St Lucia scenery and activities

We spent two nights in the remarkable wetland region of St Lucia, one of South Africa’s great natural treasures and a place I had wanted to visit for many years. Renowned for its huge hippo population, rich birdlife, estuary and coastal wilderness, it more than lived up to expectations. For us, it was a wonderful mix of wildlife, beautiful scenery, and the relaxed atmosphere of a small town built around one of Africa’s most extraordinary natural environments.

Map of places visited

St Lucia estuary boardwalk and beach
 

The first thing we did was head to the estuary boardwalk for a walk through the wetlands.The highlight was seeing an African fish eagle soaring overhead — always such a magnificent and unmistakable sight. Afterwards, we drove to the nearby beach for a swim, enjoying the warm Indian Ocean and the relaxed coastal atmosphere.

Boat trip

In the afternoon, we went on a sunset boat trip on the estuary. Choosing a smaller, more intimate boat turned out to be a fantastic decision and made the whole experience feel far more personal and relaxed. It ended up being one of the highlights of the trip. We saw hippos, crocodiles, monitor lizards and kingfishers at close range, while our guide, Heynie, was both highly knowledgeable and wonderfully entertaining throughout. The standout moment was an incredible close-up sighting of an African finfoot — a bird that is usually extremely secretive and difficult to see.

As the trip drew to a close, the estuary was bathed in the most beautiful golden light. Watching a sublime African sunset with hippos silhouetted in the foreground was one of those unforgettable moments that perfectly captured the magic of St Lucia.

Cape Vidal beach

During our full day in St Lucia, we drove through the beautiful iSimangaliso Wetland Park to Cape Vidal. There was a run taking place through the park that day, so we left a little later than planned and had great fun shouting encouragement to some of the tail-end runners from the car as we drove along. The drive itself was wonderful, passing through lush coastal bush and wetland scenery with plenty of wildlife along the way. At Cape Vidal, we had a lovely swim in the warm, clear water and spent time soaking up the spectacular coastal setting.

iSimangaliso Wetland Park

iSimangaliso Wetland Park is an enormous protected coastal wilderness area made up of wetlands, estuaries, lakes, coastal forest and beaches. As we drove through the park, we took a number of detours to explore different sections, stopping often to admire the expansive views across the pans and estuaries. The scenery was remarkably beautiful, with wide open wetlands, calm water, reed beds and coastal vegetation stretching in every direction. It was easy to see why the area is regarded as one of South Africa’s great natural treasures.

Mission Rocks

On the way back, we stopped at Mission Rocks, a beautiful stretch of rugged coastline within iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The combination of rocky shoreline, rolling surf and unspoilt coastal scenery made it a wonderful place to pause and take in the wild beauty of the area before heading back to St Lucia.

Mkuzi scenery, hides and camp life

One of the things that stood out at Mkuze was just how beautiful the scenery was, even when there weren’t many animals around. The hides were excellent, especially the one overlooking Nsumo Pan. The water was so still at times that it perfectly reflected the clouds and trees around it, creating an almost double landscape. Sitting there quietly, watching the changing light and reflections, was one of the highlights of the trip.

Kumasinga Hide was particularly memorable at sunset. The cloudy sky and scattered trees created an incredible scene as the light faded across the pan. The combination of the water, the silhouettes of the trees, and the changing colours in the sky made it a place you could easily sit at for hours. Mkuze has a calm, understated beauty that really stays with you.

Map of Mkuzi

Kumasinga hide

The incredible reflections at the Insumo Pan

Stunning trees

The trees in Mkuze were one of the most striking parts of the park. Huge fever trees, acacias, fig trees and dense riverine forest gave the reserve a very different feel to many other game parks. Against the cloudy skies they often looked dramatic and sculptural, especially in the late afternoon light. Even while driving between sightings, the landscape itself constantly drew your attention, with beautiful tree-lined roads, open pans framed by scattered trees, and thick green bush creating a strong sense of wilderness.

The full moon

Driving

Mantuma camp

Mantuma camp was unfortunately quite run down and there was no shop facility. Thankfully we had done a big shop on the way so we ended up having plenty of food. Our accomodation was not perfect but it was considerably more comfortable than camping which I did last time I was here in 1989.  There was no coffee plunger but Antony and I improvised with the use of a sieve and were much relieved that it worked quite well!

Monkey Oranges

In our accomodation