Things to do in iSimangaliso Wetland Park
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit iSimangaliso Wetland Park
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer is hot, humid and wet, with turtle nesting roughly November to February and hatching roughly December to March.
Autumn is an underrated window, calmer and still warm, with clear reefs at Sodwana Bay and thin crowds outside Easter.
Winter is dry and easiest for travel, with game at pans and hides and whale season building from June.
Whale season runs roughly June to November for humpback whales, with boat trips sea dependent throughout.
Spring is warming and drying, with whales still present, good diving and shoulder prices before December.
Peak school holidays fill St Lucia, Cape Vidal, Sodwana Bay and Kosi lodges, and prices and gate queues peak.
What's on
- Loggerhead and Leatherback Turtle Nesting Season November to February, hatching December to March
Authorised guided night turtle tours run on northern beaches in a tide window and book out in December and January.
- Humpback Whale Migration June to November
Humpbacks pass St Lucia and Sodwana Bay to calve in warmer water, with permitted boat trips from St Lucia.
Best things to do in iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Crocodile Centre St Lucia
Nile crocodiles of every age in coastal forest, and the clearest lesson in why the estuary is never for swimming.
Shoreline Hippo and Croc Boat Cruises
A two hour estuary cruise past hippo pods, crocodiles and fish eagles, best in late afternoon light.
Igwalagwala Trail
A short shaded forest trail on the edge of town, named for its turacos and best walked before breakfast.
Catalina Bay Lookout Point
A raised lookout over Lake St Lucia on the Cape Vidal road, with hippos and waterbirds possible below.
St Lucia Main Beach
The wide ocean beach reached by boardwalk from town, for walks, sunrise and sea swimming when conditions allow.
Kosi Bay Fish Traps
Traditional Thonga fish kraals in the lake channels, seen properly on a guided boat or fish trap tour.
ShakaBarker Tours
A small St Lucia operator known for night chameleon searches and seasonal turtle and nature tours.
Charters Creek
A quiet lakeside picnic and lookout point on the Western Shores, with waterbirds and wide lake views.
Where to stay in iSimangaliso Wetland Park
St Lucia
main gateway, widest beds, restaurants and operators
The small town just outside the estuary and Eastern Shores gate, with lodges, tents, tour desks and the McKenzie Street restaurant strip.
Cape Vidal
waking inside the park at the beach
The Ezemvelo camp at the end of the Eastern Shores tar road, with log cabins and camping and no hotel tier.
Lake St Lucia, Western Shores
luxury lake lodge or quiet western grasslands
The western shore of the lake, with Makakatana Bay Lodge inside the park and the simple Charters Creek camp.
False Bay
campers, birders and sand forest trails
The north western lake shore section, with an Ezemvelo camp only and Hluhluwe village the nearest fuller services.
uMkhuze
birding, hides and Big Five bush inside iSimangaliso
The inland section west of Sodwana, based at Mantuma Camp with one pan side bush lodge.
Sodwana Bay
scuba diving and reef trips
The diving section, with a beach lodge and the Coral Divers dive camp inside the park and thin eating outside lodges.
Think twice about
- St Lucia streets on foot after dark
Hippos graze on lawns and streets throughout town at night. Drive even short distances, park close and never approach a hippo.
- Lake St Lucia, the estuary and river mouths for swimming
Nile crocodiles, hippos and sharks near the mouths, plus strong currents and no lifeguards. Swim in the sea at recognised beaches only.
- Kosi Mouth and Thonga sand tracks in a normal sedan
Deep sand roads in the northern sections need high clearance and usually 4x4, or a booked lodge transfer.
Best restaurants in iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Greco
A seafood and Mediterranean restaurant on McKenzie Street, treated locally as the best sit down dinner in town.
Reef and Dune
A busy St Lucia restaurant for wood fired pizza, seafood platters and burgers, the default family dinner.
St Lucia Ski Boat Club
A club restaurant with a deck over the estuary side of town, best for lunch or an early dinner with a view.
Alfredo's Restaurant
An Italian restaurant on the St Lucia strip, a dependable mid range change of pace from seafood grills.
Fishermans Restaurant & Pub
A plain pub style seafood restaurant and bar in St Lucia, cheaper and casual with fish and chips and prawns.
Ocean Basket
The St Lucia branch of the seafood chain, with sushi, hake and chips and platters at predictable prices.
KAUAI St Lucia
A health food cafe in St Lucia with smoothies, wraps and salads, the best cheap light lunch on the strip.
Mseni Beach Lodge
A lodge restaurant and sea view terrace in Sodwana Bay, one of few sit down eating options in the section.
Outdoor things to do in iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Cape Vidal
The park best bush and beach bay, with low tide reef snorkelling, a swimming beach and game on the drive in.
Mission Rocks
Rock pools at low tide, a picnic site and a lookout used for whale watching between St Lucia and Cape Vidal.
Bhangazi Horse Safaris
Guided rides combining Indian Ocean beach riding with game viewing on horseback in the Eastern Shores.
Heritage Tours & Safaris
The large St Lucia operator for permitted whale watching boats in season, plus game and night drives.
Coral Divers
Boat launched scuba diving on Two Mile Reef and the Sodwana reefs, with courses and multi dive packages.
Ufudu Turtle Tours
Authorised night turtle drives on Sodwana beaches in nesting and hatching season, under strict light rules.
Fig Forest Walk
A guided boardwalk walk into the Mkhuze River fig forest, in one of the best birding sites in the park.
Kosi Bay Mouth
Clear channel snorkelling where the Kosi lakes meet the sea, reached by 4x4 with a local mouth permit.
Best hotels in iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Lidiko Lodge
A four star family run lodge on McKenzie Street, the reliable mid range town base for cruises and Cape Vidal.
Lodge Afrique
Thatched suites in a tropical garden beside the estuary side of town, quieter than the restaurant strip.
Urban Glamping
Tented beds on McKenzie Street from budget tents to en suite luxury tents, the honest cheap bed in town.
Cape Vidal Camp
Ezemvelo log cabins and campsite a short walk from Cape Vidal bay, simple facilities in a prime location.
Makakatana Bay Lodge
A small luxury lodge on the western shore of Lake St Lucia, with inclusive boat safaris and game drives.
Charters Creek Camp
A simple Ezemvelo self catering camp at Charters Creek, quiet and cheap for western shores self drivers.
False Bay Park Camp
An Ezemvelo camp under big trees at False Bay, with sand forest trails and birding from camp.
Nhlonhlela Bush Lodge
An eight bed Ezemvelo bush lodge overlooking Nhlonhlela Pan, with boardwalk linked en suite units.
Is iSimangaliso Wetland Park expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ZAR 1,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ZAR 2,800 a person |
| Splurge | ZAR 7,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Shoreline Hippo and Croc Boat Cruises: a few days ahead
- Kosi Bay Fish Traps: a few days ahead
- ShakaBarker Tours: a few days ahead
- Bhangazi Horse Safaris: a few days ahead
- Heritage Tours & Safaris: a few days ahead
- Coral Divers: a few days ahead
- Ufudu Turtle Tours: weeks ahead
- Kosi Bay Mouth: a few days ahead
- Book December and January stays, turtle tours, whale boats, northern lodges and Ezemvelo camps for school holidays well ahead.
- Turtle tours run only at night around low tide in season and are permit limited, so they cannot be added last minute.
Is iSimangaliso Wetland Park safe?
- Violent crime, including robbery and car related attacks, is a countrywide risk: take care in city centres and after dark.
- Hippos roam St Lucia streets at night, crocodiles and hippos fill the lake and estuary, and malaria risk is present year round.
- Avoid rural night driving where you can, keep valuables out of sight in parked cars, and call 10111 or 112 in an emergency.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not assume one gate fee covers the whole park, as each section charges separately plus a vehicle fee and levy.
- Do not walk back to a St Lucia lodge after dinner, and do not swim in the estuary because the water looks calm.
Getting around iSimangaliso Wetland Park: public transport and more
- You need a car, and the northern sections need high clearance or 4x4 on sand, or a lodge transfer.
- Sections have separate gates and there is no road through the whole park, so plan by section and expect backtracking on tar roads.
- King Shaka International Airport in Durban is about 250 km and 2.5 to 3 hours from St Lucia by tar road.
Who iSimangaliso Wetland Park suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
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