Turtle Tours

Turtle watching and Turtle tours are a major highlight to yo

There are a number of different turtles that are found in the sea off the coast of Maputaland, in the Zululand region of South Africa and include ,Leatherback turtles, Loggerhead turtles, Olive Ridley turtles, Green Turtles and Hawkbill turtles.

However only two of these breed in these waters and lay their eggs on these shores namely the Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles.

The Leatherback is the largest sea turtle - 130 - 170 cm in length. Its shell is rubbery - pliable with 12 prominent ridges. This turtle has long flippers. It also cannot withdraw its head. It is a specialist feeder on jellyfish. May dive up to 300m.Females nest at high tide on moonless nights in summer and lay 6 - 9 clutches of eggs. Each clutch contains 100 -120 eggs.

The Loggerhead is a large brown turtle. Shell has scutes which dont overlap and are smooth. Each limb has two claws. It hunts for crabs, molluscs and sea urchins on the coastline. The Loggerheads body is 70 -100cm in length.Females lays up to 5 clutches of 100 eggs in summer.

Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles were once almost extinct along the Maputaland coast, but thanks to conservation efforts their numbers are increasing. These ancient reptiles crawl onto the beaches at night to lay their eggs, from the end of October through to January. In January and February the babies break out of their eggs and crawl into the sea.

The hatching of the young turtles takes place some 60 days after being laid, and in keeping with the miracle of nature the youngsters all emerge simultaneously. From this moment the struggle for life begins as they dig 40cm to the surface before crawling en mass the 60 meters or so to the surf - where in turn they are likely to become the prey of kingfish and other predators Life is harsh until the turtles are larger and the survival rate is fewer than one in 500.

The KZN Wildlife rangers based at Sodwana Bay and Cape Vidal take visitors onto the beaches during the breeding season to view the turtles.

Turtle Tours in St Lucia Wetlands Park

• Shaka Barker Tours offers Turtle tours from St Lucia. Departure times vary according to the tides. Rates vary from season to season, and include a delicious dinner and drinks on the beach.