KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa · ZA

St. Lucia

Gateway to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness

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History & Heritage

From a Portuguese Shipwreck Name to a UNESCO Wetland Wilderness

In 1554, survivors of the wrecked Portuguese ship Sao Bento named this area 'Rio dos Medos do Ouro'. On 13 December 1575, Saint Lucy's feast day, Portuguese navigator Manuel Peresterello renamed the estuary mouth 'Santa Lucia' — the origin of the town's name. St Lucia was proclaimed a township by the British in 1822, growing slowly as a small fishing settlement at the mouth of Africa's largest estuarine lake system.

St Lucia Game Reserve was proclaimed in 1895, part of the same conservation wave that created Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, and Lake St Lucia and its wetlands were listed under the Ramsar Convention in 1971.

The park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999, with Nelson Mandela attending the unveiling ceremony. On 1 November 2007 it was renamed from Greater St Lucia Wetland Park to iSimangaliso, Zulu for 'a miracle'. African lions were reintroduced in 2013 after a 44-year absence.

Today St Lucia is a small, laid-back estuary town serving as the gateway to one of South Africa's most biodiverse protected areas — combining wetlands, dune forest, savanna and 220km of coastline in a single park.

Key Historical Places

Places of Significance

Lake St Lucia Estuary

Africa's largest estuarine lake system, the ecological heart of the reserve since its 1895 proclamation, home to hippo pods and an estimated 1,200 Nile crocodiles.

Estuary UNESCO World Heritage Wildlife

↑ Best explored by boat cruise from the town jetty.

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park

Proclaimed in 1895 and described as Africa's oldest reserve; birthplace of the conservation programme that saved the southern white rhino from extinction.

Big Five Conservation History Day Trip

↑ Day-trippable from St Lucia; roughly 1,600 white rhino now live in the park.

Kosi Bay traditional fish traps

Wood-and-reed fish traps built and still used by local Thonga/Tsonga communities, roughly 700 years old.

Living Heritage Cultural

↑ Visit with a community guide to see traps still in daily use.

Cape Vidal & the Eastern Shores

A 'beach and bush' section of the park combining coastal dune forest with 4x4-accessible beach fishing grounds.

4x4 Beach Fishing

↑ Access requires a permit through iSimangaliso gates.

Timeline

1554
Portuguese Sao Bento survivors name the area Rio dos Medos do Ouro
13 Dec 1575
Manuel Peresterello renames the estuary Santa Lucia
1822
St Lucia proclaimed a township by the British
1895
St Lucia Game Reserve proclaimed
1971
Lake St Lucia listed under the Ramsar Convention
Dec 1999
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site; Nelson Mandela attends the unveiling
1 Nov 2007
Renamed from Greater St Lucia Wetland Park to iSimangaliso
2013
African lions reintroduced after a 44-year absence

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