iSimangaliso Wetland Park
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
4.5
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Duration: More than 3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1 595 reviews
Excellent
1 014
Very good
421
Average
117
Poor
29
Terrible
14
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NauticalVoyager
Durbanville, South Africa1 477 contributions
Dec 2021 • Family
We chose to visit on the last day of the year but cars are limited so there is no over crowding. Just get there early to ensure entrance. The roads are great and offer little side loops to maximise the. Jew of animals. We had an an amazing elephant sighting on the main road with at least a dozen elephant including calves. Very special. Lots of monkeys at the beach parking areas and they can be bothersome so watch your belongings.
Written 3 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tine F
Gordon's Bay, South Africa79 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
We are two Danish families with 6 teenagers in total who enjoyed two days of drive-self safari in the park. We saw an amazing amount of animals (rhinos, antelopes, leopard (at night) hippos, hyena, buffalo, elephant and a big amount of birds.
We Also enjoyed a swim in the ocean at tur Cape Vidal beach. The beach is wast and Very very beautiful.
Unfortunately there was a mess of garbage and plastic everywhere in the parking facilities since the monkeys would go through the garbage bins and these were not securely locked or emptied during the day.
We did go on a turtle safari at night by Heritage tours. Unfortunately there were no turtles but it was a very nice experience anyway since we saw a leopard and other nocturnal animals very close up. We were held up by 5 rhinos for 30 min on the way out of the park because they wouldn't let us pass them on the road.
We Also enjoyed a swim in the ocean at tur Cape Vidal beach. The beach is wast and Very very beautiful.
Unfortunately there was a mess of garbage and plastic everywhere in the parking facilities since the monkeys would go through the garbage bins and these were not securely locked or emptied during the day.
We did go on a turtle safari at night by Heritage tours. Unfortunately there were no turtles but it was a very nice experience anyway since we saw a leopard and other nocturnal animals very close up. We were held up by 5 rhinos for 30 min on the way out of the park because they wouldn't let us pass them on the road.
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mkotze938985
3 contributions
Jan 2021
From the time we arrived at the gate/reception it was the worst experience ever on all our travels. Lack of management and training of staff is a huge factor. The staff were rude, we felt as if we were not welcome. They refused to take my International passport and demanded a south Africa drives document, which we don't have.
We have informed all our travel agents in the UK not to book at this wetland park for any of there future bookings to South Africa for clients that are going to be visiting the country.
The roads in the park are in very bad repair (dirt roads) the tar roads are not bad. The bush on the edges of the roads need to be cut back as you are unable to see in and the water hole at the hide is falling down. The signage all needs to be replaced see phot, you need to be ontop of it to read.
So bottom line close the park and do some cleaning up and repairs, and he management must get involved and not just sit back and draw fat salaries.
We visited this park back in 1993 and it was stunning, I guess that was the last of the well run parks in South Africa.
We have informed all our travel agents in the UK not to book at this wetland park for any of there future bookings to South Africa for clients that are going to be visiting the country.
The roads in the park are in very bad repair (dirt roads) the tar roads are not bad. The bush on the edges of the roads need to be cut back as you are unable to see in and the water hole at the hide is falling down. The signage all needs to be replaced see phot, you need to be ontop of it to read.
So bottom line close the park and do some cleaning up and repairs, and he management must get involved and not just sit back and draw fat salaries.
We visited this park back in 1993 and it was stunning, I guess that was the last of the well run parks in South Africa.
Written 1 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BobWE
Manhattan Beach, CA753 contributions
Apr 2023 • Friends
Located adjacent to the attractive community of St. Lucia is the Isimangalison Wetlands Park. We took the boat trip to view the hippos in the sub tropical lake. Although the one hour flat boat ride was comfortable and the guides were informative, our only views of the hippos were those who were sleeping in the lake (sometimes with their babies) floating just above the surface. There were plenty of hippos but none walking around.
Written 8 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BHNsince1979
Greater Johannesburg, South Africa4 contributions
Apr 2021
Cruise was enjoyable, we saw one croc who had unfortunately hurt by a pitcher's snare. The snare slid the cross neck right open. Guide could have been better, but we were fortunate to see a bloat of hippos, quite a few groups.
Written 29 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mia
1 contribution
Jun 2023 • Family
Bhangazi Bush Lodge located in Isimangaliso Wetland Park near Cape Vidal beach, offers stunning natural surroundings and abundant wildlife. However, our stay was spoiled by neglected maintenance issues. The linen and curtains were stained and torn, suggesting poor cleanliness and guest comfort. We faced water supply problems, including a night without water due to leaking tanks. Though we were offered alternative accommodation halfway through our stay, a temporary fix was eventually provided. The road leading to the lodge was difficult to access, requiring high clearance vehicles. The travel agency (St Lucia SA) representatives seemed unaware of the lodge's condition and amenities. Despite the breath-taking nature, the lack of maintenance, water supply issues, inaccurate information, and inaccessible road made for a disappointing experience. We hope management addresses these concerns to enhance future guests' satisfaction. We will not be returning.
Written 13 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
peter e
Southampton, UK25 contributions
Feb 2020
Spent four nights in St Lucia and visited bothe east and west sides of the park, also boat tip on the lake plus turtle Safari in four wheel drive along the beach. All very enjoyable. Numerous animals throughout with plenty of Hypos on the lake trip.
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eddy E
8 contributions
Feb 2022
After 2 years not being able to visit I was shocked in what state of negligence most of the park was: popular walks overgrown, fallen over trees blocking the Qwala-Qwala loop, benches rotten or missing or overgrown, bridges collapsed, the boardwalk under water, potholes-potholes and more potholes, rubbish not cleared, toilets that keep running ( according to friends living in St Lucia they have repeatedly reported not flushing or constant leaking toilets for months ), 5 or 6 security people hanging around at each of the check points to the beach and reserve of which one will start getting up when you have stopped and the rest just sleeping, chatting or on the phone, what a waste of money. We saw a team going towards the estuary with machetes for clearing the invading bushes only to find them later fishing instead of doing the job. Time Zululand pulls up its socks because the utter negligence and decay is hurting.
Written 14 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mauro Ghilardi
Rome, Italy701 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Fantastic day spent in the park alone. We entered at 12.30 and left after 5 hours. It costs less than 30€ for four adults.
We did the whole park including the small detours and we were very lucky: we saw elephants, water buffalo, a leopard!!!, rhinos!!!!, an incredible amount of birds, warthogs, dikdiks and other animals whose names we do not know (but see photos). Truly an incredible experience.
We did the whole park including the small detours and we were very lucky: we saw elephants, water buffalo, a leopard!!!, rhinos!!!!, an incredible amount of birds, warthogs, dikdiks and other animals whose names we do not know (but see photos). Truly an incredible experience.
Automatically translated
Written 6 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dr Ricky S
Vanderbijlpark, South Africa100 contributions
Feb 2020
This park is a definite must visit for any person who loves exploring the natural beauty of our world and wildlife. Amazing eco-systems and your changes to see most of the big 5 is very good if you take the time to explore all the links off the main road to Cape Vidal. Cape Vidal beach itself is also really beautiful.
Do take a picnic hamper or snacks with you as there is not restaurants in the game reserve - there is quite a few places along the various loops in the reserve to enjoy a picnic while taking in the beauty of this amazing place.
Do take a picnic hamper or snacks with you as there is not restaurants in the game reserve - there is quite a few places along the various loops in the reserve to enjoy a picnic while taking in the beauty of this amazing place.
Written 28 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Does iSimangaliso wetland park accommodate for school excursions?
Written 30 October 2020
Hi. I’m not really sure. There is a lot of accommodation sites. Also a no of sites are available in St Lucia. However I haven’t really enquirer about school groups. I’m really sorry. However if u find out please let me know as well. All the best
Written 31 October 2020
Do you also offer one day guided walking Safari tours?
Written 19 October 2019
Hello
We drove through the Wetlands with our car but I think there are companies like the Shoreline boat Safari and turtles tour which have guided walk.
Written 22 October 2019
Bonjour, à quelle heure vaut-il mieux faire la ballade sur le lac pour voir le plus d'animaux ? Plutôt 8 heures ou plutôt 16 h?
Merci de vos réponses
Written 18 November 2018
J'y suis allé deux fois le matin, comme pour la plupart des parcs. Pour la fin d'après-midi je ne peux rien en dire. Il faut aussi tenir compte de la saison.
Written 18 November 2018
Hej, gdzie polecacie się zatrzymać? jeżeli chodzi o atrakcje, co warto zobaczyć?:)
Z góry dzięki za info zwrotne.
Written 7 May 2018
Hej, gdzie polecacie się zatrzymać? jeżeli chodzi o atrakcje, co warto zobaczyć?:)
Z góry dzięki za info zwrotne.
Written 7 May 2018
Hi Neil
Thanks for your review. Is this the Bhangazi bush lodge which can be booked as part of Cape Vidal KZN Wildlife parks? Cape Vidal gets quite poor reviews and this is relatively expensive. Just wanted to make sure prior to booking, please? Anina
Written 16 April 2018
hola! que se puede hacer durante un día completo para disfrutar a full el parque??
Written 24 March 2018
si tienes dos dias date un recorido en bici por St.Lucia que es my bonito y tambien tiene buena playa.
Written 5 May 2018
self drive - it was nice to be able to stop when you wanted and stay at viewing points as long as we wished - enjoy !
Written 8 March 2018
rousseaumartine
Aix-en-Provence, France
Bonjour
Nous allons à Santa lucia en février et nous souhaitons visiter cape vidal
Pouvons nous le faire sans guide?
Et la journée suffit t'elle?
Comme nous restons 4 nuits il y’a t'il d'autre site à ne pas rater
Par avance merci pour les réponses
Written 27 December 2017
La réponse de Chr54 est excellente. Il ne faut pas oublier de faire le plein avant de s’engager dans le parc. Ne pas hésiter à prendre toutes les petites pistes qui sont très praticables avec une voiture normale. Pour le retour de Cape Vidal, tournez par la piste de droite. Vous ferez ainsi le tour du parc ( la moitié inférieure) et vous verrez troupeaux de zèbres et de gnous. Bon voyage.
Written 28 December 2017
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