From St Lucia to Cape Vidal

Inside the iSimangaliso park, on the road to Cape Vidal, a host of new loop roads have been opened to the public. This is the result of a park and road infrastructure upgrade process that also serves to provide employment for the local community.

The nature scenes on these new loop roads are spectacular, and the newly surfaced untarred roads are in good condition.

Once again my attempts to spot the iSimangiliso elephant population were fruitless. A tourist in town told me that she had encountered them that morning near Catalina Bay, and that the herd reacted very aggresively to the presence of her car.

Nelson Mandela described iSimangaliso as "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 marine mammal, the whale"

Closer to Cape Vidal green hills spotted with tree stumps can be seen. This is a result of the commercial forestry plantations started in the park in the 1950s. These forests of pine and gum trees have now been cleared and commercial forestry in the park has stopped.

At Cape Vidal, underwater visibility depends largely on when last it has rained and what direction the wind is blowing. Let me explain. When it rains the Umfolozi river to the south of the park comes down and pushes muddy water into the sea. As little as 2 days' worth of southerly winds will blow the muddy water up to Cape Vidal. At least 3-4 days of steady northerly winds are needed again to improve visibility.

So try to plan your vacation from May to September, the dry months. For some reason the variety of sea life is also better during these months.

Camping, queues and monkeys!

Just returned from St Lucia - still my favourite holiday spot in the country. We spent 2 weeks in a tent in Sugarloaf camp - right at the mouth of the estuary. By the way, I think the people you see standing at the side of the eastuary in the distance are brave, what with all the crocodiles and hippos in the water.

The ablution blocks are a bit rustic to put it euphimistically, but the stand we had was gloriously private, large and hidden away in the foliage. I won't tell which number it is, as we aim to get it again next year, that is if we can't get a spot inside Cape Vidal camp or forest lodge.

The monkeys are an extreme nuisance - don't leave food in your tent. They will even tear open mosquito netting to get at the food.

Not so fortunate for the locals (but lucky for us) was that it only rained for 2 days out of the 2 weeks we camped there. St Lucia and surround have not had too much rain in the last year or so, and some locals were complaining a lot about this.

As this was my first mid-December foray to St Lucia, I was quite surprised by how hectic the mad season can get over there. Getting into the iSimangaliso (St Lucia) wetland park can turn into an inconvenience if one arrives at the wrong time.

As only 120 cars are allowed inside the park at any time, you have to sit and wait outside until someone decides to come out. So, if you have overslept a bit and only rock up between 7h00 and 13h00 in December, the queue will probably look like this.

Snorkeling tips

• Use a mask that does not leak. This can usually be tested by placing the mask on your face without looping the strap round your head. Press down ever so slightly and see if it stays on your face. If it does, it won't let in water.
• The snorkel will spend quite some time in your mouth. Ensure that it fits comfortably. A raw chafed mouth will ruin the rest of your vacation.
• Get some information on your snorkeling spot from locals before you enter the water. They can give you a heads-up on any nasty currents, entry locations, local sea life that can be a problem (like bluebottles), etc.
• Get a weather report on the day you plan to snorkel.
• Know your limitations as a snorkeler. How good are you at treading water, how easily do you tire, lung capacity. Do you easily panic in the water?
• Have a snorkel buddy who can look out for you.
• Even though the sun might hammer you, the best visibility underwater is when the sun is directly overhead - between 11h00 and 15h00. Sun block is essential.
• If you kill the local fauna, you spoil the scenery for the rest of us.

Cape Vidal Snorkeling

Of all the easy snorkeling spots in Southern Africa, Cape Vidal must be one of my favourites. The layout of the reef makes snorkeling easy and effortless.

The water is clear and visibility is excellent if you manage to catch low tide between 10h00 and 15h00. There are tons of fish to see, and of course, there is the wreck of the Dorothea, the infamous gold carrier of the Kruger millions. Some shots of the mast and anchor are online at http://www.easysnorkeling.co.za/index_files/CapeVidal.htm. Although you can snorkel Cape Vidal year-round, it is recommended to come in summer as natural sand movement in the bay tends to silt up the snorkeling spot somewhat in winter. A mild current will tug gently at you in the direction of the open end of the reef when the tide ebbs. Even a novice swimmer will be able to compensate for this, just don't forget about it while you look at pretty fish and eventually find yourself in open water!

What sets Cape Vidal apart from other Elephant Coast spots is the road infrastructure. Where with other snorkeling spots like Kosi Bay and Mabibi you need a 4x4, here you have tarred roads all the way from the highway. St Lucia is conveniently situated about 30 kilometres away, and the marvellous Hluhluwe Imfolozi big 5 reserve is less than an hour's drive away.

To get to Cape Vidal camp from St. Lucia, you enter the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a world heritage site. Here you can spot lots of game, as well as rhino, hippo, leopard (which I have never seen here), and elephant (also never seen here). But you might have better luck spotting them than I have had. The camp itself is in the wetland park, but it is fenced off to make a barbeque after sunset less of an extreme sport.