St Lucia • iSimangaliso Wetlands Park • KwaZulu-Natal • South Africa

Join a guided night turtle walk from St Lucia, South Africa to the Maputaland Turtle Sanctuary during the summer nesting season. This is a walking-only experience on a pristine coastline — we do not drive vehicles on the beach.

Overview

What to expect on the night

You’ll travel north from St Lucia into the protected coastline of iSimangaliso / Maputaland. The experience is a guided walk on the beach in search of turtle tracks, nesting activity and (later in the season) hatchlings moving toward the sea.

Conditions vary night to night — tides, wind, surf, sand movement, and turtle behaviour all play a part. Your guide reads the beach and adapts the walk for the best chance of sightings.

Practical information

Why book with Extreme Nature Tours & Travel cc

• Local knowledge: Based in St Lucia – South Africa, with hands-on understanding of seasonal conditions and access rules.
• Experienced guiding: Professional, nature-loving guides with a safety-first approach.
• Ethical approach: Walking-only turtle experience — no vehicles on the turtle nesting beach.
• Personal service: Clear communication, practical advice, and realistic expectations.

Looking to build a fuller St Lucia itinerary? Explore Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park safaris, iSimangaliso safaris and St Lucia safaris for day options.

Book your St Lucia Turtle Tour

Related tours and experiences

• Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park safaris (big game, day trips available)
• iSimangaliso safaris (wetlands, landscapes, wildlife)
• St Lucia safaris (local options)
• Swim with dolphins (seasonal / conditions dependent)
• St Lucia snorkeling adventures
• Bhanga Nek accommodation (Maputaland / Kosi region)

More information

Our St Lucia turtle Tours are part of a rural community development project and the community in this area are among the most pro active local communities regarding conservation.

The St Lucia turtle tours operate in an area which is known to have the highest population of nesting turtles along the South African coastline, the Maputaland Turtle Sanctuary, which makes our chances of sightings more of a guarantee than a chance, and, during the main part of the season, we offer 50% money back on all of our St Lucia Turtle tours if no turtles are seen.

Our St Lucia Turtle Tours DO NOT INVOLVE DRIVING VEHICLES ON THE BEACH. If you come on one of our St Lucia turtle tours, you will be walking along a pristine beach. We are an extremely environmentally aware company and we believe that the use of any vehicle on a turtle nesting beach in an unnecessary disturbance to the nesting turtles.

St Lucia Turtle Tours - Turtle Walk (November - March)

Our St Lucia Turtle Tours are done along North-East coast of South Africa is perfect habitat for a variety of species of sea turtles. The climate is hot, the ocean water is warm and crystal clear, and there are thousands of reefs which provide food and refuge for sea turtles and great sightings for visitors doing one of the St Lucia Turtle Tours. The coastline itself consists of hundreds of kilometers of unspoiled, undeveloped golden beaches, perfect nesting areas for turtles. A 300km section of coastline had been declared a World Heritage Site and is protected by UNESCO. The area is now known as the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park (previously known as the St Lucia Wetlands Park), and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999 and officially opened by Nelson Mandela, so when doing St Lucia turtle tours, you get to see not only the giant sea turtles, but also the untouched landscapes.

Within the iSimangaliso Wetlands Park, just South of the Mozambique border, there is a section of coastline about 100 km long where there is an extremely high concentration of nesting turtles during the summer months from November to February. This area is know as the Maputaland Turtle Sanctuary and falls within the St Lucia Marine Sanctuary and where St Lucia Turtle Tours operate. Access to the turtle sanctuary is strictly controlled and only small areas of beach area accessible to the public. Turtle tours at St Lucia are strictly controlled; the local community, the Thonga tribe, participates in the protection of the turtles by being involved in law enforcement, research, monitoring and turtle tours.

International tourists visiting South Africa do turtle tours in the area which are run by members of the local community. The St Lucia turtle tours generate revenue for the community not just through turtle tours, but also through accommodation at Bhanga Nek, and other activities in the Bhanga Nek area, including hiking trails and bird watching. Involving local communities in conservation of the fauna and flora is essential, enabling people to benefit financially by utilizing the available resources in a sustainable way. Community based projects such as the St Lucia turtle tours are beneficial to the community because they earn revenue, beneficial to the tourists who want to do turtle tours at St Lucia and see turtles, and beneficial to the turtles because they are protected in the process.

What to bring

St Lucia Turtle Tours - WHAT TO BRING along on the St Lucia Turtle Tour:

Comfortable shoes to walk along the beach in, camera, a light waterproof jacket, a warm jersey, a small rucksack or day pack or a turtle bag, turtle T shirt, a turtle hat, and a sense of adventure!

For more information about our St Lucia turtle tours in South Africa, please contact one of our friendly team members who will only be too happy to assist you.

St Lucia Turtle Tours

In St Lucia, turtle tours are a popular activity for both international and South African tourists. The St Lucia area is the southern most range turtle nesting grounds in Southern Africa. From St Lucia, turtle tours take you up to Cape Vidal, or further up north to Kosi Bay and the Maputaland Turtle Sanctuary.

The numbers of nesting turtles along the Maputaland coast does differ substantially from south to north. Traveling north of St Lucia, turtle numbers gradually increase until you reach the sanctuary. In the Maputaland turtle Sanctuary, turtle sightings, during the main part of the turtle nesting season [Dec-end Feb], are virtually guaranteed. The species of turtles which nest at St Lucia are the Loggerhead turtle and Leatherback turtle, both impressively large species.

The Leatherback turtle being the largest reptile in the world, reaching up to 900kg. The smaller of the two species, the Loggerhead turtle, weighs an average of 150-300kg. Both these species of turtles do not nest only once in a season, but up to 10 times, with clutches of 70-100 eggs per nest. Considering the hatchlings have a survival rate of only 0.02%, the large numbers of eggs is essential for the survival of the species.

The St Lucia turtle tours running up to the Maputaland Turtle Sanctuary are definitely the most productive and eco friendly of the turtle tour options available, as there is no driving on the beach, walking only. From St Lucia, turtle tours start from the beginning of November, and end at the end of March. During the first half of the turtle nesting season, from November to mid January, the turtles lay their eggs and we watch the nesting process, then the remainder of the season is spent searching for the turtle hatchlings which are rushing down to the waters edge trying to avoid the numerous predators hunting them.

We recommend that if you are in the St Lucia area wanting to do a turtle trip, do the distance and go up to the Turtle Sanctuary, you will be rewarded.

St Lucia Turtle Tours Blog

2025 / 2026 Nesting Season