The last stop of our dream 8 day tour with Access2Africa Safaris was to Leopard Corner Guest House in St. Lucia. This little town is about a 90 minute drive from Hluhluwe, where we were staying. Again this town is mainly a hub for the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park (now called iSimangaliso Wetland Park). It is very common to see hippos walking around in this town. We are staying here because it is only a few minute drive to see our Hippo & Croc Boat Safari the next morning.
yummy ostrich burgers at Mpila Camp
So Saturday morning we left Anew Hotel Hluhluwe & Safaris and drove through Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park one more time. We saw a few elephants up close again which was amazing. We then stopped at Mpila Camp for lunch that consisted of ostrich burgers and ice cream. After that, we headed towards Leopard Corner Guest House for our final 2 nights. This place was also about 2km from St. Lucia Main Beach which we never had time to visit.
one of the friendly owners, Shaun
Shaun who was one of the owners of this guest house greeted us when we arrived and helped us settle in. Shaun was really friendly and told us a little about his property. Leopard Corner was built specifically with those who are physically challenged in mind. This property is fully wheelchair friendly as the doors are extra wide, ramps are located where needed, handrails are found in the bathroom, there are easily accessible sinks, adjustable shower heads and folding shower chairs. We got the Duiker Suite which is one of two fully accessible suites in a 6 suite guest house. This guest house is all on the main level, so no need to deal with elevators.
spacious bathroom with average size roll in shower
accessible deck with a great view
I really liked how the door of our suite fully opened outwards all the way and has a magnet to keep it opened. This made it easier to get into the room without the door in the way. There is a nice mini fridge with water for us since the tap water is not good for us to drink. The 2 twin beds were comfortable, the bathroom was perfectly accessible with the roll in shower and the deck was easily accessible too. There is also a nice pool near the front desk, but no pool lift is to be found.
magnetic door handle keeps the door open for easy access to suite
Free breakfast was included with our stay with great choices like omelettes, eggs, sausages, bacon cooked made-to-order and a selection of baked items, fresh fruit, cereals and yogurt. We enjoyed our breakfast both mornings. Lucky we weren’t too far from McKenzie street, which is a main road with several restaurants, pubs, shops and gas stations. At about a 15 minute walk from our place, we ate at The Ocean Sizzler our first night, which had a nice ramp into the restaurant and served great seafood. During our stay, a hippo even walked by the entrance and had a bunch of guests trying to take pictures. Our last night, we ate at John Dory’s Grill. I had to be carried in my manual wheelchair as there were about 7 or 8 steps.
great free hot breakfast is included with every stay
Leopard Corner was literally just minutes away from iSimangaliso Wetland Park where we spent a great 2 hour Hippo & Croc Boat Safari with St. Lucia Tours Charters Safaris, and got to see a few crocodiles and a bunch of hippos all on a comfortable wheelchair accessible boat. A lot of people stay in this town cause it is close to the Wetland Park and easy to get to their Hippo & Croc Tours.
checking out the hippos on our boat safari
Our 2 night stay here was quite pleasant and I loved how we can wheel around easily to get to restaurants and shops. Shaun and the other owner Johannes have been perfect hosts and provided us with an excellent accessible room with great free breakfast and always greeted us with a friendly smile. If you are ever in St. Lucia, you must stay in this great guest house and know that the accessible rooms are top notch. Highly recommended.
great pool, but no pool lift
Thanks again to Durban Tourism, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Umhlanga Tourism, Anew Hotel Hluhluwe & Safaris, Hluhluwe Game Reserve, Bayete Zulu Game Reserve, Leopard Corner Guest House, Makaranga Garden Lodge, St. Lucia Tours & Charters, uShaka Marine World, and Access2Africa Safaris for making this possible.
