St. Lucia, South Africa: Top 5 Best Things to Do
St. Lucia is a small gem tucked away on the northeastern shores of South Africa, and it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After spending an incredible 10 days in Kruger National Park, we were eager to explore South Africa’s coastline.
When tourist season hits, St. Lucia transforms from a cozy village to a bustling hotspot, with visitors outnumbering the locals by tenfold! If you’re on the hunt for stunning beaches, unique photo opportunities, and safaris with the ‘Big 5’ all rolled into one, this is your ultimate pit stop!
Best Time to Visit
St Lucia has warm to hot temperatures year round with two seasons: the wet and the dry. The best time to visit is during the dry season between April to September.
We visited in December during the ‘wet season’, and we lucked out with mostly sunny skies. However, torrential rain storms, scorching temperatures and high humidity are common. On the flip side, the ocean temperature is the warmest at this time of year.
Where to Sleep
There are plenty of places to stay, ranging from budget hotels (R700/night) to luxury lodges that’ll set you back R13,000/night. We found that Booking.com is the best place to look for rentals in town.
Since St Lucia, South Africa is a remote tourist destination, accommodation prices can skyrocket during the holiday season and fill up fast! When we arrived in town, we learned that our Airbnb reservation was invalid because there was a change in ownership, so we scrambled to find a last minute alternative over Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
How to Get Around
Rent a Car
We rented a car from Avis Car rental at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg for our 3-month trip. I like that Avis has a rewards program to collect points—with the option to convert into Aeroplan points—for future savings.
Public Transportation
St. Lucia’s public transportation options are limited. Your best bet would be to fly into the nearest airport in Richards Bay, and book a tour or grab a taxi to St Lucia.
The town of St Lucia is compact, and is easily walkable for daily activities, like grocery shopping and restaurants. Tours can be booked online or at one of the tour companies along McKenzie St.
Top 5 Best Things to Do?
1. Head to the Beach!
Get ready to soak up the sun in the stunning St. Lucia, where the beaches are pristine! Nestled by the Indian Ocean, the water is so warm that you’ll feel tempted to turn into a beach potato.
As you cruise through town, you can’t help but notice the main street buzzing with surf shops and pickup trucks overflowing with beach-goers gearing up for an epic seaside adventure.
With plenty of beach options, there’s Cape Vidal, 32 kilometers to the north—pure sandy bliss within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park—and on the east side, a long stretch of coastline where you can plop down on several beaches without spending a dime. Our favourite was Main Beach, which had a quieter vibe.
2. Check Out a Local Cafe or Restaurant
Braza/Greco: At Braza or Greco, you can feast on a Mediterranean mash-up of flavours, anywhere from Portuguese, Italian to Greek. It’s located on the second floor of the Georgiou Centre, with a great street view on their outdoor patio for people-watching.
St Lucia Coffee Shop: It’s the perfect place to grab your morning coffee! This spot became our daily ritual, with the friendliest baristas ready to serve. They never minded if we lingered a while to use their cafe as a make-shift office.
Kauai: For a healthy option, pop next door to St Lucia Coffee Shop and try one of Kauai’s fruit smoothies or dive into their flavourful poke bowls.
John Dory’s: After a fun afternoon on the water, we couldn’t resist diving into a mountain of fresh seafood at John Dory’s. Located right off the main street, their outdoor patio was the perfect spot to soak up the bustling energy of St Lucia.
3. Book a Hippo Boat Cruise
St. Lucia is basically hippo central, and you can’t walk two steps without bumping into a warning sign about these hefty residents strolling through town! Despite our best efforts, we never caught them shopping for souvenirs.
With the biggest hippo population in South Africa, I was itching to hop on a boat cruise to catch a glimpse of these chubby cuties in their natural habitat. We booked a 2-hour trip with Shoreline Hippo and Crocodile Boat Cruises through Viator for R405 ($31 CAD), though prices are a bit cheaper outside of the holidays.
Our boat took off on the sunset cruise from 4:30pm to 6:30pm which, along with early mornings, is the prime time for seeing hippos in full party mode! We spotted a couple dozen hippos, including a mother and calf, a crocodile, and hundreds of resident yellow weavers nestling in the reeds.
Hippo Facts
- Hippos are water-lovers—they spend most of their time in water to sleep, to cool off, and to protect their delicate skin from the blazing African sun. And yes, they sleep underwater!
- With just one chomp, they can split a person in half.
- They can sprint at speeds of 30-45 km/h. I’ll need an espresso IV and a new set of legs to keep up with that!
Check out my Kruger post for more interesting African animal facts!
4. Explore the iSimangaliso Wetland Park
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park is a designated World Heritage Site, stretching 280 km along the coastline from the northern tip of South Africa to St. Lucia. It offers a variety of activities, including game drives, horseback riding, turtle tours, scuba diving, and endless beaches—making it the perfect destination for a safari adventure and a relaxing beach day all in one day.
Entrance Fees
Residents:
- For 2 adults + vehicle: R212 ($16.33 CAD)
- For a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children) + vehicle: R302 ($23.26)
International:
- For 2 adults + vehicle: R348 ($26.79 CAD)
- For a family of 4 (2 adults + 2 children) + vehicle: R552 ($42.49 CAD)
*Parking is free*
Must-visit:
Cape Vidal Beach:
We had an amazing time playing in the powerful crashing waves along the shore, but be cautious of the rip currents. Most visitors gather at the main entrance, so we decided to walk to the right side for more privacy. There’s a small shop for snacks and supplies, but it’s best to stock up in St. Lucia beforehand. Plenty of braai and picnic spots are also available.
Mission Rocks Beach:
The views here are breathtaking, and if you enjoy fishing, you’ll spot local fishermen attempting to catch their dinner. A small path among the rocks leads to a quiet, sandy beach on the left, where we found only a few people.
Catalina Bay Lookout:
This lookout area is known to be frequented by hippos, so it’s worth a visit to catch a glimpse. You can see evidence of their presence from the large footprints along the pathway.
*Tip*
Some gravel roads around the wetlands can flood, but fortunately, our rental car had enough clearance to navigate without issues. Otherwise, we might have found ourselves stuck in waters infested by hippos and crocodiles.
5. Visit a Rural South African Village
We were all set for a cultural experience at Veyane Cultural Village, but when we showed up, it looked like they closed up shop for the holidays. So, we decided to create our own experience by cruising down the dusty dirt roads, and waving to everyone we passed.
First up, we stumbled upon a wedding. It was a parade of women walking and chanting, all while balancing gifts on their heads, including a sheep in tow. And then, our hearts melted as we spotted a bunch of kids having the time of their lives with nothing but a plastic bottle as their soccer ball.
Paul couldn’t resist pulling over to chat with some local kiddos lounging by the roadside. When he asked if they liked soccer, they all shouted “YES!” So, we made a promise to return with toys in an hour.
We drove back to St. Lucia to stop at the local Shoprite, loading up on oversized bags filled with toys galore—like skipping ropes, bubbles, water guns, candy, and, of course, soccer balls. When we returned, the kids spotted us from the end of the street and came running!
The joy was contagious, so we decided to grab a second haul of tennis and soccer balls. Just as we were running low on our toy supply, we spotted a group of kids again. They swarmed our car, asking for soccer balls, but lucky for us, we still had tennis balls to toss! It seems the word was out that random tourists were throwing toys out their car windows!
Final Thoughts
Our journey to St Lucia, South Africa, filled our happiness tank with sunny beach days to exhilarating encounters with African wildlife, and a special holiday celebration with locals.
Visit our timeline to follow along on our adventure.
