St Lucia Turtle Tour
From only POA |
per person sharing | |
| Travel between | 01-Jun-2011 and 31-May-2012 | |
| Book before | 31-May-2012 | |
| Duration | Half Day | |
| Reference | AMZ449 | |
Tour Overview
Spend an evening with us searching for the enormous and extremely endangered Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles, when they come onto the beach to lay their eggs.
This unique and fascinating tour enters the reserve either in the afternoon or evening (depending on low tide). The tour departs from St Lucia and starts with a game drive through the Eastern Shores Game Reserve. At Cape Vidal drive onto a pristine beach where the search for turtles begins, driving up the beach for 23km to Leven Point.
- Departs: Daily on Request at 06h45 and 07h00
- Returns: The duration of this tour is 6-7 hours
iSimangaliso (Greater St Lucia) Wetland Park
iSimangaliso Wetland Park (formerly The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park) was declared South Africa's first Natural World Heritage Site on 1 December 1999. Extending from Mapelane (Cape St. Lucia) in the South, to Kozi Bay in the North, it is considered South Africa's third largest park.
The park is the largest estuarine system in Africa and includes the southernmost extension of coral reefs on the continent. Features include wide submarine canyons, sandy beaches, forested dune cordon and a mosaic of wetlands, grasslands, forests, lakes and savanna.
This diversity gives rise to a magnificent variety of animal, bird and marine life, unrivalled anywhere in South Africa, including Giant Leatherback turtles, Nile crocodile and hippo, rhino (both black and white), elephant, a host of antelope species and some 521 bird species including about 40 000 flamingoes.
iSimangaliso Hot Spots:
- Kosi Bay – comprises four lakes linked by a network of channels, offers extraordinary snorkeling and is one of the world’s top fly-fishing destinations
- Coastal Forest – Accessible only by off-road vehicles, pristine beaches, large Strelitzias and beautiful dune vistas are a feature of this section of the Park
- Lake Sibaya – South Africa’s largest fresh-water lake, home to KwaZulu-Natal’s second largest population of hippo and crocodiles
- Sodwana Bay – where the Coelacanth was discovered in 2000, and is rated as one of the top ten dive destinations in the world.
- uMkhuze – More than 420 species of birds can be found in this 38 500-hectare bird-lovers’ paradise
- False Bay – This area includes sand forest, thornveld, open savannah, and a view of Lake St Lucia at its widest point.
- Western Shores and Charters Creek – See elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard, as well as giraffe, tsessebe and other antelope species
- Lake St Lucia – Africa’s largest estuarine system
- Eastern Shores and Cape Vidal – the ideal beach and safari destination.
- Maphelane – a popular base for fishermen and nature lovers with two self-guided trails; one tracking the edge of the estuary, the other ascends the dunes to offer spectacular views of the ocean and river mouth.