Activities in
the Surrounding Area

St Lucia

St.Lucia lies at the southernmost entrance to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage site that stretches all the way from Kozi Bay in the north to Cape St Lucia in the south on the Elephant Coast. Here you will find a myriad of accommodation options, restaurants, supermarkets and other tourist facilities within the town that make your time here pretty effortless. See more information on St Lucia activities below and further on in the information booklet.

Cape Vidal

Cape Vidal is situated north-east of St Lucia and is renowned for its sport fishing and snorkelling. Drive through the park to get to the bay where you can experience a variety of game, spectacular water, forest and grassland birds and the wonderful Indian Ocean shore line with its startling array of marine animals. Mission Rocks, a few kilometres South, provides visitors with hours of fascinating exploration in the rock pools, not to mention being a firm favourite spot for offshore fisherman.

Whale Watching

A two hour Whale watching tour on the ocean is guaranteed to be a soul-stirring experience! From approximately mid-May to mid-December the Humpback Whales migrate past the coastline on their way to breed and calf in warm Indian Ocean waters.

Hippo and Croc Tours

The best way to explore the Estuary is aboard a passenger ferry where you are guaranteed to see Hippo, Crocodiles and an abundance of bird life.

Turtle Tours

Turtle tours begin in November when Loggerhead and Leatherback Turtles come ashore on the golden beaches in the St Lucia Turtle Sanctuary, to lay their eggs. At certain stages during the nesting process, turtles can be approached, viewed and photographed without causing disturbance to the turtles.

Mkuze Game Reserve

The small village of Mkuze is situated on the banks of the Mkhuze River, close to the historical Ghost Mountain with its recognisable peaks of Gaza and Tshaneni on the Lebombo mountain range. Its reputation of being haunted is drawn from a history of graves and wars on its slopes. The Ndwandwe clan were banished into Mozambique in 1819 by King Shaka and their ancestral burial graves remain in caves along the river. Mkuze today is a small trading town in the heart of Zululand and the Elephant Coast. The Mkhuze river forms the northern and eastern border of the uMkhuze Game Reserve, part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. uMkhuze is a 40 000 h, Big 5 reserve renowned for its diversity of ecosystems including a rare sand forest as well as a mecca for bird lovers with more than recorded 420 bird species. The Fig Forest walk is a definite must!

Gate Time:
Nov – Feb: 05h00 – 19h00
Mar – Oct: 06h00 – 18h00

Sodwana Bay (± 80km)

Discover Sodwana Bay’s rich natural biodiversity and activities such as scuba diving, fishing, turtle tours, ocean tours, kite surfing and much more. While on land, go quad biking or on nature walks. It is a prime location for bird watching and several game reserves offer safaris where the big five can be spotted.

See the list of diving companies and activities at the end of this information booklet. From December to March turtles come onto the beaches to lay their eggs in carefully prepared nests. Don’t forget to take the time to off-road and experience the wild coastline of Lake Sibaya.

Kosi Bay ( ± 2hrs)

Kosi Bay is a rich network of lakes that consist of four lakes (Makhawulani, Mpungwini, KuNhlange and Amanzamnyama) and a series of inter-connecting channels which drain via a sandy estuary into the Indian Ocean. The lake system is part of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and is home to a large variety of birds including a number of rare species, animals such as hippos and crocodiles and a great variety of fish and other aquatic fauna. Kosi Bay Mouth is one of its kind where the traditional Thonga Fish Kraals are found.

These kraals are passed from generation to generation and are a source of income to many families in the area. A 4×4 vehicle is required to access Kosi Mouth and the Indian Ocean beaches.

Ndumo Game Reserve

The area of Ndumo is characterised by beautiful pans, extensive wetlands, yellow fever trees and reed beds, acacia savannah and sand forest and is nestled between two of South Africa’s most beautiful game reserves. Tembe Elephant Park and Nduma Game Reserve. Nduma Game Reserve is known for its diversity of spectacular birdlife and the highest bird count in South Africa, some 430 species. The diverse and varied habitat plays host to an impressive range of birdlife.

Gate Time:
Nov – Feb: 05h00 – 19h00
Mar – Oct: 06h00 – 18h00

Tembe Elephant Park

There is a place in Africa where the wild elephants still roam. The legendary Ivory Route where the great tuskers still tramp their ancient pathways through dense sand-forest and tall yellow grass. This is Tembe Elephant Park, a 300 square kilometre reserve between Zululand and Mozambique, home to Africa’s largest elephants as well as the smallest antelope, the Suni. The Big Five also find their home here – lion, leopard, black and white rhino and buffalo, as well as more than 340 bird species and a myriad of other animals and plants. A 4×4 vehicle is suggested for this park.

Gate Time:
Nov – Feb: 05h00 – 19h00
Mar – Oct: 06h00 – 18h00

Lake Jozini

Jozini, a small town in North Eastern Kwazulu-Natal on the main route to Mozambique, is synonymous with the dam of the same name – the Jozini or Pongolapoort Dam. This huge dam, on the Pongola River, provides a rather dramatic doorway into Maputaland and the river supports a massive population of fish, hippos and crocodiles. The Jozini Dam lies in between the majestic Ubombo and Lebombo mountains on the Elephant Coast and covers over 16000 ha. Lake Jozini, has become very popular as a Tiger fishing destination and because the dam borders with the Pongola Nature Reserve and Game Reserve, you can view wildlife from your boat and glow-flies light up the early evening shoreline, transforming the water into an array of fairy lights.