Unspoilt and just up the road
To encourage tourism, the Sunday Tribune has teamed up with Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. Carol Campbell ticked an item off her bucket list, visiting Sodwana Bay National Park
THIRTY years ago my family went on holiday to Sodwana Bay without me. The reason for not going is long forgotten, but the regret of missing a trip they all enjoyed so much has always prickled.
For this reason, Sodwana Bay was top of my bucket list and so, when the opportunity to visit finally arrived last weekend, I was delighted.
At last I would see the place that held such happy memories for my siblings.
We stayed in the Sodwana Bay National Park, which is part of the bigger isimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site.
Its beauty is the pristine beaches, the thick indigenous coastal vegetation and, of course, the coral reefs that make up the marine reserve.
Sodwana Bay can be confusing for a first-time visitor because it is bordered by a small settlement of dive joints and accommodation venues, many of which are also called Sodwana something-or-other.
There is only one Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife resort, though, and inside the resort are two concessions, Coral Divers and Mseni Lodge, with its Amoray Diving.
The road up the North Coast (the N2) is in excellent condition but includes three tolls (R10, R12 and R41.50). We turned off on to the R22 and drove through the town of Hluhluwe heading towards Mbazwana.
In bygone years this was an impossible track, for 4x4s only. Now it is plain sailing with only the local Nguni cattle a hazard.
The last 15km from Mbazwana to the resort is also tarred, with an occasional pothole, but nothing a careful driver in a small car should worry about.
Entry to the resort involves the standard Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife visitors’ fees but, once you’re in, the resort is secured and safe.
At the entrance is a small shop that saved me when we realised that we had forgotten our greens and the only food we had packed was the braai meat.
The shop had bread, milk, limited fresh produce and a small wine selection. There were also toiletries and beachwear. Had we needed fuel, there was also a place to fill up.
The camp manager on duty was Nicholas Zikhali, who was born and grew up in Sodwana and who chuckled mischievously when he told me how, as a boy, he and his friends used to ensure visiting cars become stuck in the sand while coming into the resort so that they could push them out for a 10c tip.
“Growing up here was a privilege for a child. We didn’t need breakfast – we would pick fruit, raid bee hives for honey and catch fish and crabs.”
Zikhali has worked in St Lucia and even in Gauteng, but there is no question his heart is in Sodwana and he wants nothing more than to have Durban and Pietermaritzburg people visit to share in this paradise.
“We want visitors because they create jobs and boost the local economy. Yes, we have had issues with crime, but the community appreciates tourism and we are working to resolve unemployment.”
He tells of local mamas selling woven baskets on the beach who are sending their children to university on the takings.
“We have doctors and teachers coming out of this community thanks to tourism,” he said.
The park has some self-catering chalets, but its main appeal is its massive campsite. “Holidaymakers come here year after year. It seems once you’ve been to Sodwana you have to keep coming back. One man even told me that he felt like he was born here,” said Zikhali.
The concessions, which cater for upmarket visitors (Mseni) and all-level divers (Coral), also offer accommodation.
Both have restaurants, with Mseni serving cocktails that can be enjoyed from the balcony overlooking the ocean.
Coral Divers has a comfortable backpacker vibe and one can imagine sitting around a fire, drinking wine and talking about diving into the early hours with new friends.
David Barnes, who grew up in Sodwana and was educated at Hilton College, operates both concessions, employing 140 local people and 40 volunteers and interns.
His operation has brought an energy into the park through the two venues, which are bubbling over with people who are passionate about the sea.
Our son, also David, who is 13 years old, took a basic diving course during our stay and was shown how to kit up in a wetsuit complete with oxygen tank and try out diving in the safety of the pool.
He was offered the opportunity of a sea dive, but this was called off by his diving instructor, Rob Arthur, a marine biologist, when the sea looked too rough – something his mother was very happy about.
Sodwana used to be a resort that was inaccessible to city folk unless they owned a four-wheeldrive vehicle. Now it is just up the road, and yet it has hung on to its atmosphere of being unspoilt and untouched.
I can’t believe I hadn’t visited sooner. We are planning our next trip for the July school holidays, and maybe on this visit I will be the one to give diving a try.