Blue Flag Beach
Umhlanga’s beaches are a favourite holiday destination for many South Africans. The waters are safe to swim in, at a moderately warm temperatures, making it ideal for the kids to splash about all day. Visitors can stroll the long stretches (both sandy and paved) and survey the wide variety of restaurants to choose from. The beach also has Blue Flag status, meaning it is clean, safe, aesthetically pleasing, and actively involved in promoting environmental responsibility and education.
Other fun activities at Umhlanga Beach includes surfing, fishing, bodyboarding and leisurely soaking up the sun on a beach towel with a book.
Umhlanga Lighthouse
The lighthouse in Umhlanga is situated on the rocky coastline and is a distinctive Durban landmark. The lighthouse has a light range of 24 sea miles at a focal plane, as well as a height of 25 meters above high sea level. It was erected in 1954, built to replace the Bluff lighthouse. Since then it has guided ships safely to the Durban harbour. It has a revolving electric light beacon that operates off the mains supply.
The lighthouse also shines a secondary stripe of red light, which acts as a warning system to ships waiting in the outer anchorage of the Durban harbour. The light can monitor the position of the ship, and if the light shifts into the ship’s visual range, it means that the anchor has dragged and immediate assistance will be given to avoid the anchor drifting further. The lighthouse is an important beacon of safety around the tumultuous waters of the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
Indoor Waves
It's a bit of a mystery why you'd want to build, let alone play on, an indoor wave when you're in Durban, but it might have something to do with kids today wanting to hang out in shopping malls.
The wave inside Gateway Theatre of Shopping on Umhlanga Rocks is a big hit. Two small 'flow rider' waves introduce mall rats to the basic skills before they’ve allowed onto what they claim is the largest indoor stationary wave in the world - the double-point Durbanicus Rex. There is also a huge (22.5-m-high) indoor climbing wall, as well as a skate park designed by nine-times world champion skater Tony Hawk.
Lagoon Walking Trail
Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve is a small wildlife sanctuary that is home to wetland and coastal forest fauna. The reserve is only 26ha, but boasts with stunning walking and hiking trails that goes through dune forest, across the lagoon and to the beach. There are over 280 bird species in the reserve, so hikers who are birding enthusiasts are in luck.
The trail begins at the gate of the lagoon and heads down a wooden boardwalk before cutting into a wonderful section of coastal forest. Within the forest, you’ll spot wildlife such as bushbuck and duiker. You’ll then cross the second broadwalk that leads to the sandy beach, flanked by the lagoon and ocean. The walk is quite relaxing and you’ll have plenty of beautiful natural landscapes to view.