iSimangaliso Wetland Park

South Africa is a fascinating country both for its unique geographical location, at the meeting point of two oceans, both for its troubled recent political history: apartheid, both for its beautiful landscapes and colors.

About landscapes and colors,  iSimangaliso Wetland Park is a perfect example… In fact, in the Zulu language the word iSimangaliso means “a wonder thing”.

With its 3280 km2, it is the third largest protected area in South Africa. It has 280 km of rugged and pristine coastline that overlooks the Indian Ocean and it includes the picturesque estuary of Lake Saint Lucia with the homonym marine reserve.

The above mentioned estuary is the largest in Africa; it is the habitat of various animal species. It has also the higher dunes forest, which reach up to 180 meters; among which  fresh water creeps, this water will then mix with the salt water of ocean.

In lake and marshy areas, facing the coast, over 500 species of birds live: Pelicans with white back and pink back, flamingos and ospreys.

In this area there is absolute prohibition of bathing … due to a very reasonable cause… there are 1200 crocodiles of the Nile and they live with about 800 hippos! It’s “strongly” advised not to disturb them ….

The marine reserve of this immense park includes not only the beaches but also the coral reefs, thanks to the warm Indian Ocean, they teem with underwater life. In addition, between June and November, it’s possible to observe the migration of humpback whales because they choose this area to mate.

In this wonderful natural environment is possible to admire a fauna and flora as perhaps nowhere else in the world… 8 different ecosystems coexist in the park that integrate seamlessly with each other.

The great, unforgotten and unforgettable Nelson Mandela said about the iSimangaliso Wetland Park: “The only place in the world where the oldest and largest land mammal (the rhinoceros and the elephant) share an ecosystem with the oldest fish in the world (the coelacanth) and the largest marine mammal (the whale)”.

T H E   V I D E O S

Hi Babu, we feel your absence… this planet is poorer when you’re gone!

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