MTUNZINI, PARADISE VILLAGE ON THE NORTH COAST OF KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA

A FEAST FOR NATURE LOVERS

The village of Mtunzini, the jewel of the Kwazulu-Natal North Coast boasts several unique features. Golden sands, forest- covered dunes, small lakes and a large lagoon [see picture on the right], which makes a visit to the town a must. The beach is popular for swimming, surfing, angling and watersports, especially waterskiing. There's also excellent fishing in the lagoon. Then, of course, there's the Umlalazi Nature Reserve, with it's variety of small game, river bank beaches and nature trails.

Mtunzini borders on the Umlalazi Reserve, which is run by the Natal Parks Board. They have marked out trails which go through the dune forest, where hikers inevitably come across bush pig, reed buck and blue and grey duiker. These are wonderfull walks with glimpses of the sea and estuary through the trees. These tranquil dune forests fringe sun-drenched beaches - a fisherman's paradise and nature lover's retreat. A tidal lagoon forms part of a beautiful coastal wetland area with all it's unique plants and creatures. Mtunzini's diverse ecological systems are home to a bountiful variety of flora and fauna. There are around 300 species of birds, 250 species of trees, numerous mammals, a great variety of fish and many other undocumented wonders of Africa's bounty. Annually, a spectacular migration of butterflies brings the bush to life.

Mtunzini has one of the best examples of mangrove swamps in South-Africa. It is also the home of the extremely rare palm nut vulture, and is one of only two places in the country where the raphia palms grow, trees so rare that they were proclaimed a national monument in 1942.

Above: View of the beach on the Indian Ocean at Mtunzini, where a stretch of 30 kilometers of sand is accessible to beach vehicles. The sea temperature is rarely under 20 degrees centrigrade.

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Webpage by Bobby Loubser 23/08/98