Introduction

Africa is so amazingly diverse, if you can imagine it - we have it somewhere. (As well as a lot off stuff that people find hard to imagine!) Be it a lazy, tropical Island breakaway or a hard core, adrenaline filled adventure - I will do my best to help you get the most out of your holiday. Seeing that this blog is a brand new project - it will take a while to grow. If you have a particular destination in mind that has not been featured yet, just send me a mail and I will assist in any way possible. Postings on this blog are based on personal experience. I plan to rate places and venues visited on a 'must go' or 'avoid' basis. I will also give a Lemon Award to the very worst festering pits that I have had the misfortune of stumbling across... If you have a comment, or your own input - lets have it! Complaints and compliments received from readers will be forwarded to the relevant venue for comment and/or follow up action. Please bear in mind that opinions expressed in this blog are my personal views only and I do not presume to know everybodys tastes... Any other advice dispensed is based on personal experience, and may not be factually correct. I therefore will not be held responsible if you do something silly after reading my advice on the matter. My main purpose here is to help you to think and plan in the right directions. I trust that you will have as much fun visiting this blog as I plan to have while writing the posts.

Monday 24 September 2007

Hibiscus Coast

Kwazulu Natal boasts many fine holiday destinations and offers a whole variety of different types of nature to explore – from the Drakensberg Mountains, to the rolling hills of Zululand, to the fine subtropical coast line and warm ocean. There are also a lot of different nature conservation areas – I am personally convinced that KZN Wildlife and KZN Tourism are the most effective organisations of their kind in SA…

On a recent fact finding mission to the KwaZulu Natal South Coast, I was fortunate to spend a few great days again in an area where we used to spend summer holidays when I was still at school. The Hibiscus Coast used to be the main holiday destination for most of the South Africans that live inland. With the advent of the Cape Coast and Cape Town as the main coastal destination in SA, things have quietened down a fair bit in this very lush, balmy part of SA and I will advise any one with a bit of time on their hands to spend some time here on the SA East Coast.

For this post I will focus on the KZN South Coast (Hibiscus Coast) as to talk about the whole province will take ages.

The Beaches
The Hibiscus Coast offers a whole lot of fine, sandy beaches – too many to name really. A few of the better known ones are: Margate, Uvongo, Shelly Beach, Port Shepstone, Port Edward etc…

The Mozambique current that flows southwards down the Eastern Coast of SA ensures that the water temperature is pleasant right throughout the year. Surfers especially love this part of our coastline. Water temperatures vary between approx 20˚C in winter, to 25˚C+ in summertime. Combine this with long stretches of sandy beach, and you’re in for a beach holiday that you won’t soon forget!

Sardine Run
This is one of the main winter attractions on this part of the coast. Due to changes in the current (I am not going to give the full lecture explaining exactly why here – read all about it on SardineRun.net.) The end result is that whales, dolphins, sharks and basically all the ocean animals that fancy a little sardine snack are found in abundance on this coast line. Conditions are ideal for whale/dolphin/shark watching, as well as scuba diving and fishing – a lovely winter getaway!

Golf
All you golfers out there – this is a real golfer’s paradise with a lot of world class golf courses dotting this part of the coast. To name a few: Wild Coast, San Lameer, Southbroom and Selborn Country Clubs. Here is a link to a site with more info re the golf courses: Golf Courses

Other Attractions
The Hibiscus Coast boasts many other attractions like cultural villages, flea markets (a lot of), a crocodile farm, coffee- and sugar cane plantations as well as a lot of good restaurants. There is also the Oribi Gorge, but this deserves a post all to itself…
Another fun day out is catching a ride on the Banana Express down the coastline.

Pistols Saloon
If you find yourself in the Ramsgate area – a visit to Pistols Saloon and Wild West Museum is an absolute must! This is a pub with a great atmosphere and do not be surprised if Huckleberry, the resident donkey, joins you in the restaurant for some quick refreshment…

From bright lights to complete silence – you will find it all on the Hibiscus Coast!

Jack's Back!

Hi Everybody!

With the busy events season and lovely springtime that has arrived, I’ve been running around all over the place like a man possessed these last six weeks… Felt like I was constantly going at 100 miles an hour with my hair on fire!

Between the Natal South Coast, Namibia (6000km driving safari, mostly desert) and the Eastern Cape Wild Coast, there has been very little time to sit down and assimilate my thoughts.

Between adventures, I have managed to create quite a lot of ‘1st drafts’ which just need a little refining before I’ll inflict them on you. Luckily I have a small break in my schedule over the next week, so there are quite a few posts on the way.

Watch this space!

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