St Lucia

St Lucia was named in 1554 by two Portuguese survivors of the shipwreck Saint Benedict

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

St Lucia is a seaside village on the Indian Ocean, and the southern entrance to the St Lucia (or iSimangaliso) Wetlands Park. To the south is the Maphelana nature Reserve. St Lucia is off the N2 route between Mtubatuba and Mkhuze.

Maphelana Nature Reserve

The Maphelana Nature Reserve

St Lucia (or iSimangaliso) Wetlands Park

The St Lucia (or iSimangaliso) Wetlands Park is a World Heritage Site, stretching about 200Km along the coast of the Indian Ocean, right up to the border with Mocambique.

History

The mouth of the Tugela River was named in 1554 Rio de la Medaos do ouro (River of the Sands of Gold) by the survivors of the Portuguese ship Saint Benedict. About 20 years later, the Portuguese Manuel Peresterello named the mouth area Santa Lucia, after the day (13 December 1575) of this saint.

From around the 1820s the area was extensively used for hunting until 27 April 1897 when it was declared a game reserve of 36'826Ha. In 1939 the 1Km strip around the lake was proclaimed as the St Lucia Park (12'545Ha). In 1944 the area (2'247Ha) around False Bay was also declared a park.

Climate

Today's Weather Report for St Lucia

TOP