Beach, bush and birds. Sounds like a dream doesn’t it? Well, it’s not; it is what life at Lush can give to you. Kwa-Zulu Natal’s North Coast is a nature-lovers playground and if you’re willing to venture just outside your door, you’ll find there is so much more to discover and explore.

Anybody from KZN will tell you that our beaches are where they want to be, whether they’re into fishing, swimming, sun bathing or dolphin-spotting. Not surprisingly, KZN’s North Coast is called the Dolphin Coast after the pods of Bottlenose Dolphin often spotted in the water. For youngsters, the many rock pools present a safe place for wading, netting fish and discovering all sorts of sea life.

Northwards, on the banks of the Tugela River is the Harold Johnson Nature Reserve. This Reserve is home to 2 national monuments- Fort Pearson and the Ultimatum Tree, both linked to KZN’s history. Within this Reserve are many types of wildlife from Zebra, to Mongoose, buck, Eland and Porcupines. For an active explorer, the 100ha Reserve offers 2 relatively gentle hikes as well as several walking trails. What is most notable is the array of birdlife within the Reserve- a reported 200 species of bird have been spotted within this area alone, as well as 114 different species of butterflies.

The North Coast of KZN forms a sub-section of the Southern KwaZulu-Natal Birding Route. The entire route itself, from end to end is vast and includes several types of habitats and environments from beaches to forests to the Lowveld and also the Drakensberg Mountains. It is not surprising to discover that within this vast terrain over 550 species of birds have been observed. The North Coast Birding Route alone is home to three of South Africa’s country’s crane species: blue crane, grey crowned crane and wattled crane, as well as the blue swallow, the crowned eagle and bearded vulture.