Zinkwazi Beach
Zinkwazi – KwaZulu-Natal – South Africa
A Perfect hideaway on the Dolphin Coast
Zinkwazi Beach lounges around near Ballito, not far from Durban, about 80 kilometres north. A tiny fishing village and nature conservancy on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, this peaceful laidback hamlet is not for people that love a hectic energetic holiday or adore night clubs. I’ll retract that – you can have an active schedule if you wish, but personally I would just chill.
If you are a city dweller dying for a quiet breakaway next to the sea, this is just the place for you to slide into some easy living. For such a tiny place on the beautiful Dolphin Coast it packs a punch when it comes to charisma.
No thoroughfare to anywhere although settled in the heart of the historical King Shaka Route you must have a good reason to visit. We did. Friends of ours live there and have raved about Zinkwazi for years. We had to see for ourselves during our recent road trip what this almost forgotten nook of KwaZulu-Natal is really like. Besides, it was a great opportunity to visit our buddies.
Zinkwazi Main Beach
What will you find at Zinkwazi?
There isn’t even a shopping centre, apart from Zinkwazi Beach Café, a general dealer and coffee shop that, by the way, makes delicious snacks and drinks. I would not rely on stocking up on your month’s groceries although it does have a fairly good selection for its size. Your best bet would be to go through to the mall at Ballito if you are a shopaholic.
Zinkwazi Lagoon
We discovered there is a hotel at Zinkwazi, the ANEW Hotel Ocean Reef but we did not set our sandy feet inside. Didn’t think they would approve, but it must have a spectacular view because it is situated at a high point overlooking the ocean. We heard that the hotel offers great meals but in our casual clothes mainly suitable for camping and beaches, we opted for the more casual approach and self-catered.
What more do you need when you have endless beaches, fringed with lush indigenous tropical forests and tropical palms? Birds and monkeys to entertain you. A great place to unwind.
Lagoon and beach
Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge
We parked of at Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge with our little caravan as it has a campsite.
The lodge is tucked in next to the tranquil Zinkwazi Lagoon and estuary with a view of sugarcane plantations on the other side. Allegedly it is the longest lagoon in KZN, a lengthy 7 kilometres.
The estuary is rich in fish, prawn and crab life and is a great place for small boats, SUP boards and other small craft. We even heard the call of the African Fish Eagle.
Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge gardens
While we were there they were in the process of revamping the lodge, which has a variety of chalets and rooms. This will still take some time. The terraced caravan park area must have been beautiful many years ago, but of course due to Covid and South Africa’s economy it needs some TLC. It is great to see work being done as it is in a prime spot right next to the lagoon.
The lodge has a restaurant, Raffia Restaurant and Havana bar. Unfortunately we never got the opportunity to try out either of them.
Camping under the canopy of lush tropical trees provided us with delightful sounds. Amongst other birds there were numerous trumpeter hornbills that amused us by giving us fly pasts as well as birdsong… err… trumpeting and cackling. We loved it! Some people might find it unsettling though. If you would like to hear, turn up your sound and click on the video.
We even had our own resident cat that made herself at home, just like many animals have done in the past.
Initially we thought we could walk to the beach as it is only ten minutes away from the campsite, but Zinkwazi has many steep hills and I was getting my exercise by walking on the soft sand of the beach. With the heat and humidity we found it far easier to drive by car. The beach is lovely and it seems the best place to swim is opposite the lagoon in the bay on the main beach, although the area is steep with crashing waves – real dumpers that knocked me off my feet.
One evening we had dinner (or rather takeaways) at Mahogany Reef next to the Zinkwazi Ski Boat Club. It is also a perfect spot for a sundowner. From the deck area where you can enjoy your meal, you step off onto the beach and stick your toes into the sand with the ocean a few steps away. You need to order your food a few hours ahead of time though because of limited supplies.
Mahogany Reef
Next to the parking area of the main beach is Proud’s Pizza, a little shack. Apparently the best pizzas in town! I just had to say that – but for all I know they are the only pizzas in Zinkwazi. Wood fired and on sale from 10am most days. We never had the chance to sample one unfortunately, so we’ll have to go back to try one for ourselves. Best place to enjoy them are on the beach, weather permitting.
We found out Sundays are usually the busiest days on the beach when you struggle to find parking. As with many coastal towns, Zinkwazi has narrow streets and small parking areas. It was sad to see the litter on the beach the following day but the municipality cleaned up quite well within a couple of days.
Map of Zinkwazi
Accommodation
There are numerous holiday homes to choose from at Zinkwazi if you do not wish to stay at the lodge or the hotel.
Fun on the beach at Zinkwazi
During one of our days on the beach we saw a group of children from Sugar Bay Holiday Camp having a wail of a time in the waves. Judging by their squeals of delight they did not object to being dumped and rolled up the sand dune by the waves. They must have gone to bed exhausted!
Sugar Bay is situated near Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge and provides holiday camps, team building or educational group tours for the youth. We heard they do great work at the camp.
Swimming pool at Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge
Beautiful stonework - steps leading up to the campsite terraces at Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge
I am so pleased to have discovered Zinkwazi Beach – a highlight of our Northern KwaZulu-Natal road trip. I am even more grateful for the time spent with our friends, Rene and Andy. It was great catching up after so many years. Hope we’ll see them soon!
Fish pond at Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge
Zinkwazi is a place to forget the worries of the world and tune in to the sound of the waves and the birds. Oh, and eavesdropping on the local’s conversation. I don’t usually stretch my ear to listen to other people’s conversation but couldn’t help it this time. The hot topic at the coffee shop was the comparison of snakes found by the residents in their houses or gardens that week.
Pin for later on Pinterest
Click on image and pin
Find me on Social Media
About the Author
ALMA VAN AS | ROAMING FOX
Alma is a South African travel blogger and writer. She hopes to inspire you with facts and fables about her adventures, road trips and international travel.
If you would like to leave a comment on my blog and receive my reply enter your name and email address then push enter.
Alternatively, you can comment as a guest without logging in, but you will not be notified of my answer.
Your privacy is important to us and your email address will not be shared or displayed.
Booking Accommodation
If this article inspires you to travel it would be greatly appreciated if you book your accommodation via the links on this page. Alternatively take a look at my shop page. When you book it will earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. This will also assist in keeping the Roaming Fox website running.
As always, I appreciate your support. Thanks! – Alma aka Roaming Fox.
In 2021 we were privileged. We travelled more than expected throughout the second year of the pandemic even though we did not travel internationally.