Rocktail Bay
Situated in northern Natal, within the Maputaland Coastal Forest Reserve and adjoining the Maputaland Marine Reserve, this lodge lies within a proclaimed World Heritage Site, metres from the Indian Ocean in the coastal forest. Rocktail Bay received its name after a trawling ship, the Rocktail, was wrecked off shore. Eleven wood and thatch "tree house" chalets are raised up on stilts into the forest canopy. The chalets have en suite shower and toilet facilities and an outdoor shower. There is a lounge/bar and dining area where meals are served under thatch or under the giant Natal Mahogany trees. A boardwalk winds from the lodge through the dune forest and down to the beach.
Wildlife
Rocktail Bay has its own ‘Big Five’: Leatherback and Loggerhead Turtle, Palmnut Vulture, Buitons Skink and the Zululand Cycad. Also common are reedbuck, red duiker, hippo, whales and dolphins as well as a wide variety of birds
Activities
Lala Nek Snorkelling, drive to Black Rock – a fossilized sand dune, local community visit, Vazi Pan, snorkelling off the boat, horse riding, fully accredited dive centre, turtle research drives (mid October – mid March).
Eco-credentials
Rocktail Bay Lodge lies within an area which was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in December 1999. Only sites considered to be
of outstanding universal value have been thus recognised. In 1999 Rocktail Bay Lodge was a winner in the prestigious international British Airways "Tourism for Tomorrow" Awards. These awards recognise organisations in the tourism industry which have made a positive contribution towards their local natural and cultural environment. Rocktail Bay also won South Africa's Imvelo awards in 1003 for the best community tourism partnerships. During the summer months Rocktail Bay Lodge is integrally involved in ongoing turtle research.