Our proximity to the coast, with sweeping views from Zuka Private Game Reserve to the forested sand dunes that meet the Indian Ocean and our engagement with the marine world may have something to do with our love for this area!

Positioned on the western side of a sequence of habitats and ecosystems that formed 130 million years ago, Zuka Private Game Reserve is about this wonderful connection to the wetland systems, the Indian Ocean and the largest Marine Protected Area in South Africa.

We leave in the morning to drive, through the Munywana Conservancy, through our neighbouring Isimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and venture on sandy tracks to the unspoiled swathe of coastline that stretches up to Mozambique.

There are waves and rock pools for bathing and endless pristine sand for walking before we travel a little further to the 7,750 hectare Lake Sibaya, South Africa’s largest natural freshwater lake.

Here, we relax under shade, with our freshly prepared picnic and toes in the crystal clear waters, watching for far off hippo and the iconic African Fish Eagle.

For adventure in the ocean, Isimangaliso is home to 1,200 species of marine life including turtles, sharks, whales and rays. Scuba Diving at Sodwana Bay, snorkelling with pods of bottlenose dolphins or Deep Sea Fishing can be your bliss before your evening game drive with a sundowner, salty hair and stories!