Wetlands and Wildlife - 355km

iSIMANGALISO WETLANDS PARK [FORMERLY KNOWN AS GREATER ST LUCIA WETLAND PARK]

Declared a World Heritage Site in 1999, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park 5 presents an ever-changing kaleidoscope of lake, marshland, forested coastal dunes and grasslands. The nucleus of the park is Lake St Lucia, which was proclaimed a game reserve in 1897 – making it one of Africa’s oldest conservation areas. It is also the third largest in area in South Africa. To the early Zulu and Thonga inhabitants the lake was known as Cwebeni las Entlengeni, or ‘the lagoon of the rafts’. About 70 km in length and 18 km at its widest, the lake is home to large populations of hippo and crocodile and is considered a wetland of international importance. Over 350 bird species have been recorded in the park’s rich diversity of habitats and ecosystems, and at times the lake attracts large numbers of Palaearctic waders, pinkbacked and white pelicans, greater flamingo and other waterfowl. The park was created by amalgamating various conservation areas and former state forests to form a total area of 260 000 ha. Stretching from Mapelane northwards, the park incorporates the St Lucia Game Reserve and Marine Reserve, False Bay Park, Sodwana Bay (where loggerhead turtles breed), Mkuzi Game Reserve and the Maputaland Marine Reserve.

ST LUCIA VILLAGE

Nestling along the shores of the St Lucia estuary, the village of St Lucia is a popular holiday resort, attracting large numbers of anglers and those seeking to relax in its peaceful surroundings. The village takes its name from Cape St Lucia, named by the Portuguese navigator Manuel de Mesquita Perestrêlo, when he passed the headland on 13 December 1575, the feast day of Saint Lucy. The best way to see the estuary is to take a two-hour trip on board the Santa Lucia, an 80-seater launch equipped with a viewing deck. At the St Lucia Crocodile Centre, visitors can get close-up views of Nile crocodile, as well as two other African species – dwarf and long-snouted – and American alligator. The centre aims to educate people about the importance of crocodiles in nature and offers interesting displays about various aspects of the biology and way of life of these forbidding reptiles. Visitors can explore the St Lucia Game Park along several short self-guided trails, including one to the mangrove community along the estuary’s shore.

MTUBATUBA lies amid vast sugar cane plantations on the floodplains of the Mfolozi River. An important commercial centre for the surrounding farms, it was established in 1903. Its name honours a former chief of the Mtetwa clan and is said to mean ‘creator of opportunities’.

HLUHLUWE - UMFOLOZI PARK

...covers 96 000 ha of deep wooded valleys, grassy hillsides and thornveld. Originally proclaimed on 27 April 1897 as two separate reserves, Hluhluwe and Umfolozi – together with the St Lucia Game Reserve – are the oldest conservation areas in Africa. The two reserves were consolidated after the Corridor, a stock-free area created to prevent the spread of nangana (sleeping sickness) to the cattle of tribespeople living in the area, was proclaimed a game reserve in 1989. Umfolozi is famed for its role in saving the white rhinoceros from extinction and today it is a sanctuary to one of southern Africa’s largest populations of white and black rhinos. It was at Umfolozi, too, where Africa’s first wilderness area was set aside and where, in the 1950s, conservationist Dr Ian Player pioneered the first wilderness trails.

Visitors can explore the park on more than 200 km of game-viewing roads; in addition to white and black rhino, there is always a possibility of chancing upon the other members of the Big Five: elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard. Among the other large mammals to be seen are giraffe, kudu, nyala, waterbuck, impala, blue wildebeest and Burchell’s zebra. With a bird checklist of over 400 species, the park is a delight to birding enthusiasts. Noteworthy species include African finfoot, Delegorgue’s pigeon, cinnamon dove, white-eared barbet, yellowspotted nicator, Rudd’s apalis, yellowbilled and redbilled oxpeckers. Activities for visitors include interpretive auto trails, guided early morning and night drives, guided walks and overnight wilderness trails in Umfolozi. A variety of accommodation options is available.

HLUHLUWE VILLAGE

...owes its name to the Hluhluwe River, itself derived from the Zulu name (umHluhluwe) for the thorny or monkey rope (Dalbergia armata) which grows in profusion along the river bank. The village is the centre of an intensive agricultural area where sugar cane, pineapples and timber are harvested.