There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the province of KwaZulu Natal. And on this celebratory twenty years of SafariKZN road trip we visited both. After spending some time in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Mountain Range it was time to move onto the Elephant Coast and St Lucia. This small coastal town is the gateway to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and iSimangaliso in the Zulu language means Miracle. In 1999 the park was listed by UNESCO due to it’s exceptional scenic beauty, ecological biodiversity and unique natural habitats. I have visited the park several times over the years but had not stayed in St Lucia for over a decade. It was time to return and explore this land of miracles.
I had in my mind a pre-determined list of things to do but on arrival I developed the mind set of when arriving at a near empty car park and not being able to decide where to park. I took advise from Lidiko lodge, where I was staying. then took a walk into town where I took more advice. You cannot make plans based on the weather, but I wanted some local knowledge on this, plus distances for walking, driving and timings in general. I should point out that huge storms had hit areas north of us, causing major flooding, and there was a chance of more tropical storms and downpours to come.
I formatted a decisive plan in my head, walked back to my accommodation, jumped into the car and headed for the Bhangazi Gate which would lead me into the Eastern Shores section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The first miracle happened at the gate as the young man who took my UK driving licence details and payment complimented me on my excellent Zulu, which is extremely limited and does not run beyond a few pleasantries.
With map in hand, I began to follow the tar road, which at times was covered in elephant dung and swarming with dung beetles, to Cape Vidal. I am an enthusiastic bird watcher and here can be found over five hundred species which includes residents and migratory birds. I lost count of the number of times I pulled over and with naked eye and binoculars checked out a variety of birds. These included a martial eagle, brown bellied snake eagle, thick knees, bee-eaters including European, various kingfishers, African Jacana, swallows, European rollers and lilac-breasted rollers. I could not help but think, when I came across small flocks of native bee-eaters and visiting swallows sitting on the road together, if they could converse with each other? I took a short diversion enroute to Mission Rocks, a recent hot spot for leopard and elephant sightings, and nervously walked down to the ocean. When alone I am always extremely cautious exiting the car. With no wildlife on the scene, I headed back to the car and onward to Cape Vidal. By now it was late afternoon and only a few visitors were left on the dune lined beach. There were though, plenty vervet and samango monkeys and a few bushbuck antelope wandering around. I walked for a while on the warm sand and let the Indian Ocean flow over my feet. Making my way back up the tar road, passing kudu and waterbuck, I took in the views from eMfabeni looking across the wetlands as the sun began to set. A huge hippo out of water grazing by the side of the road was a fitting last sighting of the day, as the area is home to the largest population of hippos in South Africa.
The following day I took an estuary cruise with Advantage Tours & Charters. Here there was no shortage of hippos and during our time on the water we came across several pods. I love the grunts that hippos emanate, for me, it’s the theme tune of the wetlands. The area is also well known for its population of Nile Crocodiles. We had one big boy, just under four meters in length, cruise along side us. Again, birdlife is plentiful and the reed beds adjacent to the estuary were teaming with weaver birds busily constructing new nests.
Following my cruise I decided to explore on foot. I walked through sub-tropical forest before taking the wooden estuary boardwalk to the beach. I wandered between the dunes and piles of driftwood down to the ocean. The recent storms had washed ashore huge amounts of driftwood. I walked then sat and took in the scenes up and down the vast beach. There is a lot to be said for taking in some vitamin sea of this very special coastline and only an incoming storm forced me to make my way back to town.
Staying at Lidiko Lodge was perfect for me. It was on the main street, McKenzi Street, and a very short walk into town for restaurants and shops. The first thing that struck me on arrival, along with a very warm welcome, was the immaculate gardens. The incredibly well-kept tropical gardens were a small piece of paradise. My room opened onto the rear gardens that surrounded the pool. The room itself was of a generous size with a high ceiling. My bed was large and most importantly extremely comfortable. There were comfortable chairs, table, coffee station and air conditioning. The en-suite bathroom was also a good size with bathtub and separate shower. Breakfast was taken on the front veranda looking onto the stunning tropical front gardens. The food was excellent, a hot & cold buffet, and I started each day with local tropical fruit including some of the sweetest pineapple I have eaten. I love a full English when on a road trip, it’s a real treat of travel, and here it came with a few local specialities. The fired bananas and eggy bread were perfect accompaniment to the various sausages and smoked bacon.
I ate in the evenings in town, and it was all about fish. I asked as I always do what was the local catch of the day. It was always dorado, but I did vary the way it was cooked, grilled and deep fried. The grilled option at John Dory’s was the best of the week and I was impressed by their board showing the greenest and best choices when it comes to choosing what fish to eat. (That plan in my head that I took with me to St Lucia o contained the hope of a special sighting) And here at John Dory’s it happened. My waitress hurried to my table to tell me they were coming. I took my place on the restaurant deck with other dinners and looked down into the street with excitement and anticipation. And then it happened, first one followed by two more hippos casually strolled up the road. What a great moment and something I had hoped to witness to turn, what I thought may be a myth, into reality. Not a miracle but an awesome sight to see.
I was sad to be leaving St Lucia, but my trip was not quite finished. After my last big breakfast at Lidiko Lodge, I headed out of town to the Dukukduku Gate, the entrance into the Western Shores of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. I took a leisurely drive through stunning low-level scenery of grasslands, date palms, thorn trees and water. There was a huge amount of giraffe, herds of zebra, wildebeest and buffalo. But of course, it was the pools of water, some covered in purple flowering Lilies, where it was only fitting that my last farewell should be grunted by pods of hippos.
