Popular: South Africa · Cape Town · OR Tambo · Dolphin Bay · Lesotho
A miracle of wetlands, wildlife and coastline
iSimangaliso Wetland Park: Hippos, Turtles, Whales and a World Heritage Coast: History & Culture
iSimangaliso Wetland Park is a 3,280 km² protected area on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, about 235 km north of Durban. It has 280 km of coastline and is the third-largest protected area in South Africa. Its habitats run from coral reefs and beaches to dune forest, savanna and wetlands. The name is Zulu for “a miracle” or “something wondrous”. St Lucia town is the main hub for visiting it.
The park lies in KwaZulu-Natal, and St Lucia town is the usual base. Other sections have their own gates and are reached from St Lucia or directly.
The park sections include Cape Vidal and the Eastern Shores, Charters Creek on the Western Shores, False Bay, Maphelane, Mkuze, Sodwana Bay, Coastal Forest and Kosi Bay. The park is also part of the Ponta do Ouro–Kosi Bay Transfrontier Conservation Area, which spans South Africa, Mozambique and Eswatini.
The boat cruise is the classic first outing. It lasts about 2 hours and covers about 10 km, with three departures a day. The park is home to about 800 hippos and 1,200 crocodiles, so sightings are a big part of the draw.
The Eastern Shores offer Big 5 game drives. Cape Vidal adds snorkelling. Lions were reintroduced to the park in December 2013, after 44 years without them.
Loggerhead and leatherback turtles nest on the beaches from about November to March. Hatchlings emerge in January and February.
The humpback season runs from 1 June to 30 November. One operator listing describes sightings as guaranteed from June to October.
More than 480 bird species have been recorded. Late summer, from February to April, is cited as the best time for shore and seabirds. More than half of KwaZulu-Natal’s waterbirds feed, roost and nest in the Lake St Lucia estuary.
Each of these has its own gate. Sodwana Bay is the park’s diving destination, and Kosi Bay is in the far north.
The centre is about 2 km from town. It keeps Nile, dwarf and long-snouted crocodiles.
Licensed tour operators listed by the park include Shakabarker Tours (operating since 2003), Heritage Tours and Safaris, Shonalanga Tours and Safaris, Eurozulu Tours, Dumi Legacy Tours and Shoreline Boat Safari.
The St Lucia Game Reserve, 30 km north of the town, was proclaimed in 1895. Portuguese survivors named the area “Rio dos Medos do Ouro” in 1554, and it was renamed Santa Lucia in 1575.
The park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999 and is also a Ramsar wetland. It was formerly called the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and was renamed iSimangaliso on 1 November 2007.
The lake is a nursery for 71 of the 155 fish species recorded there. The park also has more than 2,180 flowering plant species.
St Lucia town has guest houses, apartments and self-catering options. Inside the park there are state-run rest camps, Elephant Lake Hotel and Makakatana Bay Lodge, which is described as the only privately owned lodge inside the park.
In town, names that come up include Santa Lucia Guesthouse, Ingwenya Lodge, St Lucia Wilds, Flamingo Holiday Flats, St Lucia Holiday Cottage and Ndiza Lodge and Cabanas. Check current rates and unit details directly with each property.
Restaurant options in St Lucia include Reef and Dune, which serves seafood and has a terrace, and Alfredo’s, which serves Italian food and pizza. Greco, Braza and John Dory’s are also named among the town’s top places.
Photo: Ossewa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Lake St Lucia hippo and crocodile boat cruises, Cape Vidal and Eastern Shores game drives and snorkelling, turtle tours, whale watching, Sodwana Bay, Kosi Bay, Maphelane, birding
Stay in the Know
Get our new destination guides and changes to visa and border rules by email.
🍪 We use cookies to improve your experience and serve relevant ads. Cookie Policy