Umzumbe, South Coast

The cosy little hamlet of Umzumbe lies between the Umzumbe and Ingambili Rivers, just 5 kilometres south of Hibberdene and 100 kilometres from Durban. The village itself is almost blanketed in a wild dune forest, access to its unspoilt beach is easy, and it offers a slice of the paradise that is this part of the coast. Life here is languid, relaxed and typical of the Hibiscus coast - one comes here to slow down and enjoy the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, one’s day governed only by the rising and setting of the sun and little else.

Spearfishing is popular in Umzumbe as the Umzumbe point is the most prominent tip south of Hibberdene - a prime area for garrick and brusher; and the shallow reefs northwards in the bay moving up towards the river open up on to a rocky shore that is ideal for big rock lobster. But if leopard crawling on the sands of the ocean doesn’t grab you, then snorkelling, water-skiing and surfing might.

The Wild Coast Sun casino is just a 45 minute drive from here, if you must have a break from the seashore, and there is access to no fewer than seven golf courses including: the Wild Coast Country Club, the Umdoni Park Golf Course, the Selborne Golf Resort in Pennington, Port Shepstone Country Club and the Margate Country Club - many a golfing fanatic heads this way purely because the sublime weather allows one to play throughout the year.