Slap in the Middle
There are many facets to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal, and it's far from your average wild bush game reserve.
The little town of St Lucia is slap in the middle, surrounded by plantations (fortunately being chopped down). Best of all are the forest walks at Cape Vidal, which are always accompanied by birdsong. You also don't want to miss the False Bay side of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is lush and abounds in secret hideaway places to spend an afternoon.
Largest Crocs in South Africa
St Lucia is developed just enough to retain its status as an unpretentious and typical coastal resort village. The Spar is well stocked and should definitely be one of your last stops to stock up before heading to Cape Vidal and deeper into iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
The main street boasts several restaurants and craft and curio shops, and just north of town at the entrance to Eastern Shores section of the park is the St Lucia Crocodile Centre. Here you can see some of the largest crocs in South Africa as well as an impressive collection of snakes, and maybe try to understand the Lake St Lucia system. Five metres of Nile crocodile is something to encounter with a pair of binocs from a safe distance or from a 4x4 or boat. Counting its teeth, you'll feel like a potential lunch.
Most croc farms have a 'giant croc' kept for tourists — the rest are turned into leather much earlier on. A horseback safari here will be totally different from anywhere else. Start off among rhino, buffalo and zebra and continue on to watch dolphins, and sometimes even whales, as you canter along a pristine beach that stretches for miles on end. Overnight horse safari packages are also available.
En Route to Cape Vidal
The road from St Lucia town to Cape Vidal Rest Camp traverses the heart of iSimangaliso Wetland Park — the name of which can be translated as 'the miracle place'.
And magical it is, which is exactly why it was declared this country's first World Heritage Site back in 1999. It starts at the St Lucia Crocodile Centre, which is a must-see. It then cut through grassland dotted with mdoni, or waterberry, trees, skirts the St Lucia wetlands, and finally reaches the enchanting sand forest behind which, the Camp Vidal rest camp lies, on the Maputaland coral coast.
Did You Know?
