Casuarina trees seen from below against a bright blue sky

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Establishments

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Who to stay with,
who to book with

Thirty lodges, camps, dive centres and guiding operations working inside iSimangaliso — from state rest camps and community campsites to Fair Trade wilderness lodges and family-run safari companies.

30

Establishments listed across the Park

13

Places to stay, from campsites to luxury lodges

17

Tour operators, dive centres and guiding companies

10

Jewels of the Park they operate in

Places to stay

Accommodation inside the Park

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife runs the state camps; the rest are privately run lodges and community camps, several on land returned to local communities through the Park’s land claim settlements.

A lit timber cabin raised on stilts under dense forest canopy at dusk

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Rest Camps

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is KwaZulu-Natal's provincial conservation authority, and it runs the network of state-owned camps inside the Park — usually the most…

A guide watching sunrise over open grassland from an open-sided game-drive vehicle

Elephant Lake Hotel

A full-service 4-star hotel set right on the St Lucia Estuary in the heart of St Lucia town, inside iSimangaliso.

Aerial view of the lake shore, with lodge roofs tucked into the forest above the sand flats

Makakatana Bay Lodge

Makakatana holds the unique distinction of being the only privately owned safari lodge inside the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

A thatched open-sided camp shelter in a gravel clearing under bare trees

Dukandlovu Rustic Camp

A genuinely back-to-basics Ezemvelo camp on the quiet western shore of Lake St Lucia.

A turquoise bay and curving beach seen through casuarina trunks

Sisodwana Lodge

A family-run lodge close to Sodwana Bay, owned by Andrew and Sue, who bring decades of experience in the hospitality and diving industries.

A sand road running through dense coastal forest

Isibindi Africa Lodges

A family-owned collection of luxury wilderness lodges with a 30-year legacy of responsible, Fair Trade tourism, founded by Brett and Paige Gehren.

An empty beach with casuarina trees on the dune and surf breaking beyond

The Bush Lifestyle and Nature

Listed among iSimangaliso-area establishments, but with little verifiable public presence under this exact name at the time of writing.

Aerial view of a timber game-viewing hide raised over a bush pan

&Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve

Phinda spreads across roughly 30,000 hectares of the Munywana Conservancy, protecting seven distinct habitats and one of Africa's finest Big-Five game-viewing…

Thatched conical roofs set into a forested dune above the beach, seen from the sea

Thonga Beach Lodge

Thonga is a barefoot-luxury lodge of 12 thatched rooms tucked into the coastal dune forest above Mabibi's near-deserted beach, hosting only twelve couples at a time.

A long table laid for dinner beside a campfire below a rocky outcrop at sunset

Rocktail Camp (Rocktail Beach Camp)

Rocktail Beach Camp sits back in the shade of the lush Maputaland Coastal Forest on ancient vegetated dunes, a short forest walk from a remote, rarely-crowded beach.

Aerial view of thatched huts in dune forest above a long empty beach

Mabibi Camp Site

A community-run campsite perched in the coastal dune forest above one of the most unspoilt beaches on the Maputaland coast.

A small boat moored at a reed-fringed channel backed by dense forest

Kosi Bay Casitas

Kosi Bay Casitas is a relaxed bush lodge about 3 km from the third lake of the Kosi Bay estuary system and close to the area's iSimangaliso permit office.

The Kosi lake system seen from above, with traditional fish kraals set in the shallows

Utshwayelo Kosi Mouth Lodge & Camp

Utshwayelo is a community partnership project named after the 800-year-old Thonga fish kraals of the Kosi estuary, set just moments from the pristine shores and…

Who to book with

Tour operators and dive centres

Guided game drives, estuary cruises, reef dives, turtle tours, horse safaris and cultural visits — run by operators based in St Lucia, Sodwana Bay and the northern communities.

A poolside timber deck with loungers under trees at a bush lodge

Triton Dive Lodge

Established in 1996, Triton is a tranquil, tree-shaded lodge set back from the beach with a relaxed African feel and an on-site dive centre.

A rocky intertidal shelf with tidal pools, surf breaking beyond and dune forest along the coast

Two Bar Scuba (Twobar)

Twobar Scuba is a long-running dive shop and training facility working to NAUI and PADI standards, operating its own Sodwana dive concession from Emoyeni Dive…

A dive boat drawn up on the sand, with the dune-forest coastline behind

Adventure Mania Dive

Adventure Mania is a family-run dive centre (owners Jacques and Amanda van Jaarsveld) diving Sodwana Bay's reefs, which rank among the world's finest.

Visitors at a viewpoint railing above coastal forest and lake, beside an open-sided game-drive vehicle

Shoreline Boat Safari

Shoreline runs guided boat safaris on the St Lucia Estuary aboard a custom shallow-draft vessel (up to 15 passengers, near-360° views) that noses in close to…

Open water on the estuarine lake, with a low forested shore and distant hills

Advantage Tours & Charters

Advantage Tours & Charters (established 1991) is the licensed permit holder for boat-based whale watching in the St Lucia section of iSimangaliso, and runs the…

A vegetated dune of creeper and casuarinas above the sand, with a forested dune ridge behind

Safari & Surf

Safari and Surf is a small-group adventure operator with bases at Kosi Bay and St Lucia, built around the "above and below" of iSimangaliso.

A reed bed standing in shallow water, hung with weaver nests

Shakabarker Tours

Owner-operated since 2003, Shakabarker runs guided land and water tours out of St Lucia with local guides guests consistently rate among the area's best.

A rolling grassland valley with farm buildings and hills on the horizon

Shonalanga Tours & Safaris

Shonalanga holds concessions to operate open-vehicle safaris in the Big 5 Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park and in iSimangaliso, its photographic vehicles built for…

Turquoise surf along a beach with vegetated dunes receding into the distance

EuroZulu Tours & Safaris

A family-run St Lucia company specialising in land-based safaris across iSimangaliso and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi.

A rocky shore with surf breaking and a dune coastline stretching away

Okhanda Tours

Okhanda is a locally owned, family-run eco-tourism venture on the remote Maputaland coast, founded by a local guide who grew up on these beaches and estuaries.

An elephant crossing the road in front of two open game-drive vehicles full of visitors

Heritage Tours & Safaris

One of St Lucia's longest-running and most highly rated day-tour operators, Heritage runs daily safaris into iSimangaliso and the Big 5 Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park.

A Cape buffalo standing in long grass at the edge of the bush

Jabisa Tours

Jabisa is a 100% black-owned St Lucia safari and tour company, developed over several years with mentorship from Jeff Asher-Wood of EuroZulu Safaris.

A visitor photographing two white rhino from an open game-drive vehicle

Thompsons Tours (Thompsons Africa)

Thompsons Africa is a long-established national inbound DMC rather than a St Lucia shopfront, but it packages Zululand day tours and transfers that reach…

Three riders on horseback close to a herd of wildebeest on open grassland

Bhangazi Horse Safaris

The Park's licensed horseback concessionaire, offering rides for complete beginners through to experienced riders.

Two riders on horseback on a grassy bank above open water

Hluhluwe Horse Safaris

The only licensed operator running horse safaris in the False Bay Section of iSimangaliso, guiding riders through the reserve's rare sand forest and along the…

Sand-forest canopy under a heavy grey storm sky

Dumi Legacy Tours

A community-run operator founded in 2018 by Zululand-born guide and storyteller Dumisani "Dumi" Mbatha, pairing wildlife safaris with local culture and personal…

Aerial view of the Kosi Bay lake system at sunset, with boats and fish kraals along the forested shore

Kosi Thonga Safaris

A local operator run by Kosi Bay-born guide Mthokozisi "Rasta" Nsele, a licensed skipper and qualified nature guide.

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