Fifty miles east of Zulu Nyala on the coastline of KwaZulu-Natal, is South Africa’s largest wetland conservation area. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park protects just under a million acres of a diverse natural ecosystem that includes sandy beaches, subtropical dune forests, savannas and wetlands. Rich in biodiversity, the conservation area is particularly known for its large populations of crocodiles and hippopotami.
We had spotted the occasional solitary hippo in the lagoons at Zulu Nyala but were eager to see the large herds populating the St. Lucia estuary, the southern gateway to iSimangaliso. So Mark arranged a day trip to St. Lucia for our safari team to cruise the estuary for wildlife viewing, lunch in town and the afternoon on one of iSimangaliso’s pristine, sandy beaches.
We arrived in the small settlement of St. Lucia mid morning. Formerly, a fishing village, St. Lucia is now the access point for safaris, cruises and hikes through the Wetlands Park as well as for those interested in enjoying the long stretches of sandy beach along the Indian Ocean. Now a tourist town, St. Lucia has promoted itself as the ‘hippopotami capital’ with local businesses using thise theme to promote their activities, restaurants and shops. A large mural of a hippopotamus greeted us as we entered downtown. Mark informed us that the hippo hype was not just marketing – it is not uncommon to encounter these lumbering giants strolling the streets of St. Lucia at night when leaving the estuary to forage for food!
We stopped for few minutes at a restaurant in town to preorder lunch before heading to the nearby docks. St. Lucia is island-like, almost totally surrounded by water with the Indian Ocean on one side and one of the longest estuaries in Africa on the other. Almost 50 miles in length, eventually widening into Lake Lucia, our cruise would motor us about 5 miles down the St. Lucia estuary and back looking for hippopotami, crocodiles and other wildlife. Arriving at the docks on the outskirts of town, we boarded a flat-bottomed, open air double decker boat. We quickly ascended to the top deck hoping to snag a seat, thinking it would be crowded because of its command view of the estuary. However, most people opted to sit on the covered first deck to avoid the sun, so we had plenty of room to wander around and take pictures.
We motored down the estuary on the lookout for movement in the murky brown water. Its banks were edged with seagrass and mangroves, providing excellent camouflage for hippos and crocs to blend with their surroundings.
No camouflage for the egret. Its brilliant white plumage makes it easy to spot among the seagrass, not only for us but presumably its predators. Its innate recognition and ability to fly give it an edge over landed predators.
Almost immediately, we spotted two hippos, mom and her youngster, under a thorny tree, blending into the shadows. Per our guide, although hippos do swim, they spend most of their time standing on the bottom of the river. The shallow waters close to the estuary bank are popular hangouts for mothers and babies for this reason; the water depth is low enough that this young hippo could stand and just keep its nostrils above water.
Off in the far distance, we notice two white egrets perched atop ‘lumps’ in the water. These ‘lumps’ were actually the partially submerged bodies of a herd of hippos; one animal’s generous backside and flat forehead offered a convenient resting place for the egrets, a great illustration of the symbiosis in nature!
Hippos typically live in herds of 10-20 with one dominant male, multiple females, their young and non breeding males. The group offers protection against predators; although unlikely to attack a mature, healthy hippo, crocodiles, lions and hyena will attack the young and vulnerable. We were curious, what do you call a herd of hippos? No one knew, so we did a quick google search. A herd of hippopotami is called a ‘blast’, an apt descriptor for these 3000 plus pound animals capable of running 30mph while crashing, banging and demolishing whatever stands in their way!
Although herbivores, hippos are actually aggressive and can be dangerous to humans. In fact, hippos are the most dangerous of all mammals in Africa, responsible for over 500 deaths annually. Their sharp teeth, powerful jaws and massive body weight can inflict deadly harm. Given the size of our boat (plus the wonders of the telephoto lens), we were able to observe these enormous beasts up close. Although hippos can hold their breath for up to five minutes, they must breathe air, so its common to see their large square heads and hairy snouts poking above the water’s surface. Extremely sensitive to sunlight, hippos spend most of their time submerged in water. Although their skin naturally secretes an oily reddish substance that serves as both a sunscreen and antibiotic, they will die if they spend too much time out of water. This is why hippos typically leave the protection of the water only after sundown to forage for food.
Hippos were easy to find from the boat, crocodiles not so much. It took keen eyes to spot a crocodile lazing on the muddy banks of the estuary, reminiscent of a game of Where’s Waldo. We did see one ambitious reptile swimming purposefully across the estuary. Crocs can swim up to 18mph but only in short bursts. Although crocodiles are one of the more social species of reptiles and do congregate together in ‘basks’, we saw only single animals. No ‘basking’ crocs for us today!
As we continued down the estuary, the dense seagrass bordering the bank gave way to thorny acacias and brush, a sure sign that the salty seawater was becoming more and more diluted by fresh river water. Expansive patches of mud remained, remnants of the rainy season when the estuary had flooded the surrounding area. Like magnets, these mudholes attract wildlife. Wallowing in one such muddy area was a lone bachelor buffalo – an old male pushed out of his herd by a stronger, younger male, relegated to spending his ‘golden’ years alone or in the company of other exiled bachelors.
The bridge that crossed the estuary was our turnaround point. We’d gotten to know our fellow ‘top deckers’ a bit during the first hour of our journey. A couple from the UK and their friends started the cruise up top but eventually all the Brits but Susan vacated to the main deck, seeking shade. Susan was less interested in wildlife viewing than in talking. Small talk at first, she shared details about her trip – who her companions were, places they’d visited, where they were staying, where they were going next. Not realizing what I was getting myself into, I asked the usual questions – did she have children, what did she do for a living. That was the opening she was waiting for. Before too long, her monologue progressed from small talk to sharing the more intimate details of her life, her relationships and then much to my chagrin, her sexual exploits. Married for over 30 years to the husband she was vacationing with, she proceeded to regale me with details of the affair and amazing sex she was having with her female yoga teacher. Her husband was clueless about this extramarital romance , so she said, yet when he came topside, she barely lowered her voice and continued to graphically detail the intimacies of her sexual relations. Not wanting to be party to her coming out to her husband, I pointed to a blast of hippos, muttering that I wanted to take some photographs, and politely escaped, the whole time thinking TMI, TMI. Within a few minutes, she had latched on to another woman, continuing her story just loud enough for people up top, so presumably her husband, to hear her commentary.
Relieved to have extricated myself, I began photographing a group of swimming hippos and was rewarded with a shot of this large male ‘yawning’. A hippos mouth is an amazing feat of nature – engineered to open as wide as 180 degrees, an adult’s jaw can snap shut with an impressive, deadly force of 2000 lbs per square inch!
As we regrouped with Mark on the dock, Susan waved good-bye; I saw a few eye rolls amongst the women of our group. Turns out that she had cornered a few of us. We drove to a restaurant in downtown St. Lucia for the lunch we’d pre-ordered earlier. Another safari team from Zulu Nyala joined us for lunch so had a great time sharing stories and photos. Susan’s escapades were quite the topic of conversation so twenty of use were now privvy to her secrets! Lunch was delicious – I had a savory skewer of chicken and kudu, grilled with vegetables, salad and polished off with a local cider.
Our stomachs stuffed, we had a few minutes to browse the markets and shops of St. Lucia. Bins overflowing with fresh produce – bananas, oranges, mangos, papaya, pineapple, avocado, macadamia and pecans, lined the street. Too full to think about desert, I bought a few mangos for later. Other stalls had blanket after blanket of typical South African handicrafts – carved wooden animals (although a more extensive selection of hippos and crocodiles), woven baskets, vibrantly colored beaded jewelry. Boutiques displayed typical tourist goods like hats, t shirts, keychains, shot glasses, candles, all emblazoned with hippos. In fact, any merchandise that could be branded with a hippo was, with the exception of a few that sported crocodiles.
It was time to head to the beach for a few hours of sun, surf and sand. Our destination was the Main Beach at iSimangaliso. Part of the Wetlands Preservation area, the wide sandy beaches of iSimangaliso stretch from St. Lucia 120 miles north to the border of Mozambique. Mark huddled us in the parking lot for a brief safety talk before we scattered. The current is especially strong in this area, so he advised us to swim with a buddy and not venture too far from shore. Additionally, sharks frequent the warm waters along the coast and the occasional croc sometimes wanders from the wetlands to the beach. A bit spooked, I thought of all the good reasons to stay out of the water as I changed into my bathing suit – that uncomfortable sticky feeling of salt and sand that would linger on my skin for the long ride home, not handling my camera while wet and sandy, STRONG UNDERTOW, SHARKS! But once on the beach, the soft sand, with nary a shell or rock to jab a bare foot, crashing waves, the joy of cleansing off sweat and the sweet relief from muggy humidity was too much to resist. We ran into the surf and let the waves envelop us.
We spent an hour swimming, cognizant of the current and undertow, then walked the seemingly endless beach. The wind was brisk and quickly dusted our moist bodies with a thin coating of grit. We were in our own paradise with the entire expanse of beach all to ourselves. We never saw a shark or a crocodile, just miles and miles of deep blue sea, crashing surf and pristine sand.
All too soon, it was time to head back to Zulu Nyala. Yes, I was salty and gritty for the ride home, and very much looking forward to a shower, but as I peeled my mango with sandy fingers, I couldn’t help but reflect on the amazing experience we’d had at the iSimangaliso Wetlands Preserve. In the Zulu language, ‘isimangaliso’ means ‘something wondrous’, the perfect descriptor for our day!