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

A walk on the wild side

iSimangaliso Wetland Park is situated on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa about 275 kilometres north of Durban. It is South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km of coastline, from the Mozambican border in the north to Mapelane south of the St Lucia estuary, and made up of around 3,280 km² of pristine natural ecosystems. The park was previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, but was renamed effective from 1 November 2007. The word 'isimangaliso' is Zulu for 'a marvel'.

The 10 jewels of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Kosi Bay – Kosi Bay comprises four lakes linked by a network of channels. The Kosi estuary offers extraordinary snorkeling opportunities and is one of the world’s top fly-fishing destinations. Traditional fishing practices dating back 700 years are still passed down from one generation to the next. This is the only place where all South Africa’s mangrove species and the only stand of naturally occurring Raphia palms occur.

Coastal Forest – Accessible only by off-road vehicles, this section of the Park includes the pristine beaches of Mabibi, Island Rock, Rocktail Bay and Black Rock. Snorkeling and scuba diving are popular activities. Large Strelitzias and beautiful dune vistas are a feature of this section of the Park.

Lake Sibaya – Sibaya is South Africa’s largest fresh-water lake. Tucked against forested coastal dunes, its crystal clear waters are home to KwaZulu-Natal’s second largest population of hippo and crocodiles.

Sodwana Bay – Sodwana Bay is rated as one of the top ten dive destinations in the world. The coral reefs contain over 1200 species of fish as well as a variety of underwater seascapes and marine flora and fauna. The Coelacanth was discovered in the deep Jesser Canyon offshore from Sodwana Bay in 2000.

uMkhuze – More than 420 species of birds can be found in this 38 500-hectare bird-lovers’ paradise! Leopard, black and white rhino, elephant, giraffe, wild dog, cheetah, hyena and various antelope are also to be seen. A guided walk through the Sycamore Fig Forest and a visit to the Nsumo Pan are favorite activities for visitors to uMkhuze.

False Bay – This area includes sand forest, thornveld and open savannah. Popular activities here include boating and fishing. Enjoy the view of Lake St Lucia at its widest point. Marine fossils – animal and plant – can be viewed in the local interpretive centre.

Western Shores and Charters Creek – See elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard, as well as giraffe, tsessebe and other antelope species – or sit back and enjoy panoramic views of Lake St Lucia and the Eastern Shore dunes.

Lake St Lucia – Lake St Lucia is Africa’s largest estuarine system. It is 80 km long and 23 km wide at its widest point. Home to over 800 hippos and 1200 crocodiles, this dynamic system hosts large flocks of pelicans, flamingos, ducks, waders and a variety of fish and other aquatic species.

Eastern Shores and Cape Vidal – The Eastern Shores is the ideal beach and safari destination. A number of game viewing roads offer intimate access to varied habitats including dunes, grassland, lakes, pans and coastal dune forest. Lookout points provide panoramic vistas over a landscape shaped by human residence in Iron Age times and by the Bhangazi people. Popular beach destinations are found at Cape Vidal and Mission Rocks.

Maphelane – Maphelane is a popular base for fishermen and nature lovers. There are two self-guided trails: one tracks the edge of the estuary while the other ascends the dunes to offer spectacular views of the ocean and river mouth. The Maphelane dune, at 183m, is iSimangaliso’s highest vegetated dune.

Fast Facts on the iSimangaliso Wetland Park
- Lake St Lucia is Africa’s largest estuary
- The greatest congregation of hippo and crocodiles in South Africa
- The last significant breeding ground for the giant leatherback and loggerhead turtles
- 8 interlinking ecosystems
- 3 major lake systems
- 350 kms of water surface
- 220 kms of coastline and beaches
- 190 kms of marine reserve
- 100 species of coral
- 25 000 year old coastal dunes
- 700 years of traditional fish traps
- 36 snake species
- 80 dragonfly species
- 110 butterfly species
- 526 bird species