Tag Archives: picnic spots

Rietvlei on a winter’s day

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Just some photographs from a serene Sunday spent in our local Rietvlei Nature Reserve yesterday.

Sunrise over Marais Dam in Rietvlei Nature Reserve

African Stonechat male

Massive White Rhino bull

Long-tailed Widowbird male in transitional plumage

African Black Duck in flight

Yellow Mongoose on a trot

Cape Glossy Starling

Arrow-marked Babbler

Blacksmith Lapwing

Fiscal Flycatcher

Male ostrich

Buffaloes on the move

Portrait of a buffalo cow.

Plains Zebra

Blesbok in a hurry

Resting buffaloes

Thirsty buffalo calf

Helmeted Guineafowl

Eland youngsters

Male ostrich eyeing us from above

Winter scenery at Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Cape Longclaw

Common Moorhen

This buffalo bull watched us walking nervously between our vehicle and the Island View hide

Red Hartebeest

Capped Wheatear

Black Wildebeest trio

Mapungubwe National Park

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The treasure we know today as the Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site has a troubled recent history. In 1918 already the corner of our country where the borders of South Africa, Botswana (then the British protectorate of Bechuanaland) and Zimbabwe (then still the British colony of South Rhodesia) met was set aside as a botanical reserve due to the area’s unique plant communities. It soon became known as the Dongola Botanical Reserve. In March 1947, with its size much reduced to placate the local farming community, the South African government proclaimed the Dongola Game Reserve at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo Rivers. A change in government the following year however resulted in the fledgling conservation area being deproclaimed in its entirety almost immediately. A tiny portion of it, surrounding the Mapungubwe Hill, became a provincial nature reserve, Vhembe, in 1967. Then, in 1995, with South Africa now a multiracial democracy and Botswana and Zimbabwe independent countries in their own right, and after many years of a strict military presence on the border, this arid corner of our country was once again afforded the highest level of protection as the Vhembe-Dongola National Park. In September 2004, the park was opened to visitors and renamed the Mapungubwe National Park, in recognition of the fact that this area and its rich cultural heritage centred on Mapungubwe Hill was inscribed as a World Heritage Site the year before.

Misty morning along the Limpopo River

Interesting rock formation in Mapungubwe

Mapungubwe scenery

High hills towering over fertile plains

A herd of wildebeest in the foreground appears tiny in Mapungubwe’s vastness

Mapungubwe’s human history dates back to hundreds of years before the colonial period however and is extremely fascinating. Visits to the interpretive centre near the gate and the archeological site on Mapunguwe Hill are not to be missed. Read more about it here.

Mapungubwe’s interpretative centre has a model of the famous golden rhino

Mapungubwe Hill seen from the northwest

Today, Mapungubwe covers 28,000 hectares and consists of two distinct parts, with private farming land isolating the two sections. Both sections adjoin the Limpopo River; the eastern portion is rugged and hilly – with beautiful baobab trees – while the western section is flat and dominated by a very different community of plants. Mapungubwe’s an arid place, with average annual rainfall below 400mm and summer temperatures that easily soar above 40°C.

Impala Lily (photo by Joubert)

Euphorbia

Eland silhouette in Mapungubwe National Park

Mapungubwe Baobabs

Baobabs dotting the Mapungubwe landscape

Iconic Mapungubwe: baobabs, elephants and rocky outcrops

Poacher’s Corner is an especially beautiful stretch of road through the riverine forest on the southern bank of the Limpopo.

Tree-lined banks of the Limpopo River at Poacher’s Corner

A rainy day at Poacher’s Corner

Cliffs on the Zimbabwe side of the border loom over the Limpopo River

Poacher’s Corner, on the Limpopo River

Near Poacher’s Corner is Zebra Pan, itself a delightful place to park your vehicle and gawk at the constant stream of wildlife

Zebra Pan near Poacher’s Corner

The Maloutswa Pan and Hide in the west of the Park is yet another great spot to spend a few peaceful hours waiting for the birds and animals to come quench their thirst within easy reach of your lens.

The Hide at Maloutswa Pan

Maloutswa Pan

Wildebeest and impala nervously approaching Maloutswa Pan

Set atop a hill several lookout decks have been constructed from which to view the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo Rivers where the borders of the three countries meet. Near the car park there are also a few picnic tables and braai (barbeque) stands which are very popular with visitors to Mapungubwe.

Meeting place for three countries: The confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers

Limpopo River at sunrise

A deck with a view over the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers

The Picnic Area at the Confluence Viewpoint

The Treetop Walk on the bank of the Limpopo River is another place visitors to Mapungubwe National Park should not miss.

Elephants at the Treetop Walk

Mapungubwe’s Treetop Walk on the bank of the Limpopo River

Mapunbuwe is home to a rich variety of wildlife, with records indicating a tally of 34 fish species, as many as 36 kinds of frogs, up to 75 species of reptiles, 460+ species of birds and 94 species of mammals, including the famed “Big 5“.

Kudus, wildebeest and zebras mingling in Mapungubwe National Park

Nile Monitor (photo by Joubert)

Southern African Tree Squirrel

Plains Zebras in Mapungubwe National Park (photo by Joubert)

Large-spotted Genet (photo by Joubert)

Fully grown elephant bull (photo by Joubert)

Mating pair of Lions

Pel’s Fishing Owl (photo by Joubert)

Lilac-breasted Roller (photo by Joubert)

Meves’s Starling

Yellow-spotted and Cape Rock Hyrax sharing the sun in Mapungubwe

Mocking Cliff Chat

Gemsbok

Crested Barbet (photo by Joubert)

Lappet-faced Vulture (photo by Joubert)

White-fronted Bee-eater (photo by Joubert)

Steenbok ewe

Blue Wildebeest in Mapungubwe National Park

Warthog in Mapungubwe National Park

Kudu Bull

Rough-scaled Plated Lizard (photo by Joubert)

Newly born Giraffe calf with its mother

Eland bull in Mapungubwe National Park

Banded Mongoose

Baboons in Mapungubwe National Park (photo by Joubert)

Black Crake

Kudu Bull

Impala (photo by Joubert)

The South African National Parks provides an assortment of self-catering accommodation options in Mapunguwe National Park, ranging from camping sites at Mazhou in the riverine forest along the Limpopo River to the top-of-the-range Tshugulu Lodge. Guided drives and walks, including visits to the Mapungubwe archeological site, can be booked at reception, while there are several gravel roads available for exploration in your own vehicle (even more if you have a 4×4). Simple meals and firewood is available from the interpretive centre, but the nearest available fuel, and other services, to the Park is in the towns of Alldays or Musina, both about 70km from the gate.

Cottage #18 in Leokwe Rest Camp, Mapungubwe National Park, June 2022

View from Cottage #18 in Leokwe Rest Camp

Leokwe’s swimming pool

Leokwe Rest Camp

Limpopo Forest Tented Camp

Mazhou Camping Area

Vhembe Wilderness Camp

Tshugulu Lodge

Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site lies right at South Africa’s northernmost corner, roughly 470km north of our capital Pretoria.

Location of Mapungubwe National Park (Google Maps)

iSimangaliso Wetland Park: uMKhuze Game Reserve

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On the 15th of February 1912 the Mkuzi Game Reserve was proclaimed in the north of the Natal Province. At that stage the reserve covered 251km², with its northern and eastern border being the river of the same name. In the west the reserve straddles the Lebombo Mountain and in the south it reached to the Umsunduzi River and Nsumo Pan. Before its proclamation the area was popular among hunters, especially in winter when the dangers of malaria and tsetse flies were diminished, and as a result several animal species, including white rhino, buffalo and eland, were wiped from the area. With a large and impoverished human population living around it, after the reserve was established it faced, and still does, a never ending war with both commercial and subsistence poaching.

In the early years there was lots of hostility to the reserve’s existence, with neighbouring farmers seeing it as a breeding ground for the cattle disease nagana (of which the tsetse fly is a vector from game, which is immune against it). As a result, the reserve was deproclaimed in 1939 and control of the land transferred to the government veterinary department. Subsequently more than 38,000 wild animals were killed, with only black rhinos spared, after which an extensive aerial spraying campaign with poisonous insecticides followed. The war to control the tsetse fly was won at great financial and environmental cost. The reserve was re-proclaimed, under the auspices of the Natal Parks Board (now Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife), in 1954.

Shortly after, the reserve faced a new existential threat when the Mkuze River and the pans it feeds at Nhlonhlela and Nsumo dried up due to dams and extraction for irrigation upstream. With no surface water available for the animals the reserve staff had to sink deep boreholes in the bed of the river to pump water to two waterholes deeper in the reserve to prevent animals moving out. One of these waterholes, Kumasinga, is still a major attraction for both game and human visitors.

Entrance to the walkway at the parking area for Kumasinga Hide

Looking out from Kumasinga Hide

uMkhuze’s Kumasinga Hide

Nyala bull

uMkhuze 20122014

Impala ewe

Warthog family

New to the waterhole

Zebra reflections

Zebr and wildebeest sharing the waterhole

I took this photo of the outside of the hide a bit later in the day

In 1972 the Nxwala State Lands, on Mkuzi’s then south-eastern boundary, was incorporated into the reserve, increasing its size by a further 58km². The reserve boundary was later moved further south to beyond the Umsunduzi River to bring it to its current size. Today the reserve covers 400km² and uses the more correct traditional spelling of uMkhuze for its name. It forms an integral part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Have a read here for more about the history of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Map of uMkhuze Game Reserve (https://isimangaliso.com/)

uMkhuze is rich in scenery and biodiversity. Records indicate that the reserve is home to more than 700 indigenous plant species, 90 mammal species, 450 bird species, 64 kinds of reptile (perhaps as many as 85), 43 kinds of frogs and 32 fish species. The extensive Nsumo Pan, its shores lined by magnificent fever trees, is a watery haven for a myriad water-dependent birds and a magnet for other kinds of wildlife. Majestic riverine forest trees like the sycomore fig trace the course of the Mkuze River. Sand forest is a unique and endangered plant community in South Africa of which a tiny portion is protected in uMkhuze and the open plains of the reserve are covered by savannas and grasslands with a fascinating mix of plant species. Above this all tower the 600m high peaks of the Lebombos.

Nsumo Pan

Nsumo magic

Nsumo Pan

Rainbow over Nsumo Pan

There’s beautiful specimens of the fever tree at uMkhuze

uMkhuze sunset

uMkhuze scenery, the Lebombo range in the background

uMkhuze scenery

Fever trees in Umkhuze Game Reserve

Fever trees

uMkhuze sunset at the lookout tower

uMkhuze scenery

Looking up into the branches of a massive fever tree

Golden Orb-web Spider webs in the golden light of early morning

Giant Carrion Flower (Stapelia gigantea)

uMKhuze landscape, with giraffes

Elephants were reintroduced to the uMkhuze Game Reserve in 1994, and today number more than a hundred animals. They are however not seen very often.

Matriarch of the uMkhuze Game Reserve elephant herd (photo by Joubert)

Younger members of the uMkhuze Game Reserve herd with their leader

Elephant Bull accompanying the herd

Playful Elephant youngster (photo by Joubert)

While the founding population of uMkhuze’s white rhinos were translocated from Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in the 1960’s, the black rhinos have occurred here throug the ages. What a pity that these enigmatic creatures are now again threatened by poaching

White rhinoceros

Don’t mess with a black rhino

White rhinoceros cow and rather large calf

Black Rhinos

White Rhinos

In August 2005, buffalo was reintroduced to Umkhuze Game Reserve (from Marakele National Park). Although numbering several hundred, they’re still not often seen and tend to remain in the wilderness areas far from human eyes.

Buffalo bull near Ophansi Gate

uMkhuze’s buffaloes are not frequently seen

After an absence of 44 years, lions were reintroduced to the uMkhuze Game Reserve in December 2013.

Lions at uMkhuze (18 December 2014)

uMkhuze is home to leopards, cheetahs and wild dogs, but we haven’t seen them yet. We did however have a few encounters with uMkhuze’s spotted hyenas over the years though.

Spotted hyena

Spot the spotted hyena!

uMkhuze harbours around 300 of the rare suni antelope which finds refuge in the sand forest.

A pair of suni in the sand forest

Suni

uMkhuze is well know for its sizable population of the beautiful nyala.

Nyala bull

Nyala

Nyala lamb

Nyala bull horning the mud

Nyala bull

Big Nyala bull

Other herbivores that occur in uMkhuze are hippo, giraffe, plains zebra, warthog, bushpig, kudu, blue wildebeest, bushbuck, impala, steenbok, common and red duiker, baboon, vervet monkey, thick-tailed bushbaby and scrub hare.

Plains zebras

Grey duiker

Radio-controlled warthogs

There seemed to be impala lambs around every corner at uMkhuze

Thick-tailed Bushbabies visited our tent at uMkhuze every night

Hippos

Giraffe

Baboon

Blue wildebeest

Giraffe

Impala herd

Vervet Monkeys admiring their reflections

Young Kudu bull

Common Duiker

Kudu cow

Hippos at rest in Nsumo Pan

Playful baboons at Kumasinga

Scrub Hare

Steenbok

uMkhuze is considered one of the top bird-watching destinations in South Africa

Broad-billed rollers

European Honey Buzzard

Cattle egret

Woolly-necked Stork Buffet at uMkhuze

European Roller

Crested Guineafowl

Crested Francolin

Trumpeter Hornbill

Spur-winged Goose (male)

Lappet-faced Vulture

White-faced Whistling Duck at Kumasinga, uMkhuze

Tawny Eagle

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Bearded Scrub-Robin

Chinspot Batis (male)

Jameson’s Firefinch

Blue Waxbill

Pied Wagtail

African Jacana

Yellow-throated Longclaw

White-crested Helmetshrike

Golden-breasted Bunting

Crested Guineafowl

Black Flycatcher

African Darter

Purple-crested Turaco

Rudd’s Apalis

White-browed Scrub Robin

Pink-throated Twinspot

European Nightjar

Grey Waxbill

Sombre Greenbul

Common Waxbill

African Hoopoe

Burchell’s Coucal

African Harrier-Hawk

Yellow-fronted Canary

Chinspot Batis

Emerald-spotted Wood Dove

Red-backed Shrike

European Nightjar

Pink-backed Pelican in flight

Cold-blooded creatures abound in uMhuze too, and visitors can expect to see anything from fish to nile crocodiles while exploring the reserve.

Red Toad at home outside our cottage

Common Tropical House Gecko outside the bathroom window

Juvenile African (Edible) (Lesser) Bullfrog

Striped Skink enjoying a grasshopper meal

Tortoises have right of way on uMkhuze’s roads – this is a Natal Hinged Tortoise

Tortoise have right of way on uMkhuze’s roads

Serrated Terrapins soaking up the sun at Nsumo Pan

Flap-necked Chameleon (photo by Joubert)

Eastern Natal Green Snake at Kumasinga Hide, 21 March 2022

Leopard Tortoise

Tree Agama female

Water Monitor

Crocodile lurking in the water

Redbreast Tilapia in Nsumo Pan

In 1958 Mkuzi Game Reserve opened to the public, when three rustic huts were erected for use by overnight visitors. The reserve’s Mantuma Rest Camp today provides a variety of comfortable accommodation options in huts, chalets, safari tents and cottages with a swimming pool available to accommodated guests. Unleaded petrol and diesel is available and the reception office doubles as a small shop selling mainly snacks and fizzy drinks. The Rhino Din-o is a small cafeteria in Mantuma that sells light meals and offers excellent value for money. There is also a well-shaded picnic site for day visitors in the grounds of the reception office. Guided night drives and guided walks through the Fig Tree Forest departs from the main camp. The exclusive Nhlonhlela Bush Lodge, overlooking the pan with the same name and able to accommodate 8 guests, is located a few kilometers away from Mantuma, while the rustic Umkhumbe Camp in the far south of the reserve also accommodates groups of up to 8 guests. There is a spacious camping ground at eMshopi at the western entrance to the reserve. All these overnight facilities are booked through Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Malaria is still endemic in the area and precautions are strongly advised.

Mantuma, uMkhuze, December 2014

Mantuma Tent #22, uMkhuze Game Reserve, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, March 2017

Chalet 12 in Mantuma Camp, uMkhuze Game Reserve, Isimangaliso Wetland Park, March 2022

Chalet in Mantuma

Swimming Pool at Mantuma

Emshopi Campsite

There are two access gates into the uMkhuze Game Reserve. In the west, 15km from Mkuze town, lies eMshopi Gate. In the east, providing easy access from Sodwana and the R22 road, is the newer Ophansi Gate which opened in 2006. Visitors have access to a road network spanning 100km within the reserve for game viewing, much of it tarred. There is a beautiful picnic site with braai facilities on the shores of Nsumo Pan. Photographic hides at kuMalibala, kuMasinga and kuMahlahla as well as two on Nsumo Pan are well maintained and very popular. The Lebombo Lookout Tower, just a few kilometers south of the main camp, is another spot not to be missed.

One of the bird-viewing hides at Nsumo

Nsumo picnic site

Nsumo Picnic Site

Fever trees

Nsumo picnic site

Lebombo Lookout Tower

Atop the observation tower

uMkhuze sunset at the lookout tower

Driving through the riverine forest at Ophansi Gate

eMshopi Gate

Historic first gate to Mkuzi

iSimangaliso Wetland Park: The Eastern Shores

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First, a bit of history about the iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Lake Saint Lucia is Africa’s largest estuarine system. When fully inundated the lake is approximately 65km long and 21km across at its widest point and covers approximately 360km² (Google Earth view here). On average the lake is around 1m deep, reaching up to 3m deep in places. It is fed by several major rivers, including the Mfolozi, Mkuze and Hluhluwe, and dozens of minor streams, and seepage from the high dunes separating the lake from the Indian Ocean. This intricate system maintains a treasure trove of habitats and biodiversity.

In 1822 the British Navy surveyed this coastline with three ships, with a Lieutenant Vidal (see Cape Vidal below) being the master of one of them. In the ensuing years big game were decimated by white hunters and explorers and in less than a hundred years most of the wildlife of the area were entirely eradicated from the lake shore. Elephants and hippos were especially targeted for export of their ivory tusks.

From the 1880’s Christian mission stations were established at Cape Vidal, Ozabeni and Mount Tabor (the latter being close to present-day Mission Rocks). These operated until the 1950’s when the government forced the local population to move.

Britain annexed the area around the estuary of Lake St Lucia in December 1884 and St Lucia town was proclaimed only a year later, becoming a popular resort already by the 1920s when the first hotel opened. Until the 1950s, when a bridge was built across the St Lucia estuary, the town was connected to the outside world by a pont.

St Lucia Game Reserve, 368km² in extent and comprising the lake and its islands, was proclaimed a protected area in April 1895 when it was realised that the local populations of almost all big game species had been virtually wiped out.

The Mkuze Game Reserve was gazetted in 1912 (originally 251km² in extent and later enlarged to 400km²). (Note: We’ll delve into uMkhuze’s history a little more in our next installment).

From 1911 the Umfolozi flats were planted with sugar cane, leading to the mouth of Lake St Lucia silting up by the early 1950’s. To alleviate this, the Mfolozi River’s mouth was manually diverted away from the lake, cutting off 60% of the vital freshwater supply for the estuarine system and requiring the St Lucia mouth to be dredged continuously to keep it open. This situation was reversed between 2012 and 2016 when the Mfolozi River was again rerouted to empty into the lake. Flow in the river however is now substantially depleted by users upstream and the lake’s mouth remains closed except during periods of exceptional rainfall. This in turn is leading to conflict with the sugar cane farmers who feel their livelihoods threatened by the lake backing up into the Mfolozi River and flooding their fields.

In 1939 a half-mile (800m) wide strip surrounding most of the lake was proclaimed as St Lucia Park, which includes the popular fishing destinations of Charter’s Creek and Fanie’s Island.

In 1943, at the height of the 2nd World War which saw 163 ships sunk around the South African coast, the Royal Air Force established a base for Catalina Flying Boats at Lake St Lucia to patrol for enemy submarines. The base was abandoned in 1945 after hostilities ended, but the area is still known as Catalina Bay. From the viewing deck erected here by the Park authorities visitors have a wonderful view over the waters of Lake St Lucia.

A section of the lake shore in the False Bay area was declared the False Bay Park (22km²) in 1944.

Sodwana Bay (4km²) was proclaimed a national park, under the auspices of the Natal Parks Board, in December 1950.

The Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, later 110km² in extent, was proclaimed in January 1951.

Still, it seemed that authorities could not fully commit to the protection of Lake Saint Lucia and its environs, and exotic pine plantations were established on the western and eastern shores of the Lake from 1952 in designated “State Forests”. These thirsty exotics used up most if not all of the freshwater seepage from the surrounding dunes and marshes, further drying up the lake and pushing up its salinity.

Further sacrilege ensued in 1968, when the wilderness area of the lake was sacrificed for a missile testing range that operated until 1990.

In 1975, fortunes for Lake Saint Lucia finally started turning again. The South African government was one of the first signatories to the Ramsar Convention, and the Greater St. Lucia Wetland region was one of the first sites designated under the treaty.

The St Lucia Marine Reserve, extending 5km from the coast into the Indian Ocean along the stretch of coats between Cape Vidal and Sodwana, was declared in 1979.

Until 1969, Nile crocodiles were classed as vermin in the Natal province, and their numbers were severely depleted by hunters killing them for their skins and because of the danger they posed to people and livestock. By the time their vital ecological significance was realised in the mid-60’s the local population was almost completely wiped out, and the Natal Parks Board took steps to breed and release crocodiles into conservation areas where they were exterminated. So successful have these efforts been that Lake St Lucia alone today has a population of about 1,200 adult crocodiles. The St Lucia Crocodile Centre opened in 1979 at a site just 3km north of the town, at the Bhangazi Gate into the Eastern Shores section.

In early 1984, in the wake of devastating Cyclone Demoina, abnormally high runoff from the rivers feeding into the lake scoured clean the estuary mouth. This had a positive impact on the health of the lake system until about 1993, when a drought caused the mouth to close again, requiring the use of heavy machinery to keep it open.

The Maputaland Marine Reserve was established in 1986 to protect the stretch of coastline from Sodwana to Kosi Bay.

The Eastern Shores State Forest (now known as Mfabeni), Cape Vidal State Forest (now known as the Tewate Wilderness Area) and Sodwana State Forest (now known as Ozabeni) were transferred to the control of the Natal Parks Board (now Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) in 1987, allowing the provincial conservation agency to commence with the reintroduction of game indigenous to the area.

In February 1990, national government signaled its intentions to establish the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, which would be the third biggest conservation area in the country following the amalgamation of all the separate proclaimed conservation areas around the lake. A mining company, Richards Bay Minerals, however had plans to mine the ecologically sensitive forested dunes on the Eastern Shores for titanium. This resulted in one of the most comprehensive environmental impact studies ever undertaken in South Africa, and in December 1993, in the face of enormous public pressure, the panel reviewing the study recommended unanimously in favour of the area being declared a national park, eligible for World Heritage Status.

The proposed Greater St Lucia Wetland Park would incorporate the Cape Vidal State Forest, Dukuduku Forest, Eastern Shores State Forest, False Bay Park, Kosi Bay Nature Reserve, Makasa Nature Reserve, Mapelane Nature Reserve, Maputaland Marine Reserve (including Lake Sibaya, Mabibi, Lala Neck and Black Rock, Rocktail Bay), Mkuzi Game Reserve, Nyalazi State Forest, Sodwana Bay National Park, St Lucia Game Reserve, St Lucia Marine Reserve and St Lucia Park.

At the time the proclamation of the Park was promulgated it was decided that the exotic pine plantations that covered extensive parts of the envisaged Park would not be replaced when they were harvested, a process that would still take many years to accomplish. Today it is wonderful to see nature claiming back these ravaged areas after the exotic trees are felled, aided in no small way by fruit-eating birds and bats distributing the seeds of indigenous forest trees throughout these parts.

The Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in December 1999 in recognition of its “unique ecological processes, superlative natural phenomena and exceptionally rich biodiversity”, to quote three of the ten criteria UNESCO considers when including sites in this prestigious club. In 2007 the name of the Park was changed to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the isiZulu word meaning “miracle” or “wonder”.

Today, the Park protects 230km of the Indian Ocean coastline and adjacent interior as well as a marine reserve, stretching from Kosi Bay on the border with Mozambique to Maphelane in the south, covering a total of 13,289km² of marine and terrestrial habitats (the marine component covers 10,700km² of the Indian Ocean). Within its borders the Park accommodates at least 115 mammal species, 526 kinds of birds, 100 reptiles, 48 amphibians, about 90 freshwater fish species and more than 1,200 kinds of marine fish (including the coelecanth), and 282 kinds of butterflies!

The Park and surrounds attract around 2-million visitors annually and tourism and associated services is a major source of employment in an otherwise severely impoverished corner of the country.

Map of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park – click for an enlarged view (from https://isimangaliso.com/)

The Eastern Shores, including Mission Rocks and Cape Vidal

By the time the Portuguese seafarers “discovered” the mouth of Africa’s biggest estuarine system and named it Santa Lucia in 1575, the area had been settled by Nguni pastoralists for several hundred years already. They were responsible for establishing and maintaining much of the grasslands on the Eastern Shores, which in turn supported many species of animals.

Sunrise on the Eastern Shores, iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Sunrise on the Eastern Shores

Sunset on the Eastern Shores

The Eastern Shores of Lake Saint Lucia is among the most diverse ecosystems in the country. Here, rocky intertidal pools and sandy beaches are bordered by some of the highest vegetated dunes in the world, densely covered by forests of tall tropical trees and luxuriant undergrowth. Where the dune forests end, grasslands and marshes, punctuated by dispersed trees, clumps of palms and seasonally inundated pans take over. Stands of swamp forests line small water courses and, on the shores of Lake St Lucia, dense beds of reeds and papyrus are interspersed with stands of mangrove trees. Rainfall averages as high as 1200mm annually of which two thirds fall in the spring and summer months.

Sunrise over the Eastern Shores

Kudu bull standing proudly on the crest of a grassy dune

Mziki viewsite

The Red Dunes at eSibomvini

Buffaloes at sunset

Herd of buffalo on the Mfabeni swamp

Mfabeni landscape

Amazibu Pan

Rainbow along the Grassland Loop

Spotted Hyena

Thick fog blanket the Mfabeni swamp

Ghost Crabs on the beach at Cape Vidal

Cape Vidal

Rock pools at Cape Vidal

Lake St Lucia and surrounds has a large population of Nile crocodiles, probably the most significant population in the entire country.

Swimming crocodile

Crocodile on shore

Nile Crocodile at the mouth of Lake St. Lucia

Crocodile

Hippos survived the onslaught of the 19th and 20th centuries, and today there are about 1,000 in the lake and surrounding pans and wetlands. They’re also regularly seen on the Eastern Shores. Hippos are considered ecosystem-engineers, playing a vital role in cycling nutrients back to the wetlands and opening channels through marshes, preventing them from clogging up and stagnating.

Hippo close-up

Curious hippos

Hippo

Pod of hipos

Hippopotamus

Hippo

The last elephant in the region of Lake St Lucia was killed in the Dukuduku Forest on the western shores in 1915. Twenty-four elephants were reintroduced to the Eastern Shores in 2001, and today the population of elephants around Lake St Lucia has grown to over 100. The current elephant population follow the same ancient migratory paths across the lake that elephants used for millennia before they were wiped out from the area.

Elephant

Elephant bull emerging from the forest (photo by Joubert)

Young elephant showing off (photo by Joubert)

Elephant drinking from a seasonal pan

Young elephant having a good scratch

Elephant herd on a stroll (photo by Joubert)

Young elephant showing off (photo by Joubert)

Elephant roadblock between Cape Vidal and St. Lucia

Elephant roadblock between Cape Vidal and St. Luciack (photo by Joubert)

Elephant cow keeping the youngsters safe

Dancing elephant (photo by Joubert)

Elephant procession passing the turnoff to Mission Rocks (photo by Marilize)

Elephant cow emerging from the forest to find us in her way (don’t worry, we moved away quickly!)(photo by Joubert)

Elephant herd blocking the road…again!

Most of the white rhinos on the Eastern Shores have been dehorned to deter poachers.

Lazy White Rhinos

White Rhinos

White Rhino

White Rhinos

The Eastern Shores is a stronghold of the black rhino, but owing to their solitary and nocturnal natures they’re not seen often.

Black Rhino on the eastern shores of Lake St. Lucia

Buffaloes are one of the most commonly seen large animals on the Eastern Shores.

Young buffalo bull

Buffalo bull

Buffalo

What a buffalo looks like just before he charges!

Buffalo

Buffalo road block

Herd of buffaloes

Buffalo bull

Buffalo bull (photo by Joubert)

Buffalo in the golden glow of sunset

Wary Buffalo bull

Buffalo bull

Buffaloes

Buffalo bull

The Eastern Shores has a healthy leopard population and these beautiful cats are seen fairly regularly.

Leopard sighting on the Grassland Loop on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia – 15th June 2015

Leopard on the prowl

Leopard in golden early morning sunshine

Leopard hiding in long grass

Leopard on the edge of the forest during a rainy spell

The population of spotted hyena on the Eastern Shores seems to be growing, as sightings have become much more frequent in recent years.

Leader of the clan

Scruffy-looking Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena (photo by Joubert)

Spotted Hyena

Spotted Hyena cub near Cape Vidal

Spotted Hyena

Four of South Africa’s five primate species occur on the Eastern Shores. It holds one of the country’s largest populations of the rare samango monkey, in addition to baboons, vervet monkeys and thick-tailed bushbabies.

Baboon in repose

Baboon

Chacma Baboon

Samango Monkey

Male Samango Monkey

Samango Monkey

This leucistic Samango Monkey is a familiar inhabitant of Cape Vidal

Vervet Monkey

Alarmed Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Baby Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey

Cute little Vervet Monkeys – just look at that smile!

Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Almost all the other herbivores that once roamed the area are now represented once more.

Tsessebe

Kudu bull

Plains zebra

Kudu family

Blue Wildebeest

Bushbuck

Kudu

Red Duiker

Reedbuck

Waterbuck

Red Duiker

Waterbuck bull

Bushpig boar

Bushpig sow

Sleepy Warthog

Enormous Kudu bull in the Mfabeni Swamp

Kudu bull

Bushbuck ram

Kudu calf nursing

Red duiker

Red Duiker

Impala

Impala ewe

There’s an extraordinary variety of bird life on the Eastern Shores, and especially forest and water-dependent birds are well represented.

Crested Guineafowl family

Spur-winged Goose

Steppe Buzzard

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Secretarybird

Livingstone’s Turaco

African Green Pigeon

Crested Guineafowl

Red-capped Robin Chat

Crowned Eagle

African Pygmy Kingfisher

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

Collared Sunbird

Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters

Black-bellied Starling

Crowned Hornbill

Yellow-throated Longclaw

Red-breasted Swallow

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Grey-headed Gull

African Marsh Harrier

Saddle-billed Stork in silhouette at sunrise

Hadeda in flight – photo by Joubert

Denham’s bustard

Yellow-throated Longclaw

Crested Guineafowl – iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Southern Banded Snake Eagle

Pink-backed Pelicans – iSimangaliso Wetland Park

White-eared Barbets – iSimangaliso Wetland Park

African Olive Pigeon

Baillon’s Crake

Dark-backed Weaver

Square-tailed Nightjar

Woolly-necked Stork

Yellow-fronted Canary

Brown Snake Eagle

Green-backed Camaroptera

Martial Eagle

Caspian Tern

Yellow Weaver

Aside from crocodiles, the tropical environment of the Eastern Shores sustains an impressive variety of reptiles and amphibians. It is a crucial nesting place for endangered leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles.

Tropical House Gecko

Bell’s Hinged Tortoise

Tiny little Bush Squeaker frog

Eastern Coastal Skink

Water Monitor lizard

Eastern Coastal Skink

Bell’s Hinged Tortoise

Giant Legless Skink

Common Tropical House Gecko

Eastern Coastal Skink

Variegated slug eater

This juvenile Painted Reed Frog climbed into my coffee cup at Mziki viewpoint one morning – at which stage during the drinking process I don’t know…

The diversity of insects – particularly butterflies – and other invertebrates that thrive on the Eastern Shores is simply astounding.

Tailor Ants nest

Pill-millipede in defensive posture

Giant African Land Snail

Natal Acraea butterfly

Praying Mantis at Catalina Bay

Scorpion (Uroplectus formosus) found at Cape Vidal

Interesting caterpillar

Natal Acraea

Citrus Swallowtail

Streaked Sailer

Spotted Hairtail

Wasp with Sac Spider prey

Elegant Grasshopper

Cicada

Unidentified Dragonfly (photo by Joubert)

Unidentified caterpillar, probably of a moth species

Boisduval’s Tree Nymph (female)

Female Mocker Swallowtail mimicking the Friar butterfly

African Migrant

False Dotted Border

Jaunty Dropwing Dragonfly (female)

Common Bush Browns in flight

Unidentified Flightless Wasp

Variable Diadem

Wasp of the genus Stizus

Carpenter Bee Robber Fly

Sundowner Moth

Small Orange Tip

Green-banded Swallowtail butterflies

Novice butterflies

Dung Beetle with his bounty

Adult Antlion

Novice (Amauris ochlea)

The multitude of species to be seen on the beaches and in the rock pools along the Indian Ocean coastline is equally impressive, and there are even huge marine mammals to be seen just offshore!

Littoral life at Cape Vidal

Daredevil Surfing Ghost Crab

Natal Rock Crab

Little fish in a rock pool at Mission Rocks

Crab at Mission Rocks

Convict Surgeonfish in a rock pool at Cape Vidal

Hermit Crab – iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Humpback Whale

Dolphins in the waves at Cape Vidal

The small holiday town of St Lucia is the gateway to the lake’s estuary and the Eastern Shores section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The town offers all the amenities you’d expect from a holiday destination, with shops and restaurants, doctors and dentists, a police station, and several accommodation and camping options. There are outdoor market stalls where the locals sell curios and fresh produce. The beach just outside town is excellent for fishing and swimming and general beach activities. Guided boat tours are available on the estuary and deep sea fishing excursions can be arranged. Guided drives, horse rides, and walks on the Eastern Shores are offered from St Lucia and in season whale watching trips and night-time visits to turtle-nesting sites are very popular. A forested portion of the town is traversed by the Gwalagwala Trail.