Cheetah on display

The sleek, long-legged Cheetah is built for speed, and may top more than 70 km per hour if necessary. Normally the Cheetah hunt medium-sized mammals – often Impalas, but if two or more Cheetah hunt together larger prey can be overpowered. Their habitat is open savannah and light woodland, and that is what you get on your way back from Cape Vidal driving the Grassland Loop heading south or in the northern parts of Imfolozi Game Reserve.

Cheetah

In December 2010 we spotted a cheetah lying on the road while driving around in Imfolozi. A beautiful and memorable meeting that lasted more than 5 minutes, before it took off along the road.

Even though we have visited iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Imfolozi and Hluhluwe Game Reserves many times we are still coming back. Being able to do game drives on our own in our own car makes it intimate and private. We love it, and we will continue to come here as often as possible!

Focus on iSimangaliso Wetland Park

St Lucia and iSimangaliso Wetland Park has been in focus in a number of travel magazines lately. GETAWAY is listing 8 fantastic beach and bush destinations – and fronting Cape Vidal. The magazine go! is focusing on the whole iSimangaliso in a new series, starting within the December 2010 issue.

iSimangaliso has a lot to offer, regardless the size of the wallet or number of days to spend in the World Heritage. Where else in the World do you find 332.000 hectares of wilderness with probably the highest concentration of species, besides 4 of the big 5, hosting African wild dog and cheetah just around the corner? Welcome to St Lucia and the wonder of iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal!

Leopard track nearby Mission Rocks

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Big 7 around the corner

South Africa being the only country that hosts both the widely known big 5 (Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, Lion and Buffalo) plus the top up with Southern Right Whale and Great White Shark.

For the very first time we completed a Big 7 encounter during one single visit to South Africa. We started off doing the Garden Route from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth with a short stop in Gansbaai to tryout Whale watching, but we ended up having a close encounter with a great White Shark too! Exciting is an understatement!

Breakfast at Maphane Hide in Imfolozi Game Reserve

The lucky game drives in Imfolozi gave us the opportunity to get in close contact with large Buffalo herds, Lions and Elephants just an arm’s length from the car. Back in St Lucia and driving around in iSimangaliso we came close to Rhinos and Leopards. Impressive animals all 7 of them, but nothing can outdo a Leopard spotting at a close range before breakfast…

Funny signs from all over

The largest Swedish newspaper posted an article about funny road signs and signs from all over the world, but with an emphasis on the Swedish ones. Regardless of that, St. Lucia and the “famous” sign inside the Croc Centre just outside St. Lucia stands out. Actually we saw it already a couple of years ago, and it still qualifies among the best!

Nice evening walk down to the Estuary

Enjoy the beautiful sunset by the St Lucia Estuary. Go beyond the pool area, and follow the concrete path down to the water, passing by the banana trees, onward to the small jetty/deck. Find your viewing spot and relax. Hippos are walking by and if you are lucky you will see the crocs at a close range.

Update: The veranda is now in order

New furniture in the lounge area

Bathroom

Nice fitted bathroom with a large shower area.

Kitchen

A large fully fitted kitchen.
Missing something? The braai is on the veranda…

Bedrooms

In the Master bedroom you'll find a double bed, built-in-cupboards and a vanity table. In the smaller bedroom there are two single beds (can be arranged as a double bed on request) and built-in-cupboards with a vanity table. The Townhouse is situated in a nice and quite complex. You will have a good night sleep!

Veranda and surroundings

Whenever the sun is shining – the private garden is a place in the sun. The ‘African roof’ will give you the shade you need during the hottest hours of the day. The outside area is overlooking the largest pool in St Lucia village. On the other side of the pool there is a small path down to the Estuary. On the small bridge you can fish if you have a local permit.

Lounge area

Enjoy a very large lounge area with lots of nice hand-made curios and carvings. The dining table by the window is facing the outside area, and the two sofas are facing the 42" LCD TV. On request a DVD-player can be arranged for a small deposition.

Big 5 to become Big 7

South Africa's so-called Big Five will soon become the Big Seven, when the whale and the shark are officially added to this tourist attraction, SABC news reported on the 23 of June.

For us that is great news! We are now able to see all of them within 40 min from the Townhouse.

South African Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said the department had decided to add the two ocean predators to the current Big Five, which are the lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo.

We keep our fingers crossed for the Great White Shark and the Hump Back Whale! Read more on the News24 website.

A warm welcome to St Lucia, South Africa - the Home of the Big Seven!

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