iSimangaliso Wetland Park

iSimangaliso – meaning miracle, or the greatest thing you will ever see – is centered around the Lake St Lucia lagoon system and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. The Park includes the lake, beaches, grasslands, dune forests, and marine reserve. It is home to exceptional biodiversity, featuring over 500 bird species. This is the largest estuarine system in Africa and includes the southernmost extension of coral reefs. Among its attractions are the world’s highest forested sand dunes, large numbers of nesting turtles, whales, dolphins, whale sharks, and huge numbers of waterfowl including large breeding colonies of pelicans. In recent years, buffalo and elephants have been reintroduced onto the eastern shores of the lake.