Rocktail Bay Lodge is situated in the northern reaches of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in an area of northern KwaZulu Natal that is locally known as Maputaland. When one looks at a map of northern KwaZulu-Natal, there is a large void between Kosi Bay and Sodwana Bay. Rocktail Bay is in the centre of this area with no other development around. This whole region has been declared a World Heritage Site. Situated offshore from Rocktail Bay is the Maputaland Marine Reserve, which offers an additional sanctuary with extraordinary diving and snorkelling with exciting encounters with huge shoals of fish, dolphins and whales.

The lodge is situated meters inland from the warm Indian Ocean and some of the most incredible beaches in all of South Africa. At Wilderness Safaris, we pride ourselves in hosting our guests in some of the most remote and pristine locations on Earth. Rocktail Bay Lodge is one of these locations and around the lodge there are some 30km of undisturbed Indian Ocean coastline, which is rich in marine life. Outside Magazine in the USA voted Rocktail Bay's beach as one of the best in the world! Here the waves meet endless and diverse beaches where it is possible to walk for hours without meeting another soul or seeing a building. Even Rocktail Bay is tucked away just inland in amongst the trees and out of site. There are no power lines or telephones lines here. This solitude is a rare feature found in few places on our planet, and the value of this experience is what we offer at Rocktail Bay Lodge. The lodge is built out of the breezes, just inland from the beach and within the forest canopy of vegetated dunes that occur along Maputaland's coastline. Rocktail Bay itself was named after a trawler that sank off the Bay many years ago.

At Manzengwenya, 11km south of the camp, we have our own fully accredited dive-centre with an unrivalled diving operation anywhere in South Africa. We offer boating excursions out to sea around low tide to enjoy scuba and snorkelling on the pristine coral reefs offshore. (Please take special note that dive certification and pre-booking is compulsory for scuba activities). The reefs here are very special and have hardly been dived before. We are continually finding new reefs! Snorkellers often dive with dolphins, whalesharks and even whales! One of the highlights in our summer months are the diving with the pregnant ragged-tooth sharks when they migrate up north to our area and relax in the caves in our reefs.

CAMP DESCRIPTION
- Dining room and pub under thatch
- Plunge pool
- Outdoor eating area

ACTIVITIES AT ROCKTAIL BAY LODGE
• The beach
• Beach and forest walks
• Bird watching
• Snorkeling (equipment available) at an extra charge
• Surf/rock fishing (tackle available)
• Turtle trails/walks (Mid-October to February, additional cost per person goes towards the conservation authorities.)
• Swimming (entirely at your own risk- as there are no life guards)
• Day trips with lunch for fishing and snorkeling to Black Rock or Lala Neck
• The following activities are prohibited in the reserve: surfing, boardsailing, the launching of any type of boat, lighting of fires, driving of vehicles on the beach
• Scuba diving - (additional cost).
• Boat based snorkeling - (additional cost)
• Hide for bird watching

GAME VIEWING
This is not a prime game viewing area. It is situated within a marine and coastal forest reserve. There are Hippos and in summer, egg-laying Loggerhead and Leatherback Turtles come ashore at low tide at night. Whales and Dolphins can be seen offshore and reef diving is outstanding.

OPENING AND CLOSING TIMES
Rocktail Bay Lodge is situated in a KwaZulu Natal Wildlife Reserve.Entrance Gate Times
Open : 06:00
Close : 18:00
Access to the reserve outside of these hours is not allowed.
Please note that the scheduled transfers from Rocktail Bay Reception area at Manzengwenya to the lodge are at 10:30, 14:00 & 16:00 daily. On arrival please proceed to the KZN Wildlife Office & car park at Manzengwenya, where you will be directed to the Rocktail Bay Lodge Dive Center & Reception which is a short walk down the road. Should you not be in time for the above transfers we can arrange for a private transfer at an additional cost of R100 per person per transfer.