Getaway May_2019

Maputalandcoast’swatersformorethan

10 years,andlaunchedtheboatexpertly

offStLucia’sbeachsothatit slicedsmoothly

throughthefamouslyroughsurf.However

badthechoppyseasmightbeforthe

queasy,thisturbulencehelpedourmarine-

mammalquest.

‘Thewhalesusethisswelltopropeltheir

bodiesupandoutofthewater,’saidBerno,

ashepoweredforwardtogetoutintoopen

water,wheretwohumpbackwhalessoon

begantheirenchantingantics.Breaching,

blowingandseeminglywavingtheirfinsat

us,it wasworththeearly-morningwake-up.

Backonland,I visitedthecolourfulstalls

onMcKenzieStreet,alongwitha troopof

vervetmonkeyswhoeyedoutthetempting

tropicalfruitsondisplay.I didn’tblamethem

• I couldn’tresistthesweetaromaofmango,
  pineappleandpapayaeither.Furtheralong
  themainroad,I wanderedintoLidikoLodge.
  Thereceptionareahasa thatchedroofbuilt
  backin1940,andbelowtheoldbeams,doors
  salvagedfromtheTimavo, a WWII shipwreck,
  havebeenbuiltintothelounge.Themanager,
  KerryStewart,alsosharedadvicefortherest
  ofmystay.‘Don’twalkaroundat night.Not
  becauseofcrime,buttheanimals.Twoweeks
  agoa leopardwasspotted,andwehavehippos
  inourbackgardenat leastthreetimesa week.’
  Aftermynightdrive,I didn’tneedtellingtwice.
  Duringtheday,however,walkingis highly
  recommended– andusuallyhippo-free.The
  iGwalaGwalaTrail,rightontheedgeoftown,
  passesthroughforestfilledwithcreatures.
  A strollalongthebeach,ineitherdirection,
  willrewardyouwithbeautifulscenery.
  Youcanalsocanteralongtheseashoreon
  a Bhangazihorsetrail,cyclethroughnearby

KhulavillagewithSiyabongaNgwaneordive

inandsnorkeltheproductiveinshorereefsof

thepark’smarine-protectedcoastline.

RickandEliseStadlerhavebeenscoping

outtheunderseacreaturesofCapeVidalfor

morethantwoyears,andeasilypinpointed

allthegoodstuff:diamondrays,littlemoonies,

colourfulnudibranchsandevenanoctopus

camouflagedagainsta rock,eyeinguswarily.

‘Weoftenmeetclientsearlyhereonthe

beach(anhour’sdrivenorthfromStLucia).

Morningsintheparkarealwaysamazing,

andthere’sa greatchanceofseeingleopards

andspottedhyenas.Theparkhasoneofthe

highest-densitypopulationsofleopardin

SouthAfrica,especiallytheMissionRocks

areaandnearthegrasslandloop,’saidRick.

I wassceptical,butonmydrivebackto

townI sawa leoparddartswiftlyoverthetar

roadminutesbeforeI reachedtheparkgate.

It happenedsoquickly,onlythereactionofthe

driverinthecarinfront– wideeyesandfrantic

gestures– confirmedthatI hadindeedseen

anelegantfelinedisappearingintotheforest.

Onmylastevening,Lindymetmeagain

fordinner,whereI excitedlyrecountedmy

big-catsighting.iSimangalisoWetlandPark’s

arrayofanimalsis themainreasonvisitors

flocktoStLucia: 526 birdspecies, 129 mammal

species(includingwhales)plus 109 reptile

species.StLuciais a springboardforthis

wildernessbutit’salsoa townwherethe

wildernesscomestoyou.Fromourtableon

theterraceat Braza,wewatcheda hippostroll

downMcKenzieStreet.

‘That’swhatmakesStLuciathewayit is,’

Lindyobserved,moretoherselfthantome.

‘Thereshouldn’tbefencesorwalls.Wildlife

mustmovefreely.’

KerryStewart,lodgemanager

‘Fisherman’sRestaurant

& Pubis a placetogetto

knowthelocals,andit has

the freshestfish in town.’

035 -590 -1257

RickandEliseStadler,

marinetourguides

‘WalktoBatCavefrom

MissionRocksduringlow

tide. There’susuallyno one

aroundandit’sa beautiful

45-minutebeach walk.’

Where do the

locals go?

RIGHT The uMthoma Aerial

Boardwalk in the Western

Shores section of the park

provides gorgeous views

of Lake St Lucia.

Melanie van Zyl

Themba Mthembu, birding guide

‘Honeymoon Bend is home to

plenty of our winter birding

specials: white-starred robins,

spotted ground thrushes and

mangrove kingfishers.’

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insider’s guide st lucia