Isimangaliso
Wetland Park is located on the east
coast in KwaZulu Natal, 275 kilometres north of Durban. It spans across 230
kilometres of awe- inspiring coastline, from the boarder of Mozambique to
Maphelane, south of the Lake St Lucia estuary. This park is the 3rd largest protected area in
South Africa and is made up of 16 different conservation areas which
constitute South Africa's first ever
World Heritage Site.
Isimangaliso
consists of 3 major lakes, swamp
forests, South Africa's largest
estuarine system, coastal dunes that are over 25 000 years old and 1000's
of fauna and flora species. It is the only place in the world where the
rhinoceros, elephant, whale and the Coelacanth share the same space.
Lake St Lucia, which lies within the park, is Africa's largest estuary at 80 kilometres
long and 23 kilometres wide at its broadest point. It is home to a staggering
number of hippos and crocodiles as well as a number of aquatic species. It is
also host to large flocks of duck, flamingos, pelicans and waders.
Sodwana Bay is best known for the discovery of the Coelacanth ('the
living fossil') in the year 2000. It is also home to beautiful coral reefs that
support over 1200 species of colourful fish.
Maphelane
is home to the Maphelane Dune: the
highest vegetated dune in the whole of Isimangaliso Wetland Park at 183 metres
high. Maphelane offers 2 self-guided
trails for adventurers. One that tracks the edge of the estuary, and another
that provides exquisite views of the ocean and river mouth at the top of the
dunes.
Umkhuze is where one can take a guided walk
through the popular Sycamore Fig Forest
or visit the much talked about Nsumo Pan. It is a bird lover's paradise,
supporting over 420 bird species that
share their habitat with the giraffe, hyena, wild dog, rhino, elephant, cheetah
and a variety of antelope.
Last but
not least, False Bay is home to the
ancient sand forest and Kosi Bay is the only place where all of South Africa's mangrove species and the only group of naturally occurring raffia palms occur.
Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling distance.