Indigenous Forest
In 1918, Sir Frank Reynolds, a prominent English sugar baron of his era, established the Umdoni Park in the town of Pennington in KwaZulu-Natal. His vision was to preserve one of the few remaining stands of lush indigenous coastal forest left untouched by the thriving sugar industry of the 19th century in South Africa.
The result is a 220 ha conservancy which tumbles its way onto the warm Indian Ocean and the rocky, unspoilt coastline of the Pennington-Sezela beachfront. Tall stands of Umdoni trees and a myriad of other indigenous vegetation give way to patches of open grassland and the infamous Mkhumbane River Gorge. This steep sided river winds its way along the entire southern border until it reaches the sea. The Umdoni Country Club, golf course and guesthouse is perched right on the shoreline.
Nature-lovers will find great trail runs and hikes at Umdoni Park. The trail network within the Umdoni Park is a historic one, dating back to the end of the 19th century. A combination of single-track, jeep track and gravel roads await you as you explore the 15 km of trail running heaven found here.
It is generally quite sandy in places due to its proximity to the beach, but rocky and harder packed trails - as well as the occasional dirt road - add to your running options. You could also pick up on the myriad of fisherman’s trails along the rocky 3.5 km shoreline.