Rocktail Bay Lodge

ROCKTAIL BAY LODGE is a charming, rustic and secluded lodge built in the forested sand dunes just a few yards from the Indian Ocean. It is one of the very few places you can stay in the Maputaland Marine Reserve, which stretches for nearly 200 kilometres from Lake St Lucia to Kosi Bay on the South Africa - Mozambique border.

Andrew and Sharon, the couple who run the lodge, have been in the area for six years, and three at this lodge, so they know what the area has to offer. In the evening, Andrew can get out a laptop and give a first-rate talk on turtle research.

Once, literally thousands of turtles jostled for space to lay their eggs on this 60-kilometre stretch of beach. In 1963, researchers discovered these numbers had dwindled to just 27! The beaches were protected and today more than 500 turtles return to the beach where they were born to lay their eggs.Nesting season is from mid-October to mid-March. By mid-November, you are pretty well guaranteed to see them coming up to lay eggs. From mid-January to mid-February, you should see the hatchlings.

Accommodation

Ten cosy reed and thatch tree-houses are raised on stilts into the forest canopy. Each one has its own deck and there are some family trees which accommodate two houses on a shared deck. In addition, for families with younger children, there is one family cabin with two bedrooms at ground level.

Activities

Activities include visiting the local community, where guests can see how people live as subsistence farmers; visiting local hippo pools; nature walks on which you will discover the area's unique flora and fauna; diving and fly-fishing; or simply relaxing on the beach or in a hammock with a good book.

One of the best activities is the trip to Black Rock, an imposing chunk of sandstone that juts out into the sea. You often see turtles, sharks and rays from the edge of this immense feature.

Vuzi Pan is about 30 minutes away by land rover. This marsh is a mini-Okavango, with special birds such as Lesser Jacana, Lesser Moorhen and Pink throated Longclaw.

The diving and snorkelling are excellent and the camp has its own full service dive center, which also caters to the casual snorkeller (fins, masks, and wet-suits are available for a minimal charge). The area is known for its pristine reefs, excellent visibility and rich marine life, including whale and ragged tooth sharks, turtles, dolphins and reef fish. The height of turtle activity occurs between October and March

Food

Meals are buffet style - served in the open under a canopy of giant Natal mahogany trees - and very good quality.

Getting there

Take the new road from either Jozini or Hluhluwe and leave the car at the Coastal Cashews – a trading station and processing plant for cashew nuts. The next 30 km are on sand roads, so unless you have a 4WD, you will be collected and transferred to the lodge. It’s a lovely drive, through numerous settlements on a flat coastal plain bounded by distant hills, which turn out to be the forested sand dunes which fringe the shoreline.