Cape Vidal
Magnificent Coastal Resort

Where else in the world can you see dolphins early in the morning while sipping your coffee; hippo, rhino and graceful giraffe during your game drive; a shy nyala or timid little red duiker flitting through the trees around your cabin, humpback whales breaching at sundowners during the winter months, or turtles scuttling to and from their nesting sites on balmy summer nights? Cape Vidal of course!

©Roger de la Harpe
Sightings of dolphins are a popular attraction along the coast of Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Cape Vidal (35km from the town of St Lucia in the KwaZulu-Natal province) is a magnificent coastal resort that really has the best of both worlds. It has access to the eastern shores of Lake St Lucia, where there is a variety of game including reedbuck, other antelope, hippos, crocodiles and buffalo, spectacular water, forest and grassland birds and the wonderful Indian Ocean shoreline with its startling array of marine animals.

From November to March the pristine beach of Cape Vidal, protected from the pounding surf by a reef, attracts loggerhead and leatherback turtles to lay their eggs. While from June to November the warm waters attract whales, passing by on their way from their summer polar feeding grounds in the Antarctic to the tropical and subtropical coastal waters of northern Mozambique and Madagascar, where they breed in winter.

By Jacques Marais

Beautiful Nature at Cape Vidal

Cape Vidal lies on the eastern shores of Lake St Lucia, where the flying boats were based during the war. It’s just one component of the i...more

Cape Vidal Fun

The lovely stretch of beach at Cape Vidal is great for swimming and snorkelling at low tide is excellent. The rock and surf fishing is very ...more

Cape Vidal History

Lake St Lucia, dawn, 20 August 1943, World War II. The sound of hippos grunting is drowned out by the cough of Pratt & Whitney engines. One ...more

Surf Zone at Cape Vidal

Kayakers will love playing in the waves at Cape Vidal, but there is also a quiet and protected spot that you can access with a local tour co...more

Wildlife in Cape Vidal

The birdlife at Cape Vidal is prolific, offering some of South Africa’s finest birding. The unspoiled beaches, fascinating wetlands, dense...more