Get Close Up at the Crocodile Center and other Lake Saint Lucia, South Africa Things to Do Tips

The St. Lucia Croc Centre was set up to help protect and conserve St. Lucia’s Nile crocodile population. There are many pools of crocodiles on displace from various ages and types. There are baby crocs, juvenile crocs, some old crocs, as well as some North American alligators, dwarf crocodiles and long snout crocodiles from other parts of the world. Croc feeding takes every Saturday at 15:00 as well as 18:30 on Wednesday.
There is also a snake collection featuring many of the regional poisonous snakes. There is a snake demonstration given every Saturday afternoon at 14:00
There are some displays of the ecology and geology of the St. Lucia lake system including the sea, beach, dunes, grasslands and lakes. Some are little cheesy but still informative. There is a curio shop with some interesting croc souvenirs and books as well as a cycad plant nursery.
Light lunches, dinners, and drinks are served at the Tea Garden.

Wheelchair friendly

One of the most hysterical signs can be seen here. Check it out on my St. Lucia Page

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Phone: 27 035 5901 386
Address: St. Lucia, Kwazulu-Natal
Directions: 2km out of St Lucia Village on the road to Cape Vidal.
Website: www.ksnwildlife.com
Other Contact: croc-center@kznwildlife.com

Make sure you take the 2 hour boat tour. You will see lots of crocodile and hippos as well as many birds including goliath heron, grey herons, and african fish eagles. You may have excellent opportunties to get up close to the hippos and crocs.

There are several boats that leave from St. Lucia Resort from the pier on the west side of the village near BiB's International Backpackers. The tours leave in the morning at 8am, 10:30am and in the afternoon at 3pm. I recommend the afternoon tour so you can be on the water during sunset.

The cost is R100 and can be booked at the backpackers or the many travel agents in town.

Make sure you get to the pier 20 minutes early.

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Address: St. Lucia Resort, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Directions: Pier on the western side of town near BiB's

There are an estimated 1000 hippopotamus in the Greater St. Lucia Wetland area. Hippopotamus is the heaviest land mammal in world behind the elephant. It is also the most dangerous animal to humans causing more deaths each year, with exception to the mosquito. Hippos have enormous heads with long lower canines that can grow up to 18” (45 cm) long. They also have a pair of lower incisors that grow up to 10” (25 cm) long. An adult male can weigh up to 7000 lb (3200 kg). Although they are vegetarian they are fiercely territorial, which is what makes them dangerous. The males maintain their female herds by guarding the stretch of water from other males. They scent mark their territory by spraying urine with a propeller like action from their tail.
Hippos feed mostly at night out of water covering up to 6 miles (10 km) and eating about 40 kg of vegetation. They social and relax in the water during they day giving them a very lazy appearance. Although hippos are enormous they are not fat. They are extremely muscular and thick skins, up to 2 inches (5 cm). They can out run a human out of the water for very short distances.

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Address: Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, Kwazulu-Natal

There are an estimated 2000 Nile crocodiles in St. Lucia Greater Wetland Reserve. They can be seen up and down the entire lack system. One of the best ways to see crocs is to take the Hippo Lake tour that leaves from St. Lucia. The Croc Center is also a place to get some good shots and info on the crocodiles and their environment.

Crocs spend their early years feeding on insects and amphibians in sheltered coves. They reach maturity around age 12 and reach 7 feet (2 m) and predominately eat fish and smaller antelope. Adult crocs can live up to 80 years and can grow up to 20 feet (6 m). Adult crocs can weigh up to 2,200 lbs (1,000 kg). Usually crocs are seen sitting on the shore sunning themselves. It has to be a site to see a large croc ambush a zebra or a wildebeest.

One of the more interesting behaviours with crocodiles are the hard work the mother does in digging a hole with her hind legs and burring 20 to 80 eggs covering them with sand and other vegetation to incubate the eggs at the proper temperature. The mothers have an incredible sense as to what temperature to keep the nest as too hot make too many males and too cold makes too many females. Most nests are 50/50 male/female. When the mother hears peeping sounds she opens the nest. The small crocs can communicate while in the egg and when one starts to peep and break the egg the others shortly follow. The mother will then gather up the baby crocs in her mouth and wash them in the river. The baby crocs will stay with the mother for several months in a sheltered cove as the babies are extremely vulnerable. The Nile monitor lizard is a constant threat to the eggs and to the small crocs and are responsible for 50% of casualties.
Crocs are incredibly well camouflaged and are extremely dangerous around the river’s edge. They are also fast runners on land over short distances. Never walk close to the water’s edge. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they are not there.

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Address: St. Lucia Greater Wetlands Reserve, Kwazulu-Natal

From the Croc Center there are several trails that actually go into St. Lucia Game Reserve. There is a loop trail and a lake trail that takes you to the lake side. The trails are fairly well marked. You have a good chance to see zebra, wildebeest, warthog, and hippo if you go to the lake. I also spotted crowned hornbill for bird enthusiats, a mangrove crab if you enjoy shell fish, and a dung beetle if your hobby is entomology. Along the lake you have an opportunity to see a mangrove forest. It's quite facinating.

Look out though! This is leopard, buffalo, elephant, croc, black rhino and hippo country. So be carefull

One of the best parts about coming here for a walk is it's free. You don't get charged admission.

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Directions: The trail head is at the parking lot of the Croc Center located 1km north of St. Lucia Resort along the road to Cape Vidal

Inside the St. Lucia Game Reserve you can take several nice walks from Mission Rocks located 13 km north of the Croc Center and park gate. The Emoyeni trail and Mziki trail heads are here. Now it would seem from the literature that you need to book these trails. The whole Mziki trail is a self guided trail that costs around R40 per day and takes 3 days walking 40 km. The Emoyeni trail requires a guide and costs R30 per day takes 5 days walking 65 km.
I don't see what is keeping one from make day walks of these trails. The Mziki trail goes out to Mfazana Pan and to several lakes. These lakes are great places to see a variety of water birds including these that I spotted:
goliath heron
blackheaded heron
grey heron
great white egret
hadehah ibis
yellowbilled stork
moorhen
spurwinged goose
black smith plover

You may also see hippos in the pools as well as red duiker, kudu, impala, waterbuck, wildebeest, steenbok. We were also very fortunate to see a savanah monitor lizard and a leopard.

Along the trail we saw leopard prints and hippo tracks everywhere and sure enough at one of the pools the leopard came out to check things out and jumped back into the jungle. Fantastic!

The Emoyeni trail goes to the catalina wreck in the St. Lucia lake. Those catalinas were very active during WWII to hunt German subs.

I really recommend taking one of these walks.

Take care and look out for dangerous animals. Buffalo, elephant, black rhino, leopard, hippo, and croc live here.

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Directions: Mission Rocks is 13 km north of the Croc Center on the right.

From Mission Rocks you can continue east and check out great views of the Indian Ocean. The views are really nice. It is rarely visited by tourist and is a great place to see sunset or sunrise. The Cape Vidal Dunes are also facinating as you must go through dense dune forest to reach the beach which is full vines.

From the parking lot there are bathroom facilities and braiis. Look out for all the vervet monkey that may try to steel your food.

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Directions: Turn right 13 kms north of Croc Center towards Cape Vidal. Follow the road to the parking lot.

Cape Vidal is more of resort area than a park. It has beautiful beaches where people like to sun themselves, kick the football around, fish, and snorkel. The dunes here run all along the coast and are 150 m high. The dune forests are facinating and have an abundance of interesting life in them. Look out for the rare Samango Monkey. There are also plenty of vervet monkey so look out for them. They will steel your food.

There is accommodation at Bhangazi. Camping, log cabins, and dormitory beds are all available and are located in the Tewati Wilderness Area located up the dunes a bit off of the beach.

This is also the trail head for the St. Lucia Wilderness trail (4 days)

Cape Vidal is about 30 km north of the Croc Centre and main gate to St. Lucia Game Reserve. The road is all paved. Look out for wildlife along the road. We saw two black rhino just off the road. This is also leopard territory. Most people speed on this road just to get to the beach.

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Address: Cape Vidal, Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Reserve
Directions: About 32 km north of St. Lucia Resort
Website: www.ksnwildlife.com

Hluhluwe (shlo-shlo-wee) is apart of the Kwazulu-Natal Park system and is located 15km West off of the N12. You can rent a car at Imperial rent a car and use St. Lucia Resort as a base to explore the park. If you don't like this cheaper and better option there are full day and half day tours of the area that can be booked at the backpackers or many of the travel agencies in town.

Hluhluwe is really one park with Umfolozi to the South. Both are connected by a corridor so the animals can move freely between both parks. Here you kind find wildlife in a beautiful landscape. The best part about thereserves in Kwazulu-Natal are the game hides. They are the best in South Africa and quite possibly the best in Africa (Quite a daring statement I know).

These parks are particulary known for their populations of white rhino and wild dog.

See my Hluhluwe Page for more detail information.

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Address: Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Directions: It is about 50 Km North North-West of Mtubatuba and about 80 from St. Lucia. The main gate is 15 km west off the N2 on R618.
Website: www.ksnwildlife.com

Umfolozi is apart of the Kwazulu-Natal Park system and is 50 Km North North-West of Mtubatuba and about 80 from St. Lucia. It is really one park with Hluhluwe to the North. Both are connected by a corridor so the animals can move freely between both parks.

You can rent a car at Imperial rent a car and use St. Lucia Resort as a base to explore the park. If you don't like this cheaper and better option there are full day and half day tours of the area that can be booked at the backpackers or many of the travel agencies in town.

Here you kind find wildlife in a beautiful landscape. The best part about the reserves in Kwazulu-Natal are the game hides. They are the best in South Africa and quite possibly the best in Africa (Quite a daring statement I know).

The park is particularly known for its large populations of white rhino. They can be found just about everywhere, but always seem to swing by the water holes late in the day and hang out for a long time. Hluhluwe-Umfolozi was one of the last bastions for white rhino and now many other parks get their rhinos stocked from here.

See my Imfolozi Page for more detailed information.

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Address: Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Directions: The park is about 50 km fro Mtubatuba. The main gate is about 15 km west on the R618 off of the N2. You can head south into Imfolozi or north into Hluhluwe from here.
Website: www.ksnwildlife.com