Cape Vidal

Cape Vidal is the accessible beach section of iSimangaliso north of St Lucia, and the drive in is part of it - a road through coastal grassland and dune forest where zebra, buffalo and kudu cross in front of the car. At the end, a rocky point shelters a bay from the open Indian Ocean swell, which makes it one of the few places on this coast where you can snorkel and swim in relative safety; the reef holds tropical fish and turtles pass through. Behind the beach the vegetated dunes rise high, part of the dune system that gives iSimangaliso its World Heritage listing. Southern right and humpback whales pass close inshore in winter and can be watched from the dune boardwalk. A daily quota limits how many day visitors come in, and the camp is booked well ahead.

What you actually see

• The sheltered bay - a reef-protected swimming and snorkelling beach on a wild coast.
• The drive in - game crossing the road through grassland and dune forest.
• The high dunes - the vegetated dune system behind the beach.
• The whales - southern rights and humpbacks close inshore in winter.

When to go

May to September for weather; June to November for whales. A day, or stay at the camp.

Honest expectations

A daily visitor quota means arriving early or being turned away in season. Gate times are strict and enforced. Facilities are limited - bring food. The road passes through game areas, so speed limits are real. Summer brings heat, humidity and mosquitoes.

Nearby

St Lucia estuary is south; Sodwana Bay is further up the coast.