St. Lucia Wetlands Guest House

The Crocodile Research Centre

Lake St. Lucia is home to the largest breeding population of crocodiles in South Africa and at the Crocodile Centre you will learn many aspects of the life of this ancient reptile. The Crocodile Center is one of only four permit holders that are allowed to keep the impressive Gaboon Adder in captivity.

The greater St. Lucia Wetland Park has more than 109 species of reptile.

There is also a curio shop and a cycad garden in which many of these plants, which have remained unchanged for 200 million years may be seen.

• Every Wednesday, 18:30 - crocodile nite-feeding (01 September - 01 June, weather permitting).
• Every Saturday, 14:00 - snake demonstrations and 15:00 crocodile feeding.

The crocodile centre have a specimen of the famous living fossil, the coelacanth. Before 1938, when a member of the coelacanth species was rediscovered on the east coast of South Africa, it was believed that they have become extinct 80 million years ago.

St. Lucia Coelacanths

On 27th November 2000, divers found three coelacanths in the St. Lucia Marine Protected Area. The largest was between 1,5 and 1,8 metres long and the other two 1,2 and 1 metres. In 2001 the divers observed fifteen coelacanths, one of them pregnant.

They open 7 days a week from 09:00 to 22:00. Sundays from 10:00 to 21:00.

Copyright 2010; St. Lucia Wetlands Guest House, Bed and Breakfast Accommodation in St. Lucia, South Africa