For South Africans looking to swap frosty mornings for sunshine, trade city traffic for hippos and leave busy beaches behind, St Lucia offers one of the country's most rewarding winter escapes.
Winter in South Africa usually means icy mornings, grey skies and counting down the days until summer returns.
But on the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal, there is one destination where winter feels completely different.
St Lucia offers warm subtropical weather, spectacular wildlife, uncrowded beaches and some of the country's most remarkable natural scenery, making it one of South Africa's best winter holiday destinations.
Nestled between the Indian Ocean and the vast St Lucia Estuary, this laid-back village is the gateway to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, where safari adventures meet coastal escapes in a way few places can match.
