St. Lucia is located within the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park about two and a half hours north of Durban. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1999 because of its large biodiversity, unique ecosystems and amazing natural beauty. The park is home to 1,200 Nile Crocodiles and 800 Hippopotami. Marine turtles, including the leatherback and loggerhead, nest along the extensive shores of the park. The leatherback turtle is considered to be critically endangered.
On Friday night we went on our six hour turtle tour. Though we saw many other nocturnal animals, we did not see any turtles laying their eggs.
The closest we got to a turtle sighting was seeing a nest that had unfortunately been destroyed by honey badgers.
On Saturday morning we did a boat tour along the St. Lucia Estuary, which is the largest estuarine ecosystem on the African continent and boasts the largest concentration of hippos in South Africa.
We passed by a couple of crocodiles lazying around in the water, including one debating whether to eat a bird or not.
We saw some hippos along the shore, including a mama hippo and a baby hippo. The baby was too cute. There were also a whole bunch of hippos in the water.
We saw a hippo with a bird on his back. Symbiosis at its best I say!
There were also weaver birds along the banks of the estuary. The weavers build the most elaborate nests of any bird. It is usually the male birds who weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females.
We had a great time on the boat tour.
The weather was amazing and both Cesar and Ali had a bit of a sunburn by the end.
In the afternoon we decided to drive to some of the local markets. We made a stop at the Ilala Weavers to look for traditional Zulu baskets. Basket weaving is a true Zulu artform. Every basket is made by hand, using indigenous raw materials, such as the fronds of the Ilala Palm. It can take up to one month to produce a medium-sized basket that will be unique in size, shape and pattern. Ilala Weavers helps over 2,000 Zulu people from the area, both men and women, to attain self sufficiency, by allowing them to work from their homes and promote their heritage.
We also visited the Dumazulu Traditional Village. Though set up as a tourist attraction, the tour was very insightful into the lifestyle, traditions and culture of the Zulu people.
Our guide talked to us about marriage traditions, including the custom of lobola. Lobola is a payment that a Zulu man must make to his fiancée's family for her hand in marriage. Traditionally, the price was 11 cows, though nowadays the payment can be made in cash. Lobola can be very burdensome on young people and can often act as a financial barrier to marriage. (And you thought engagement rings were bad!)
Our tour ended with some traditional stick-fighting and Zulu dancing.
On Sunday morning we drove through the St. Lucia Game Reserve to Cape Vidal. The beaches there were absolutely beautiful and extended as far as the eye could see. Though we had spent a few long hours on those same beaches searching for turtles a couple of nights prior, during the day the beach at Cape Vidal came to life. There were people fishing, swimming, tanning, and playing in the sand.
Driving through the game reserve we saw a number of different animals (but unfortunately no leopards). We saw lots of kudus...
...and bushbucks.
Cesar spotted a mama warthog with baby warthogs.
Ali almost ran over a couple of zebras which were hanging out on the road. Of course they got startled and ran off.
Though we didn't see any turtles, we had a wonderful time in St. Lucia. And who knows... Maybe we'll get to try again...
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