Crocs and hippos in St. Lucia, South Africa

Hippos in St. Lucia, South Africa

Next, I went to St. Lucia on the north coast - this is one of THE places for local tourists. During the season, for sure! But the season is not in September. Basically, I had my hostel and the restaurant just for myself. It is a rather odd feeling to have a complete hostel just for you. Even the staff is going home in the evening - as there was no one besides me, the staff was only one lady anyway... Hotels and restaurants are plentiful in St. Lucia. Year round, there are 800 people living here - and there are 5800 hotel beds...
So, why do people come here?

In Saint Lucia and in the nearby iSimangaliso Wetland Park, there are very nice beaches and the sea is pleasantly warm. Moreover, there are a lot of animals - hippos, crocodiles, rhinos, zebras, buffaloes.... Some of the animals like to be outside the park as well as inside. It is not the best of all ideas to wander around St. Lucia at night. Not because of people, but because of hippos on the streets! They are really big here - I did not meet one of them in the streets, but it is exciting enough to sit on the balcony in the evening and just look down in the garden to see them eating huge amounts of grass...
As you find all sorts of wild animals in and around Saint Lucia, there are also quite a lot of ridiculous street signs - by far the best one was the warning of the crocodiles! They have large mouths with super sharp teeth. Yes, with creatures like these in the bush and waters, one must watch out. Also wheel chair drivers - so, they have an extra sign with a wheel chair driver on a sloping street and on the bottom, there is this gigantic saurian waiting!

St. Lucia, South Africa

St. Lucia, South Africa