Hlane Royal National Park
Encyclopedia
Hlane Royal National Park is a park in Swaziland
, roughly 67km northeast of Manzini. Prior to the park being public, it was a private royal hunting ground. Hlane, meaning 'wilderness', was named by King Sobhuza II. It is now held in trust for the Nation by His Majesty King Mswati III,
and is managed by Big Game Parks, a privately owned body.
It is Swaziland's largest protected area and also the largest park. The park and its adjacent dispersal areas covers 30,000 hectares of Swazi bushveld
. It is a flat lowland area, covered with ancient hardwood trees like knobthorn, leadwood
and tambuti, with some grasslands and shallow pans.
Hlane is home to lion
, elephant
and white rhino. Wildebeest
, zebra
and impala
are attracted to the waterhole
s during the dry winter months, June to September.
It has an abundant and diverse bird life, including the highest density of nesting white-backed vulture
s in Africa. Raptors include martial eagle
s, bateleur
s, and Long-crested Eagle
s, as well as several species of vultures including white-backed
, white-headed
, lappetfaced
and the occasional Cape vulture
. It has the southernmost nesting site of the marabou stork
.
A network of game-viewing roads criss-cross the park’s flat terrain. Accommodation is available in thatched huts and cottages.
The park was bisected by a highway in the 1960s under pressure from sugar estates at the park's borders. They claimed that the highway would cause no environmental damage, but now hundreds of antelope, wild boar, buffalo and other game are struck by vehicles each year.
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, roughly 67km northeast of Manzini. Prior to the park being public, it was a private royal hunting ground. Hlane, meaning 'wilderness', was named by King Sobhuza II. It is now held in trust for the Nation by His Majesty King Mswati III,
and is managed by Big Game Parks, a privately owned body.
It is Swaziland's largest protected area and also the largest park. The park and its adjacent dispersal areas covers 30,000 hectares of Swazi bushveld
Bushveld
The Bushveld is a sub-tropical woodland ecoregion of Southern Africa that encompasses most of Limpopo Province and a small part of the North West Province of South Africa, the Central and North-East Districts of Botswana and the Matabeleland South and part of th Matabeleland North provinces of...
. It is a flat lowland area, covered with ancient hardwood trees like knobthorn, leadwood
Combretum imberbe
The semi-deciduous Leadwood tree is found from KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa in the south to Tanzania in the north. It normally grows up to 20 metres tall...
and tambuti, with some grasslands and shallow pans.
Hlane is home to lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
and white rhino. Wildebeest
Wildebeest
The wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
, zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
and impala
Impala
An impala is a medium-sized African antelope. The name impala comes from the Zulu language meaning "gazelle"...
are attracted to the waterhole
Depression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...
s during the dry winter months, June to September.
It has an abundant and diverse bird life, including the highest density of nesting white-backed vulture
White-backed Vulture
The White-backed Vulture is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European Griffon Vulture, G. fulvus...
s in Africa. Raptors include martial eagle
Martial Eagle
The Martial Eagle , is a very large eagle found in open and semi-open habitats of sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of the genus Polemaetus.-Description:...
s, bateleur
Bateleur
The Bateleur is a medium-sized eagle in the bird family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as buzzards, kites and harriers...
s, and Long-crested Eagle
Long-crested Eagle
The Long-crested Eagle is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae. It is currently placed in a monotypic genus Lophaetus....
s, as well as several species of vultures including white-backed
White-backed Vulture
The White-backed Vulture is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European Griffon Vulture, G. fulvus...
, white-headed
White-headed Vulture
The White-headed Vulture is an Old World vulture endemic to Africa. It has a pink beak and a white crest, and the featherless areas on its head are pale. Its has dark brown upper parts and black tail feathers. The feathers on its lower parts and legs are white. It has a wing span of 2 m and spends...
, lappetfaced
Lappet-faced Vulture
The Lappet-faced Vulture or Nubian Vulture is a mostly African Old World vulture belonging to the bird order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Torgos. A distinct subspecies T. t. negevensis occurs in the Sinai, the Negev...
and the occasional Cape vulture
Cape Vulture
The Cape Griffon or Cape Vulture , also known as Kolbe's Vulture, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is endemic to southern Africa, and is found mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and in some parts of northern Namibia...
. It has the southernmost nesting site of the marabou stork
Marabou Stork
The Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips...
.
A network of game-viewing roads criss-cross the park’s flat terrain. Accommodation is available in thatched huts and cottages.
The park was bisected by a highway in the 1960s under pressure from sugar estates at the park's borders. They claimed that the highway would cause no environmental damage, but now hundreds of antelope, wild boar, buffalo and other game are struck by vehicles each year.