A place of great beauty and high contrasts, Mkhuze is renowned for its' astonishing diversity of natural habitats, from the eastern slopes of the Ubombo mountains along its eastern boundary, to broad stretches of acacia savannah, swamps, a variety of woodlands and riverine forests as well as a rare type of sand forest. The Mkhuze River, with a beautiful stretch of fig forest along its banks, curves along the Reserve's northern and eastern borders. The Mkhuze Game Reserve constitutes the north western spur of the recently declared World Heritage Site: the Isimangaliso Wetland Park.
The Reserve offers an abundance of wildlife including Endangered species such as Black Rhino,
Cheetah,
African Wild Dog and Suni. Other animals to be found in the Reserve include White Rhino,
Elephant,
Buffalo, Giraffe, Leopard, Nyala, Blue Wildebeest,
Hyaena, Warthog,
Zebra, Kudu and other smaller antelope. Mkhuze is also famous for its rich birdlife and attracts ornithologists from all over the world. Two beautiful pans, Nhlonhlela and Nsumo, which lie in the north and east respectively, support large communities of
Hippos, Crocodiles, Pinkbacked and White Pelicans, as well as a diversity of storks, ducks, geese and other water
birds which gather in spring. Nsumo Pan is host to one of only two major Pinkbacked Pelican breeding colonies in southern Africa.
