CHARTER’s Creek, on the western shore of Lake St Lucia, seems to have escaped the vigorous upgrading and revamping that the rest of iSimagaliso Wetland Park is undergoing.
I am not complaining. I am sure the park authorities will get to it soon, but in the meantime I rather like it as it is – a slightly tatty, unpretentious, old fashioned fishing camp. While it is popular with the angling fraternity, to me its biggest draw card is the view it offers of Lake St Lucia. There is something about the light at Charter’s Creek that turns the sky and the water a translucent eggshell blue and this effect is heightened by the shades of cream and shimmering white of the surrounding shore.
We’d left Mkhuze Game Reserve fairly early that morning and were heading to the town of St Lucia via iSimangaliso’s Nhlozi gate and its new Western Shores route. Although we had driven this exquisite road a few months earlier we’d been in a hurry then so when we planned our latest KZN camping trip we’d set aside plenty of time to enjoy this section of the wetland park. A new jewel in the iSimangaliso crown, it really is a route worth doing.
After stopping at Charter’s Creek for a coffee break and to admire the watery, pastel scenery, we back-tracked to the official start of the new Western Shores route. There is a network of little side roads at the northern end of the route that eventually leads you to the uMthoma Boardwalk, overlooking the St Lucia Narrows.
If you are travelling this way, don’t miss it – the boardwalk, which wraps itself around a cluster of venerable old trees, is well worth the little detour. It offers stunning views of the lake, and a huge, watery marshy area that is a clear illustration of what the wetland park is all about. In the distance, a substantial breeding herd of elephant was paddling in a large pan, The distant vegetated dunes that line this section of our coastline formed a stunning backdrop.
By now we were ready for breakfast so we headed for the nearby uBhejane picnic site. We had it to ourselves but quite a few cars passed the site and later, while driving through the Western Shores section we were pleased to see many other vehicles. This section of the wetland park was obviously growing very popular.
The 25 000ha Western Shore section was only opened to the public two years ago but it is absolutely amazing what the park authorities have achieved. It is hard to believe that much of this area was plantations of exotic trees. So much effort and funds must have been put into its rehabilitation. For anyone interested in conservation just seeing what can be achieved makes this route well worthwhile.
It is a very pretty route, the road meandering through and around lush marshy grasslands, crystal clear pans, stands of palm trees, stocky umdoni trees and plenty of other tree species that like to keep their feet wet.
It also offers superb game viewing as a wide variety of animals that used to live there have been reintroduced to the Western Shores. There is a good chance of seeing elephants, buffalo, hippo crocs, giraffe, white and black rhino, zebra, wildebeest, some big herds of particular handsome waterbuck, kudu, red and grey duiker and reedbuck.
The uMphathe Loop is a one way route, with its start at its southern end but we weren’t in a hurry so after meandering along the ‘main road’ we turned back and headed north again along the loop road, stopping at the Kweyezalukazi viewpoint.
This loop was lovely. The road crossed many little streams and skirted a good variety of pans and marshy place, ensuring particularly good game viewing and birding. In fact, there was simply never a dull moment. We turned back onto the main road and headed south again, taking our time and stopping often to make the most of this lovely place.
Eventually, after much dawdling, we reached the Dukuduku gate at the southern end of the Western Shore section. It opens onto the main road from Matubatuba to St Lucia. As it is only a short distance from St Lucia, anyone staying in this town would have easy access to the myriad wonders of iSimangaliso’s fabulous Western Shores via this entrance and a visit to this section of the park is heartily recommended.
In fact, if you are planning any trip to see the best of KwaZulu-Natal’s wild places, I would go as far as saying that you really can’t afford to miss the chance of driving the gorgeous Western Shores route. Don’t hurry it, either. Set aside at least a full morning to do it justice.
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