Practical questions
iSimangaliso Wetland Park: frequently asked questions
The questions first-time iSimangaliso visitors ask, answered plainly with dated figures and a note wherever the official record goes quiet.
How much does it cost to enter iSimangaliso?
It depends on the section. On the 2024/25 table, the last the Authority has published, an international adult pays R130 (about $8) per entry at the Eastern Shores and Cape Vidal, the Western Shores and uMkhuze, R120 at False Bay and R71 at Sodwana, the Coastal Forest and Kosi Bay. South Africans pay R62, R57 and R34. Everyone adds a R7 conservation levy, a car of up to five seats costs R74 at the main gates, and overnight guests pay R12 per person per night. That table expired on 30 November 2025 and no newer one has been published; gate-side sources report about 3% more.
Do I pay to enter St Lucia town?
No. St Lucia town is an enclave inside the park with no gate and no fee, and the estuary boat cruises leave from it. The fee starts at Bhangazi Gate, about 2 km north of town, on the road to Cape Vidal, and at the Dukuduku and Nhlozi gates on the Western Shores. Lake Sibaya has no gate either.
Can I drive myself around iSimangaliso?
Yes. St Lucia, the Eastern and Western Shores, Cape Vidal, Charter's Creek, uMkhuze's main roads and Sodwana Bay are fine in an ordinary car. Lake Sibaya's shoreline, Mabibi and several Coastal Forest and Kosi Bay camps are on sand tracks that need a high-clearance 4x4. You may not sit on the back of an open vehicle anywhere in the park, and driving on the beach is not allowed without a coastal vehicle permit, which iSimangaliso issues only for research, filming, fishing competitions and disabled access.
What is the best month to visit iSimangaliso?
Mid-November is the one time you can plausibly see nesting turtles and the last humpback whales on the same trip. Humpbacks pass from June to November, and July to September adds dry, cooler days for game drives. Turtles nest from late October or November to about January, with hatchlings from January to March. December brings the most turtles and also the biggest holiday crowds and highest prices of the year.
Is there malaria at iSimangaliso?
Parts of the park lie in a low-risk malaria area, according to the Authority's accommodation page. The northern sections, towards uMkhuze, Sodwana and Kosi Bay, are the ones to ask about. Take advice from a travel clinic before you go, especially for November to April.
Can I swim at St Lucia?
Not in the estuary, the lake, False Bay, Lake Sibaya or the Kosi lakes: the Authority puts the St Lucia system's adult crocodiles at about 1,000, and the last published count, from 2013, found 1,004 hippos. In the sea, swim only at the demarcated areas; four people drowned on the park's coast between June and November 2020. Mission Rocks has strong currents and is unsafe for swimming.
How many days do I need?
Three nights in St Lucia covers the estuary cruise, a day at Cape Vidal and a morning on the Western Shores. Add two nights at Sodwana for diving, or at uMkhuze for its hides, and two more for Kosi Bay or the Coastal Forest. The sections are far apart by road: Sodwana is 2h49 from St Lucia and Kosi Bay 3h44, so you cannot day-trip the north from St Lucia.
How do I book a campsite or cabin?
Since 1 March 2026 the state camps belong to iSimangaliso, after Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife left. At the handover the Authority said bookings would carry on as before, through Ezemvelo, until a new service provider is announced; its own website still contradicts itself on who takes them. Phone before you travel and confirm who holds your booking. The last readable camp tariff is Ezemvelo's 2023/24, when a Cape Vidal campsite cost R340 for two.
Do I need a permit to dive at Sodwana?
Not the R2,000 one you may read about. That line in the tariff is a daily permit for licensed dive operators, and it is built into your dive price. You pay the R71 Sodwana gate fee as an international adult (R34 for South Africans) and the dive centre's price; Coral Divers charged R460 to R570 for a 2-Mile Reef dive in 2026. Dive schools also mention a national recreational scuba permit for marine protected areas; ask your dive centre whether it is enforced.
Do the gates take cards or cash?
The gates now take cards, according to a Sodwana lodge's rate page of February 2026. Whether every gate still accepts cash is not confirmed, so carry some rand as well. Keep your gate slip until you leave: a R500 penalty for a lost permit is reported, though it is in no official document.
Can I see turtles without a guide?
No. In the nesting season, roughly November to March, the public may not walk on the turtle beaches at night. You go with a licensed concessionaire such as Okhanda Tours or Safari and Surf at Kosi Bay, or with a lodge that runs its own guided walks. About 80 leatherbacks and 935 loggerheads nest here each year (IUCN, 2025).
Should I visit iSimangaliso or Hluhluwe-iMfolozi?
Both, if you can: St Lucia is 56 km from Nyalazi Gate, about an hour by road. Choose iSimangaliso for the estuary, the beaches, diving, turtles and whales; choose Hluhluwe-iMfolozi for hilly game country with larger herds. Lion are present at iSimangaliso only in uMkhuze, where they were reintroduced in 2013, and the land game is spread over far more ground.