South Africa's iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Useful Information

History

In 1554, survivors of the Portuguese ship São Bento named the area "Rio dos Medos do Ouro"—the River of Golden Dunes. On 13 December 1575, the feast of Saint Lucy, explorer Manuel Peresterello recorded the estuary as Santa Lucia. The British proclaimed St Lucia a township in 1822, and by 1895 the St Lucia Game Reserve was established 30 km north of town. After the Ramsar Convention (1971), the turtle beaches and coral reefs of Maputaland and the St Lucia estuary were listed as wetlands of international importance. The park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999.

Nelson Mandela remarked: "iSimangaliso must be the only place on the globe where the oldest mammal [rhinoceros] and the world's biggest terrestrial mammal [elephant] share an ecosystem with the world's oldest fish [coelacanth] and the world's biggest marine mammal [whale]."

Wildlife

In iSimangaliso, one can find elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, and leopard; lion are the only Big Five species not present in most visitor zones. Many visitors come for the amphibious hippopotamus—hippo leave the water at dusk to graze and return at dawn, enriching the estuary with nutrients. Nile crocodile inhabit the estuary. In early summer, loggerhead and leatherback turtle nest, with hatchling emerging roughly two months later.

An astonishing variety of species occur here. At sea, look for whale and dolphin in season. On land, vervet monkey and baboon are common; patient observers may find civet, black-backed jackal, serval, and aardwolf. With about 526 recorded bird species, highlights include pink-backed pelican and greater and lesser flamingo. Numerous fish species use the estuary as a nursery, and off the coast the ancient coelacanth persists in deep water. A wide variety of snakes occur, including Mozambique spitting cobra and black and green mamba.

Vegetation & Terrain

iSimangaliso was South Africa's first World Heritage Site, recognized for exceptional biodiversity and ecological processes. The park protects interlinked zones: marine environments with coral reefs and beaches; coastal dune and swamp forest; mangroves and papyrus swamps; lake systems such as St Lucia and Sibaya; and inland woodland and savanna. These habitats support high endemism and critical migration and breeding corridors.

Activities

Signature activities include boat cruises on the St Lucia estuary, seasonal turtle nesting tours (strictly guided), snorkeling and world-class scuba diving at Sodwana Bay, guided birding across wetlands and woodlands, whale watching in season, kayaking, beach and dune walks, horseback riding, and guided game drives in uMkhuze and other sectors.

The cycad found here is highly threatened; like rhinoceros, illegal trade damages fragile ecosystems. Other notable plants include paintbrush lily, giant carrion flower, water lily, rare yellow tree orchid, and Natal dune vygie. Common trees include fever tree, sweet thorn acacia, cabbage tree, coastal silver oak, and coral tree. The park also conserves coral reefs and vital nesting grounds for turtle—contributing to one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in Africa.