St. Lucia Wetlands Guest House

Hiking through the St. Lucia Dune Forest

In and around the town of St. Lucia there are many fascinating walks with a large population of many species of birds and the occasional sighting of one of the local warthogs as well as small antelope.

One can often hear the cry of the fish eagle, the trumpeting of the hornbill and the bird that people come from afar to see (April - September) - the flash of the Mangrove Kingfisher across the Lake.

Please note that we are on the Zululand Birding Route .

There are many (five, I can think of) unique trails lasting from a half an hour to three hours in and around the village of St. Lucia. One of these trails winds through dune forest ending overlooking the ocean, birdlife and antelope are plentiful on these walks. Another short walk that can be done while staying in St. Lucia is the Mfazana Pans walk.

Mfazana Pans, on the left-hand side of the Cape Vidal road, approximately 2km north of Mission Rocks, is a small car park at the start of a trail leading down to the pans. There are two hides and it is possible to see hippo, a variety of water birds, crocodiles and other animals. During drought periods these pans dry up. Since the re-introduction of elephants (2001) into the area one needs to arrange for a guide at Mission Rocks Office, Sonja at (035) 590 9002.

Another interesting walk starts at Mission Rocks Beach, walking northworth on the beach, along uninhabited coastline for about an hour before one get to a cave with Fruit bats. It is recommended that this walk be undertaken during low tide.

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