Sodwana Bay National Park, South Africa

KwaZulu Natal Game Reserves

Sodwana Bay National Park, KwaZulu Natal

Sodwana Bay National Park

The small Sodwana Bay National Park consists of a narrow coastal strip of forest covered sand dunes. Sodwana Bay National Park was proclaimed in 1950 and is an angler’s paradise.

Sodwana is a fairly remote area but people travel a long way to drive along the endless beaches in their four-wheel drive vehicles and to dive the coral reefs teaming with colourful fish and some giants of the sea such as whale sharks and manta rays.

Situated within the St Lucia Wetland Park, Sodwana Bay National Park is renowned for its scuba diving, snorkelling and deep-sea fishing. The reef at Sodwana National Park has 14 rocky reefs, covered with coral, and a wide variety of tropical fish. These reefs, estimated to be over 4000 years old have plenty of caves, overhangs and pinnacles. They are covered with soft and hard corals, and can be dived all year round. Most species of shark have been spotted at Sodwana, and recently three coelacanths approximately 1.5m in length were photographed at a depth of 115m.

Scuba Diving in Sodwana Bay National Park

The south flowing Agulhas current hits the continental shelf a few kilometres offshore, and this deep water is home to marlin and sailfish.

There are excellent snorkelling spots at Sodwana Bay, Kingfisher Bay, Adlams, Algae Reef and Mabibi, all accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle along the beach. These reefs are abundant in goldies, lionfish, zebras, wrass, crayfish, feather stars, rays and moray eels.

Coral Divers in Sodwana Bay in KwaZulu Natal operate a dive camp and offer numerous dive packages, equipment hire, as well as various PADI dive courses. Dive the Big Five offer tour packages and safaris that put forward all kinds of diving around South Africa, from reef to wreck, shark and cage diving.

Sodwana Bay National Park

Accommodation nearby

For accommodation in and around Sodwana Bay National Park:
• Sodwana Bay Accommodation
• Mabibi Accommodation
• Mkuze Accommodation
• Hluhluwe Accommodation
• Lake Sibaya Accommodation

Or to see accommodation in all towns in the region, visit Elephant Coast Accommodation.

Sodwana Bay National Park

Featured Attractions / Activities

Sodwana Bay Attractions

Where: Sodwana Bay

Sodwana Bay, meaning ‘little one on its own’ in Zulu, lies within the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park, a World Heritage Site, and forms part of a continuous protected area stretching 150 km from the Mozambique border south ... more information

Beach Rides on Horse Back

Where: St Lucia
How much (per person): On Request

We take the horses out along Iphiva Beach at the northern end of St Lucia where there are many kilometres of clean white sand with the Indian Ocean rolling ... more information

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game and nature reserves in kwazulu natal

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KwaZulu Natal Family Friendly Accommodation