St Lucia (iSimangaliso)

Gateway town to South Africa's first natural World Heritage wetland, with hippo and crocodile boat cruises, beaches and Big Five safaris in Hluhluwe.

St Lucia is a small town in northeastern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, set between the St Lucia Estuary and the Indian Ocean, and the gateway to iSimangaliso Wetland Park. In 1999 the wetland became South Africa's first natural World Heritage Site, encompassing lakes, swamps, coastal dune forest, coral reefs and grasslands. Hippos wander the town's streets to graze at night, and by day a boat cruise on the estuary brings you close to hippos and crocodiles. Beyond the northern gate lies the Eastern Shores game-viewing area, where you can drive yourself to Mission Rocks and Cape Vidal beach; west of the lake are the Western Shores. About an hour to the west, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park offers the chance to see the Big Five, and to the north you can visit uMkhuze and the diving hotspot of Sodwana Bay. The best season is April–October, when it is dry and cool with few mosquitoes, and whales can be seen from June to November; November–March is hot, humid and rainy, but you can join night tours to watch turtles nesting. Getting there: it is about a 3-hour drive from Durban's airport (N2, then R618); there is no public transport locally, so renting a car is recommended. Plan on 3–4 days. Note: watch out for hippos at night and do not swim in the estuary; this is a low-risk malaria area, so take precautions against mosquitoes.

Top sights

• iSimangaliso Wetland Park – Eastern Shores – The core game-viewing area of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa's first World Heritage Site. Enter through the town's northern gate…
• St Lucia Estuary Hippo & Croc Cruise – A boat trip on the St Lucia Estuary for close-up views of large groups of hippos and Nile crocodiles. It is the town's classic experience.
• Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park – Africa's oldest protected area, and the only public park in KwaZulu-Natal where all of the Big Five can be seen. It is famous for its white…
• Lake St Lucia – Africa’s largest estuarine lake system, home to waterbirds, hippos and crocodiles, and the heart of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
• Cape Vidal – A pristine beach at the end of the eastern shore, backed by some of the world’s tallest forested dunes, with snorkeling among tidal rock po…
• Mission Rocks – A rocky stretch of eastern shore where tide pools teem with marine life at low tide, and a nearby viewing platform looks out over Lake St L…
• St Lucia Main Beach – A broad sandy beach on the east side of the town, where you can stroll along the estuary to see hippo tracks and waterbirds, with lovely li…
• iGwalagwala Trail – A free coastal forest trail in town, named after the Violet-crested Turaco, where you can see monkeys, antelope and a variety of forest bir…
• St Lucia Crocodile Centre – A crocodile conservation and education centre next to Bhangazi Gate, where you can see Nile crocodiles and other species, with a feeding de…
• Charters Creek (Western Shores) – The western shore game area of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, with acacia grasslands and lakeside scenery, where you can often see giraffes, rh…
• Emdoneni Cheetah Project – An African wildcat rescue centre near Hluhluwe town, where guided visits offer close encounters with cheetahs, servals and caracals.
• uMkhuze Game Reserve – A game reserve in the northern section of iSimangaliso, famous for its birding hides and Nsumo Pan, with more than 420 bird species recorde…
• Sodwana Bay – The site of Africa’s southernmost coral reefs and South Africa’s famous diving destination, where Two Mile Reef offers corals, sea turtles…
• DumaZulu Cultural Village – A Zulu traditional village experience near Hluhluwe, featuring traditional dance, beehive huts and craft demonstrations.

Where to eat

• Reef and Dune Restaurant – Popular thatched-roof restaurant on McKenzie Street serving seafood, game and wood-fired pizza, where hippos often wand…
• Braza Portuguese Grill (St Lucia) – The most-reviewed Portuguese grill in town, popular for skewered meats and peri-peri prawns, with Greek food from the r…
• St Lucia Ski Boat Club Restaurant – Relaxed club restaurant beside the St Lucia estuary, with a terrace overlooking the water where hippos and crocodiles a…

Itineraries

• Kruger, Eswatini, Zululand & Drakensberg – Drive from Johannesburg to Durban, traversing the east via the Panorama Route, Eswatini, wetlands, and the Drakensberg.