St Lucia Accommodation

St Lucia accommodation options are ideal for visitors to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal. The quaint holiday town of St Lucia is located at the southern entrance to the park, only 250km from Durban - which makes it a convenient base from which to explore this 328 thousand hectare World Heritage Site. This is possibly the best venue for eco-tourism accommodation in South Africa, with sections of the park having been protected since 1895. Read more

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park centres on Lake St Lucia, an enormous estuary that runs parallel to 280km of protected coastline - separated from the ocean by a magnificent line of forested sand-dunes, which are the highest of their kind in the world. More than 500 species of bird call this wetland home or use it during migration, while 1200 Nile crocodiles inhabit the area - and the park protects South Africa's largest hippopotamus population which is 800-strong. Even though this wetland region is what St Lucia is best known for, the park boasts enormous biodiversity, which includes rhino (both black and white), buffalo, elephant and giraffe. Just off the coast one can witness dolphins and whales frolicking in the surf - one which hides Africa's southernmost reef. St Lucia is also known to be the country's top turtle-tour destination, with a good chance that your guide will find you a sea-turtle. If spotting a loggerhead or leatherback turtle is of special interest to you, then November is the best time of year to visit as this is when they venture onto St Lucia's beaches to lay their eggs.

In recent years, the little town of St Lucia has really come into its own, offering not only a greater variety of hotels, guesthouses and holiday-homes to let, but also a range of shops and restaurants. Even though the obvious attraction is the world-famous reserve at your doorstep, the town certainly offers something for everyone - from walking trails and world-class diving in coral reefs to tanning on a sandy beach or fishing. There is summer rainfall from December to February, but with 300 days of sunshine here, you can be confident in booking your St Lucia accommodation for any time of the year.