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...
Full post here: www.strayalongtheway.com/thin...
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. It 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, we'd rate this 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.

[@JustPrick]

legitimately my favorite place on earth. went there for holiday as a teenager for 2 weeks. i'm 31 years old and its still my favorite place on this earth. bury me there ill be smiling forever ^^

[@kuhlekonkenqobani8860]

Proudly a Mtuba, St.Lucia Citizen ❤🇿🇦

[@Strayalongtheway]

Nice!

[@sebastiandzugga]

Thanks for travel information i will be there in 6 weeks.

[@hannesbeukes345]

am here right now and its awesome !!! unspoilt beaches....... for dayzzz

[@eunmijangchannel5803]

Thanks for the sharing

[@salomejansevanrensburg433]

Love st lucia is our happy place

[@Strayalongtheway]

It's our favourite town in SA by far!

[@megan3446]

We go there every single holiday and it is the best place ever. Just don’t swim at Mission rocks and at St. Lucia beach since there are many sharks. You should only swim at Cape vidal. The activities I’ve done 1 2 3 4 6 - haven’t gone on one but sometimes do see from the beach 7 - I Just cycle with my friends! 10 11 12

[@heinzhambrock8034]

You forgot to mention. The most untouched scuba diving experience. Off the coast of Cape Vidal.

[@edwildlife2896]

Awesome video, I am planning a trip to this part of the world early next year and I am very interested in night drive on the Eastern shores. However we won’t be staying in St Lucia, we will be camping at Cape Vidal. Do you know if you can do a night drive from Cape Vidal?

[@edwildlife2896]

As you can tell I’m a newbie when it comes to KZN and Isimangaliso so any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks I’m advanced and great video as always!

[@TheShongwes]

I am planning this trip to February Jozini then st lucia

[@Osnosis]

Ocean Basket (upstairs) and Serene Estate. Horseback on the beach. Diving up north in Kosi. Everybody stay away...at least until after my next trip.

[@thamsanqaxaba9745]

Thank you for this great information, I will be there next month, one of my interests is the horseback ride on the beach and bush, how do I contact them for a booking?

[@Strayalongtheway]

Here is their website: www.bhangazihorsesafaris.com/ Looks like you can book online, or contact them directly.

[@FullNila]

Wow.. planning to go in the next 15 days.. any recommendations for accomodation would be greatly appreciated

[@Strayalongtheway]

What kind of accommodation are you looking for? Camping, hotel, self-catering?

[@FullNila]

@@Strayalongtheway .Thank you for your kind reply.. Between hotel and self catering will be preferable for 2 adults. We are also open if there is a great camping place with neat toilets.

[@Strayalongtheway]

Look up Forest Lodge in St Lucia. They have amazing accommodation!

[@siyasinyekemba1822]

I miss this place I usually stay at AmaZulu lodge,eat at ocean sizzlers can't wait to travel again

[@Strayalongtheway]

Nice! Yeah, once restrictions get lifted, this is the spot to go!

[@BornAdventures]

St Lucia is an incredible place. We've only been there once and didn't know there were so many things to do until watching this video. Ah well, guess we'll have to go back then. Do you need to book for the snorkelling? Or is it okay to go by oneself?

[@Strayalongtheway]

Hey! Definitely go back to St Lucia!! We're heading back ourselves next week. As for the snorkelling - you can go on your own, but the guided experience is well worth it. There are pieces of the wreck of the Dorothea worth learning about, plus, if you're not familiar with how ocean currents work, you can get into some trouble without a guide.

[@Strayalongtheway]

Also, the winter months are the best for snorkelling as there is less wind and rain and the water is crystal clear.

[@goodbarbenie5477]

Ahem...At school we had a teacher who was a Tortoise. He Taught Us. Hahaa Hehee.

[@ihtishaamadam4975]

Lol . How did this not get more likes

[@clemguerin3355]

Hello, I am planning a visit of South Africa for three weeks in September and I would like to have a mix of adventure and relaxing time. Do you know if in September it's possible to enjoy the beach in a bikini in St Lucia or if it's too cold ? Thank you :)

[@Strayalongtheway]

September should be warm enough.

[@brunom.9578]

How is it there in August? To cold for swimming?

[@Strayalongtheway]

August is still OK. The Indian ocean is pretty warm all year round. If you have nice sunny weather, then swimming is no problem at all.

[@jmags4397]

where should one stay in st. lucia?

[@megan3446]

There Are numbers of good places to stay

[@drkthemusicman]

Looks nice but No pitons...

[@Strayalongtheway]

What are pitons?

[@Strayalongtheway]

@Logan Woodhams got it. I always knew there was another St Lucia. Don't know much about it though...thanks for the geography lesson 😀

[@neldaopperman6000]

Where can one find out more about cycling tours?

[@Strayalongtheway]

Hi Nelda - we're going to be sending out a full resource list next week to our email subscribers with information on all of these activities, including the cycle tour - so if you'd like to get that then click on this link (www.strayalongtheway.com/newsletter/) enter in your details and we'll send you that resource list next week

[@robertsteinberger5667]

Careful for trees with needles when renting a. Car, a mistake i made but i got away with it

[@pieterkruger4134]

St Lucia is at the North Coast and not East Coast

[@Strayalongtheway]

Technically, South Africa doesn't have a north coast so it's much easier to describe the coastline in terms of west coast, southern coast and east coast. It's true that St Lucia is on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal though.

[@hitsongsa]

I’m from the island St Lucia & I take offense