One of the top things to do in St. Lucia, South Africa is to go on a hippo & croc boat safari. This little town only has a population of 1,000 people and is very popular with tourists because of its close proximity to iSimangaliso Wetland Park. As part of our itinerary with Jennae and Dave of Access2africa Safaris and thanks to Riette of St. Lucia Tours Charters Safaris, we get to go on the boat safari to look for hippos and crocodiles. We already saw 2 hippos the previous night just walking around on the road just minding their business. We were told that this safari will let us see some crocs and many hippos in the water and we were totally pumped on trying something new for the both of us. Lucky for us, this place is just a few minutes drive from Leopard Corner, where we are staying.
what the boat looks like looking from the front
Hippos are very common to St. Lucia and I knew that they can be very dangerous animals. I didn’t know this, but they are responsible for more human fatalities than any other large animal in all of Africa. Males continuously guard their territories which run along the banks of rivers and lakes. Females get really aggressive if they sense any danger to their young. Hippos can run fast and charge up to 20 miles per hour. Their mouth has an enormous jaw with up to 20 inch teeth. Wouldn’t want to mess with a hippo. I already know about the dangers of crocodiles so it is best not to disturb these creatures.
hippo warning sign in St. Lucia
I have been on many boats since I was paralyzed. From little dinky wooden boats to far more luxurious cruise ships. I just love being on the water because it’s something I only get to do while on vacations. Since I brought my manual wheelchair on this trip, I was told I could just be carried into a regular boat that has only a few steps. If I was to bring a powerchair, I was told that they would just bring a ramp from the dock to the upper level of a 2 level boat. We knew this was to be a 2 hour activity and was to bring sunscreen and water for it was a really warm and sunny day.
few steps to be easily carried in my manual chair
The boat we are on never really goes super fast. I never needed to have my manual wheelchair tied down or anything. My chair was just positioned close to the outside so I could see better. Even without chest restraints I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable. It was really awesome to spot a few crocodiles right away. We see a few with their eyes poking out of the water and saw a few more swimming by. I was surprised it didn’t take that long.
crocs swimming by
Cruising along on the boat, we see hippos hanging out in groups. The boat never really disturb the hippos as the driver make sure to give the hippos enough room without bothering them. It was great to see so many groups of hippos in their natural environment lounging around and not being bothered by tourists. We saw different animals too while on the boat. In the center island, there were monkeys, birds and different land animals running around.
few hippos hanging around
seeing land animals from our boat
So, if you are ever visiting South Africa, you should definitely visit St. Lucia to see this nice little town known for its hippos walking around. Doing a hippo & croc boat safari with St. Lucia Tours Charters Safaris is highly recommended as it is a perfect way to spend 2 hours on a nice day. Again, thanks to Durban Tourism, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Umhlanga Tourism, St. Lucia Tours Charters Safaris and Access2africa Safaris for making this trip possible. Please visit each website for more info.
perfect sunny day for a hippo & croc safari
