12 things to do in St Lucia, South Africa
St Lucia is a small town on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal almost completely surrounded by wilderness.
Visitors to this incredible destination will find themselves immersed in a natural setting that few other destinations can offer.
There is good reason why this area was South Africa's first proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you only have to spend a little time here to discover why...
1. Explore the waterways of Lake St Lucia
Lake St Lucia is the largest estuary system in Africa. It's huge! And one of the best ways to explore it is from the water.
2. Stroll the Estuary Boardwalk and do some birding at the estuary mouth
The boardwalk leads to the beach while passing through a beautiful coastal forest. The boardwalk meanders fairly close to the estuary so keep an eye out for birds and animals along the shoreline as well as in the water.
3. Enjoy some beach time on the unspoiled coastline
The length of coast from St Lucia right up to the Mozambican border is one of our favourite stretches in South Africa. The beaches are simply out of this world. While St Lucia has a number of winners within the town limits, a few other beaches worth checking out include Mission Rocks as well as Cape Vidal.
4. Snorkel Cape Vidal's rocky point
Speaking of Cape Vidal, now's a good time to mention that we'd rate this spot as one of the top snorkeling destinations in South Africa. The snorkeling spot is right on the beach and follows a finger of rocks that extends out toward the open ocean. This rock-shelf creates a breakwater that makes for epic snorkeling conditions.
Guided snorkeling trips are available at Cape Vidal, and we'd highly recommend them.
5. Hike to Bat Cave on the Eastern Shores
This is a great little trip if you're keen for something a little different. Just north of Mission Rocks is a small cave which is home to a colony of Egyptian fruit bats. You can access the cave from the beach, although you'll need to time your trip with a low tide to ensure you can get there and back without getting wet.
Don't forget to bring along a torch or headlamp so you can see the bats when you get there.
6. Greet the ocean's giants on a boat-based whale watching tour
Whale watching is an absolute must in St Lucia! Nothing can really give you an appreciation for these gentle giants like watching them from the water. There are a number of excellent tour operators who run whale watching trips from St Lucia from around mid May to December when the humpback whales are around.
7. Explore St Lucia and surrounds by bicycle
One trip we found really great was the cycle tour of St Lucia. Your guide leads the way and stops off at a number of very interesting sites as well as points out various plant and animal life along the way. It's a nice way to get around and also a great way to get in some holiday exercise too.
8. Horseback ride the beach and bush
St Lucia is one of the coolest places to go horse riding. There aren't too many places out there where you can ride through a game reserve and along the beach all on the same trip.
The horse riding trails pass through a section of the Eastern Shores of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and is a great way to get right up close to the wildlife without scaring them away. We encountered a number of zebra, wildebeest, and other antelope that where perfectly relaxed around the horses.
After that it’s onto the beach for a brisk ride back to the town, passing by the estuary mouth along the way.
9. Explore the Eastern and Western Shores on a guided evening game drive.
Night drives are the best!! The bush seems to come alive at night and so getting onto an evening game drive is a real experience. The public aren't allowed to drive in game reserves after dark so you'll need to do this with a guide, but that's well worth it. Their eyes are accustomed to spotting animals in the dark and they offer a really great experience.
10. Self-drive
St Lucia is near both the Eastern and Western Shores Sections of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. This area has been the success story of a re-wilding project that started a number of years ago and is now home to many of Africa's big wildlife including elephants, rhinos, buffalo, leopard and so much more.
The roads in the park are mostly tarred with a few gravel tracks here and there, but visitors can explore the park in their own vehicles without any trouble.
There are a number of excellent view sites and picnic spots within the reserve, so be sure to pack for the day.
11. Witness turtles nesting on the sandy beaches
The turtle season runs from November to March and is an excellent time to be in St Lucia. The town is abuzz with the talk of turtles and St Lucia is one of the most accessible best places in the country to witness them nesting and hatching.
12. Take in the peace of an African sunset
There are a number of great places to watch the sunset, but the aptly named Sunset Jetty is probably the best one.
KwaZulu-Natal Road Trip SOUTH AFRICA St Lucia Tugela Umzumbe
Part 1 of the South Africa ROAD TRIP begins in KwaZulu-Natal !!
This video we visit the far north east of the province in St. Lucia followed by Tugela Mouth and finally Umzumbe.
The vlog is a little long form, but bear with me as the footage is STUNNING and well worth the watch. Hope you like it and let me know where else we should go in KwaZulu-Natal.
Shout out to everyone who watched the PREMIERE of this video!! Was amazing to chat with you LIVE while watching the first screening on the channel. So cool to see so many people from all over the world engaged with our story and this epic content!! You rock. #kwazulunatal #southafrica #travelvideography
ALSO!! Join the mailing list!! For direct notifications on future trips and updates.
Welcome to St. Lucia
A wildlife documentary parody of St. Lucia, South Africa.
After our two day visit in St. Lucia, I realized that most of my footage was of the wildlife in this beautiful piece of paradise. Since I am a nature lover and also a big fan of the series Planet Earth, I decided to make my own nature documentary of our trip. It was quite a big project and took me longer than I would like to admit, but it is finally finished and I feel happy I can finally upload it!
All music credit goes to Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea, Jasha Klebe, and all involved musicians for creating the beautiful Planet Earth 2 soundtrack.
However all the cinematography, video editing and voice acting was done by me.
I made this video entirely for non-profit and fun only.
I hope you enjoy!
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St. Lucia Vacation Travel Guide | Expedia (4K 60fps)
Floating like an emerald teardrop between the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea is the island nation of St Lucia.
For centuries the original Arawak and Carib made their homes around the islands northern bays. In the 1550s, the notorious buccaneer, Peg Leg Le Clerc, became the first European to settle here.
After the pirates came the plantations, and the bittersweet years of sugar and slavery. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, St Lucia was pulled back and forth between the French and British, before finally gaining her independence in 1979.
Right in the heart of the capital, Castries, the main square pays tribute to two of the island’s Nobel Prize winning sons. Just across from the park, visit the basilica, filled with murals that blend the colours and traditions of Africa, the Caribbean and the West.
At the Central Market, taste the fruits of this island’s volcanic soil, enjoy real St Lucian home cooking, and browse crafts made by local hands. The creation story continues at Eudovik’s Art Studio, where master carvers transform tree roots into sensual works of art.
The sleepy French colonial town, Soufriere, is cradled by some of the island’s greatest natural treasures. Just a short boat ride away is one island’s finest resort beaches, Anse Chastanet. While nestled between the two volcanic spires of Gros and Petit Piton, is one of the west coast’s most secluded hideaways, Sugar Beach.
St. Lucia Tours, Advantage Cruiser Isimangaliso Wetlands Park Saint Lucia South Africa
Situated at the entrance to St. Lucia town, Advantage Tours & Charters offer spectacular ocean safari's and estuary cruises into the iSimangaliso wetlands Park.
Advantage cruises has been operating since 1991 with Danie and Riette Bennett at the helm and they are now a full BEE company under concession of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site.
The new Advantage Cruiser luxury double deck ferry is the perfect platform from which to take in the sights and sounds of Lake St. Lucia. Advantage cruiser offers multiple 2-hour boat cruises, which are conducted daily at walking speed along the shoreline of Lake St Lucia.
The Advantage Cruiser is geared to accommodate all en sundry it is extremely family friendly and offers wheelchair access with loads of space onboard the vessel to make your trip a comfortable exciting experience.
The emphases on all the trips are peaceful serenity, astounding wildlife and bird photography. With experienced skippers and guides you are guaranteed to have the trip of a lifetime.
Get up close to a wild array of wildlife species including hippo, crocodile, fish eagle, bird sightings and many other animal species.
Advantage offers various vessels that can be utilized for all types of cruises and charters. From deep sea fishing charters to amazing whale watching trips the choice is yours!
The entire ADVANTAGE CREW welcomes you onboard!
Road Trip & Things to do in Durban and Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa (incl. Hluhluwe & Drakensberg)
In this video I show you the best things to do in Durban & Kwazulu-Natal including the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and a 3 day hike in the Drakensberg mountains.
➸ My travel guides:
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Marco -
Drone Footage courtesy of Marco Buch, all rights reserved.
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My friend Marco and me went down to Durban to explore the things to do in Durban and some more sights in Kwazulu-Natal. As usual I tried to mix sightseeing in South Africa with some cool activities, such as the big rush, a multi day trek in the Drakensberg mountains or a Segway tour in Durban.
For doing all this we rented a car and drive through the region for about 10 days with activities booked a few weeks ahead.
You can use this guide to prepare and plan your own trip to this region, therefore I included all Spots and companies we used along the way.
All Things to do in Durban & Kwazulu-Natal as shown in this episode:
- Durban waterfront
- Helicopter ride in Durban
- Station Drive, Durban
- Segway Tour in Durban
- Township tour in KwaMashu
- Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park
- Hilltop Camp
- Drakensberg mountains
- Sentinel, Amphitheatre and Tugela Falls
- Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge
- Cavern Resort
— About my Cooperation with South African Tourism—
I got invited by South African Tourism ( to produce this video showcasing my travel experience. I was free to create my very own itinerary with all the freedom needed. Nevertheless all opinions, recommendations and views are my own.
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DISCLAIMER: All Links provided marked with „▸“ are Affiliate Links for products, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission (but the price for you stays the same). This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
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The Best Small Town in South Africa
St Lucia in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park should be named the best small town in South Africa.
It must be hands down the best place we've been to in a long time.
Whether its, friendly people, luxury, adventure, wildlife, beach, fishing.... or a spa... it's here. No other place in South Africa has all of this literally in town
We think this track Paint the Sky captures St Lucia perfectly...... TURN UP THE VOLUME.... and catch a glimpse into our trip with Tori & Michelle around the town.... Paint the Sky!
For more information on visiting please contact :
The awesome Tori from Bhangazi Horse Safaris- horsesafari.co.za
The dynamic Michelle from clicketyclicksafaris.com
Music:
Paint the Sky
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destinazione_altrove a rel=license href= BY 3.0
The Best Park in Southern Africa
iSimangaliso Wetland Park in Northern Kwazulu- Natal South Africa, quite literally stole our hearts. We've tried to capture the beauty of the scenery, wildlife and the warmth of the people in this video. We hope you enjoy it.
A big thanks must go to:
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority isimangaliso.com
Thandi Shabalala- The Tourism Information Officer- for taking the
time to show us around.
And the two most awesome Ladies of the region, who made it all possible:
Victoria Doyle from Bhangazi Horse Safaris horsesafari.co.za
Michelle Lutener from Clickety Click Safaris clicketyclicksafaris.com
Music by:
Drogue by Salam (
Our hearts still lie in iSimangaliso, we can't wait to return.
St Lucia, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
St Lucia, one of my favorite places in the world.
Travel Tip: See Best of St Lucia in 1 Day ! Amazing Beach, Waterfalls, Volcano.