Scottburgh is the gateway to the KZN South Coast, and welcomes visitors to the coastal areas of Scottburgh, Rocky Bay, Pennington and surrounds. All offer popular beach resorts, golf courses, nature reserves and loads of holiday entertainment for the whole family nearby.
Scottburgh is well-known as a launch site for the Marine Protected Area, Aliwal Shoal, which offers unsurpassed diving and shark cage diving opportunities. Apart from that Scottburgh offers surfing and diving lessons, waterslides, a thriving Indian Culture at Umzinto and great fishing spots.
Scottburgh, Pennington and surrounds are home to four golf courses, Umkomaas Golf Club; Scottburgh Golf Club; Selborne Park Golf Estate and Umdoni Park Golf Club, situated on the 200-hectare Umdoni Park, a beautiful indigenous coastal forest protected by a trust.
Running, hiking and mountain bike trails can be found at nearby Rocky Bay, for those who want to experience the beauty in an interactive way. Other attractions to look out for include Crocworld, Basset Breweries, TC Robertson Nature Reserve, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve and Park Rynie Ski Boat Club. Scottburgh also hosts a flea market every Saturday morning and has lovely shops for browsing, as well as a mall.

This beautiful stretch of coastline is filled with numerous unique and unexpected treasures, including 3 Blue Flag beaches at Hibberdene, Umzumbe and Southport.

Escape to the hinterland and you’ll find one of the most breathtakingly beautiful and ecologically extraordinary regions of South Africa – Oribi Gorge. This spectacular gorge which can be viewed up close on hiking and mountain biking trails and from various viewing sites boasts sedimentary rock formations which are over 365 million years old. Oribi Gorge is also known as an exceptional adventure destination. The area plays host to the world’s highest gorge swing, the longest zipline tour in Africa, abseiling over beautiful waterfalls, exhilarating white water rafting, challenging suspension bridges and so much more to get those hearts pumping!

For birders, Oribi Gorge is home to a breeding colony of Cape Vultures with a viewing hide overlooking a vulture restaurant. Tours allow you to take photographs of these majestic birds up close. Or opt for cultural tours. Also in the hinterland is Harding, a town with a rich and fascinating history, as well as magnificent Ingeli forest, known for mountain biking and the Ingeli Sky Marathon.

The best-known area on the KZN South Coast, villages such as Shelly Beach, Uvongo, Margate, Ramsgate and St Michaels on the Sea provide families with endless opportunities to relax, pick up pretty shells, build sandcastles, play, swim and boogie board in the ocean waves or tidal pools. St Michael’s beach is favoured for surfing, Uvongo for its waterfall, Shelly Beach for ski boat fun and fishing charters, as well as 2 large malls, Shelly Centre and South Coast Mall for those with symptoms of shopping withdrawal. Shop for unique hand-crafted gifts, delicious homemade sweets, jewellery, décor items that will help you create the beach vibe back home, sport, beach and casual wear brands and equipment, beach toys and accessories.

Two of its towns have been voted KwaZulu-Natal’s Town of the Year, Margate in 2017 and Uvongo in 2019. Margate, the tourist hub of the KZN South Coast is also home to the inimitable South Coast Bike Fest, solidifying Margate’s reputation as a happening beach destination. Sip cocktails on sky bars overlooking the famous palm-treed beach and choose between many seafood and steak grills and pubs.

Explore artistic Ramsgate from the beach on the scenic Ramsgate Marine Ramble, stopping at the Whale Viewing Deck to spot whales and dolphins. Then turn inland for a sumptuous meal, be sure not to miss Margate Art Museum, Nyandezulu and the Gamalakhe Time Travel Experience.

The southern-most coastal resort in KwaZulu-Natal, Port Edward is flanked by the dramatic Umtamvuna River Gorge. From here the beaches stretch on, seemingly forever, into a wild, untamed land. This region encompasses the ideal mix of country and coastal beauty and it’s not surprising that it’s a moviemaker and wedding organiser’s paradise.

The Umtamvuna Gorge is also a spectacular adventurer’s playground offering nature trails, wakeboarding, skiboating, stand up paddling and many more adrenaline-fuelled pursuits.

Southbroom, on the other hand, offers sophisticated serenity with a central pursuit being golf. Well-known eco estate San Lameer with its many activities are down the road. Marina and Trafalgar beaches are Blue Flag beaches, offering an endless string of hidden bays and coves to explore. The glorious Mpenjati Nature Reserve is a 66 hectares sanctuary for shy, forest-dwelling blue, red and grey duiker, as well as numerous bird species and a host of vervet monkeys.

MacBanana will delight moms and kids alike, or why not try horseriding on the beach or fascinating agri tours, such as banana or coffee tours on local farms. This area neighbours the Wild Coast Sun with all its water activities within easy reach.

Looking for culture and heritage? Great Drives Out experiences include rural KwaNzimakwe to Kwaxolo Caves and for an active cultural experience, take up the Wild2SouthCoast Walk.