Makakatana Bay Lodge

Luxury accommodation • Diving • Coastal forest walks • Game viewing • On Lake St Lucia

Makakatana Bay Lodge is the only privately owned lodge within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site (previously known as the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park) in KwaZulu Natal. The Lodge offers visitors luxury accommodation with private personal service and will create the Zululand safari of your dreams with our luxury accommodation, spectacular African safaris and activities and breathtaking scenery.

The individually set rooms can accommodate 12 people and are luxuriously fitted out with full amenities, and fully air-conditioned with private decks. The luxury game viewing rooms are set in the dune forest that bursts out over a wetland onto the banks of the lake and are frequented by friendly warthog, red dyker, nyala, bush babies, birds and hippo that often wander through the lodge underneath the walkways. Two of the luxury game viewing rooms have stunning views onto the lake and water pans, while the popular opulent honeymoon suite has an incredible view over a wetland vlei. A bench has been subtly placed close to the waters edge to allow one to quietly sit and birdwatch. Often, in season, the bay in front of the lodge has hundreds of pelican and other birds feeding. Large windows and terrace doors open onto private viewing decks, skillfully combining luxury and integration with the environment. There is also an additional outside shower under the stars for those more adventurous guests who want to shower closer to nature. The Lodge has a private bush pool on the lakes edge, as well as an outdoor dining deck and a boma for bush dinners.

Activities include diving or coral reefs, boat cruises, walking for miles on golden beaches, exploring great dunes, wandering through magical coastal forests or roaming across grassy plains. You can also try your hand at canoeing, snorkeling and angling. This is the place to indulge yourself.

The oldest living species on the planet, the Coelacanth, is found in deep water off the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The Coelacanth was thought to be long extinct, but in 1938 the first specimen was found along the eastern coast of Africa. It has now become known that Coelacanths live in the underwater canyons offshore of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park supports approximately 367 different bird species in 11 major habitats. There are only a few places in Africa that support such a concentration of bird life. About one third of the species are waterside birds. St. Lucia has the only breeding colony in South Africa of the pink backed pelican. Flocks of flamingo’s and pelican make homes on the islands when the plankton levels are high.

There has been a substantial increase of animal species within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Reserve. The most noticeable are the buffalo and elephant now to be seen on the Eastern and Western shores. The goal of the Conservation Park Authority is to re-habilitate the park and re-introduce animals that used to occur in this region. A Game Introduction Policy has been set out and are formulating a 5 year Game Introduction Programme whereby they will be able to determine what species will be introduced and to what areas.

Although typically home to Hippo and Crocodile, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park will eventually become a Big 5 Game Reserve. As it currently stands the Park is only short of Lion.

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