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BBlessed with warm water, robust waves and seemingly endless stretches of sandy beaches, you'll soon understand why Durban (eThekwini) is everyone's favourite seaside playground. Warm and sunny most of the year, Durban's beaches offer public amenities, protective shark nets, beacons to indicate safe bathing and lifeguards on duty for most of the day.
KwaZulu-Natal is home to pristine, perfect beaches, and here they are:
A choice destination for domestic holidaymakers, Margate is a popular bathing beach fringing a holiday town of the same name.
Ramsgate, South Coast
A nice stretch of beach combined with a warm lagoon makes this Blue Flag beach a holiday favourite with families, especially during the school holidays.
Did You Know?
SSouth Africa has 67 Blue Flag beaches. This is an international annual award that focuses on the environmental management of our coastline and coastal waters to help tourism growth and development.
Umzumbe (Pumula) lies on the Hibiscus Coast. This is a beautiful and unspoiled beach with dense coastal vegetation extending to the sand. There is a small tidal pool and lifeguards are on duty.
Even though it's less busy compared to nearby beaches, Addington Beach's protected location close to the Harbour makes it a perfect beach for family members as well as for those looking to unwind far away from the throngs of people. The warm Indian Ocean causes it to be an excellent swimming beach.
Lucien is a popular South Coast family beach that offers year-round safe swimming. Lifeguards are on duty throughout the year and there is an adjacent tidal pool.
Trafalgar is a quieter choice of beach located near the Mpenjati Nature Reserve. Lifeguards are on duty every day, but there are no restaurants and shops nearby.
Durban’s Beaches
South Beach, North Beach and Bay of Plenty are all popular and accessible beaches. Favourite hangout spots for local surfers and swimmers, these long stretches of beach epitomise the Golden Mile for which eThekwini (Durban) is famous.
Umhlanga Rocks, Durban North
Located just 15 minutes away (by car) up the north coast from eThekwini (Durban), Umhlanga offers up an upmarket stretch of beach known for its high-rise hotels, holidaymakers, fishermen, swimmers and surfers.
Umdloti Beach, North Coast
About 20 minutes north of eThekwini (Durban) lies Umdloti, a popular enclosed lagoon-type swimming area with many rock pools. Laid-back and relaxed, Umdloti is ideal for families, while an open section to the right is suited to surfing.
Sodwana Bay Beach, North Coast
With rock pools to one side and a sweeping bay to the other, this is the preferred destination of deep-sea fishermen, scuba divers, snorkelling fans and swimmers.
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