Zinkwazi (Nkwazi) is a small village in a coastal conservancy on the magnificent Dolphin coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The name is taken from the Zulu word for “white-headed fish eagle”, an apt name for this area as it is well known for its prolific bird life and the fact that it forms part of the Zululand Birding Route.
The area is a sub-tropical paradise with an unspoilt 7 km long lagoon opening out onto a protected beach surrounded by lush indigenous forest and tropical palms. The beach is the most northern shark protected beach on the North Coast and the lagoon is ideal for the kids to safely swim in. The beach is manned by lifeguards.
The town only has one shop where basics can be bought but it is less than an hour’s drive to the shopping malls of Ballito and Umhlanga and only 85 km from Durban. There are a number of homes lining the beach but development has not been allowed to spoil this ecological gem.
Some of the best golf courses on the coast are within an easy drive – 15 minutes to Princes Grant and 30 minutes to Umhlali (two of the top hundred courses in South Africa).
For those who enjoy wildlife the Hluhluwe-Umfolosi Game Reserve is only 150 km to the north and the Isimangaliso (Greater St. Lucia) Wetland Park is a little further. There are numerous excellent fishing spots on this stretch of the North Coast and the two best spots in Zinkwazi are Black Rock, about 500m south of the river mouth and Line Rocks, another 500 m to the south where a reef runs straight out to sea.
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