"Greater St Lucia Wetlands" Top 5 Page for this destination Lake Saint Lucia by GerryFM

Lake Saint Lucia Travel Guide: 68 reviews and 168 photos

The River Banks of Lake St Lucia - Lake Saint Lucia

Welcome to Lake St Lucia

The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park is one of the jewels of the South African coastline. Located on the north-eastern coast of KwaZulu Natal, stretching from Kozi Bay in the north to Cape St Lucia in the south, the park was the first in South Africa to be declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

The Park's uniqueness lies in its remarkable diversity, particularly its combination of a subtropical coastline and a classic African game park.

It is South Africa's third-largest park, spanning 280 kilometres of coastline, from the Mozambican border in the north to Mapelane south of the St Lucia estuary, and made up of around 328 000 hectares of pristine natural ecosystems – including swamps, lake systems, beaches, coral reefs, wetlands, woodlands and coastal forests.

The park takes in a 60 kilometre river mouth that creates a huge estuary, Lake St Lucia, running parallel to the coast and separated from the sea by the world's highest forested sand dunes. The lake is part of the St Lucia estuarine system, the largest estuarine system in Africa.

The park incorporates the whole of Lake St Lucia, the St Lucia and Maputaland Marine Reserves, the Coastal Forest Reserve and the Kosi Bay Natural Reserve. The 40 0000 hectare Mkuzi Game Reserve is also in the process of being incorporated into the park.

St Lucia's wide variety of ecosystems and natural habitats provides for an astounding diversity of species in the area. With its lakes, lagoons, freshwater swamps and grasslands, St Lucia supports more species of animal than the better-known and much larger Kruger National Park and Okavango Delta - from the country’s largest population of hippos and crocodiles to Giant Leatherback turtles, black rhino, leopards, and a vast array of bird and marine life.

Please obey Traffic Signs

Nile Croc at Lake St Lucia

Parking penalties carry severe penalties ;)

Cape Vidal

Cape Vidal Beach

The coastline of the St Lucia is incredible!!

I took this picture at Cape Vidal, which is a popular destinations for Campers.

Last visit to Lake Saint Lucia: Oct 2004
Intro Updated Nov 22, 2004
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Reviews (4)

Leatherback Turtle on the beach at St Lucia - Lake Saint Lucia

Turtle Tours Things to Do (2)

Turtles weighing just shy of 400kg, and in some cases more than a ton, glide effortlessly through the warm Indian Ocean.... more travel advice

Humpback Whale leaps from the water at St Lucia - Lake Saint Lucia

Whale Watching Things to Do (2)

A fantastic trip from Lake St Lucia, is a Whale Watching Trip. You get up close and face to face with the 5th largest... more travel advice

Do not swim in the Lake Warnings and Dangers (1)

The picture is self explanatory more travel advice

Pool at Namib Safari Lodge - Lake Saint Lucia

Self Catering Apartments Hotels (1)

Namib Safari Lodge is a clean secure Self Catering apartment block. The units come with kitchen, lounge and seperate... more travel advice

Travelogues (2)

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Comments (3)

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aramat May 25, 2006 at 5:29 PM

Great pictures - I especially love the rhino family :)
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Tinci Nov 10, 2004 at 1:43 PM

What an awesome sunset! WIsh I was there. . . .
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Travelchili Oct 11, 2004 at 5:28 AM

Absolutely stunning pictures!! That turtle is unbelievable! I wish I could have taken a trip up there when I was in South Africa. I guess I'll have to take another trip to South Africa very soon :)