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.
