The Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park stretches from Maphelana in the south to the Mozambique border in the north and includes the St Lucia Estuary, Charter’s Creek, Fanie’s Island, the False Bay Park, Cape Vidal and Sodwana Bay. The coastline stretches approximately 280km and this is where Tropical and Subtropical weather systems; river life and sea life meet. It is said that the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park has more species of animals than in the Kruger National Park and Okavango Delta.
7 Eco-systems interact and coexist within an area of 260,000ha
* · Lake St Lucia : the largest salt water lake in Africa.
* · Marine eco-system : sandy beaches and the southern-most coral reefs on earth.
* · The Eastern shores : separates the lake and sea.
* · Mkuze swamps : caused by washed-down river sediment.
* · Western shores : forests and fossil marine life.
* · Coral Reef eco-system : includes all the coral reefs along the coastline.
* · Mfabeni eco-system : dune forest separating lake and sea.
The Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park offers:
* · Different weather systems
* · Different ecosystems
* · Submarine canyons
* · Sandy beaches
* · Dune forests
* · Wetlands
* · Grasslands
* · Forests
* · Lakes
* · Savannas
There are less places where you can find a sense of blissful solitude and magical energy like in The Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park home to the second oldest wilderness game reserve in South Africa the highest vegetated sand dunes in the world.
Having absorbed the magical energy and spiritual presence inherent to this World Heritage Site, you will leave St Lucia restored and rejuvenated – a natural “tonic” that everyone should experience.
“The Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park must be the only place on the globe where the world’s oldest land mammal (the rhinoceros) and the world’s biggest terrestrial mammal (the elephant) share an ecosystem with the world’s oldest fish (the coelacanth) and the world’s biggest mammal (the whale).” – Nelson Mandela.