natal town of Hluhluwe to the memorial gate of the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. The last time I did this trip was in 1975 with my parents and then this was a gravel road. I had come full circle as I was now bringing my daughter back to this ancient conservation area. I was very excited, but also a little apprehensive. My memories of the game reserve are of a group of rhinos lying on a misty mountain top and I was so excited to hopefully show my daughter the same scene. My apprehension was due to the fact that for the first time I was travelling with a tour operator (recommended to me by a friend), as well as all the sad stories one hears about rhino poaching.
At the park entrance we met our guide, Frank Carlisle, coowner and founder of Bhejane 4x4 Adventures. We learned that Bhejane is the Zulu word for black rhino and that before starting the tourism business, Frank spent many years as a game ranger and conservation manager in this very same park.
