South Africa Travels Blog

A winters highlight along the Kwazulu-Natal’s South Coast is a fishing phenomenon known as the “Sardine Run, which has fascinating an effect on human beings as it has impact on marine life.
Every year hugh shoals of pilchards set off from the cool Cape Waters in search of warm spawning grounds.
Moving with the north flowing offshore current, these diminutive fish remain out of reach of the shore along the Cape coast, but somewhere around Natal`s southern border, counter currents sweep them landwards, and this is where the excitement starts because there is always the chance that your spot of the beach will be the one playing host to tons of fish driven onshore by a permutation of wind, tide and predators.
Sea birds provide one of the clues to finding the fish. Where ever they are, wheeling, shrieking and diving into the waves, the sardine are sure to be.
The sardine swim in successive waves swinging out to sea again in the vicinity of Durban.
The migration is an annual one, with the first sighting towards the end of June and continuing for a month.

Golden dunes approximately 30km long line the coastal road that leads to the enclave of Walvis Bay.

Barthomeu Dias first encountered this natural harbour in 1487 and over subsequent centuries control passed
from one European power to another. Today this thriving fishing centre is the main entry port for Namibia.

The town, with its beautiful coastline, moderate climate and abundance of natural bird life, offers holiday resorts and a thriving business centre.

The bay is seperated from the Atlantic by a hook of sand, guarded at its northern tip by the Pelican Point Lignthouse. the deep water of the bay grows shallow towards the southern end and forming a lagoon