Summer temperatures soar and winters are mild and, although the Mkuze Game Reserve tends to be overshadowed by the Hluhluwe and Umfolozi reserves, this area is worth a visit for the amazing variety of bird and animal life and the incredible range of plant species - over 700 - as well as the different reptile and amphibian species sheltered in the park.

Mkuze Game Reserve now forms part of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park with over 360 km² of land. It was proclaimed a protected area in 1912 and is a birdlife mecca with around 450 identified species of bird in the area. Mkuze’s landscape is one of contrasts - primarily flat, dry sandy dunes, some of which are over 2 million years old. There are also water pans, a river gorge embedded with marine fossils and a thick acacia forest. A rare giant fig tree forest lies on the banks of the Mkuze River, which curves along the northern and eastern borders of the reserve