Ishimangaliso - a paradise for birds and animals in southern Africa

In South Africa there is a unique place called Ishimangaliso. This is a national park, the name of which can be translated from the language of the Zulu people as “miracle”. Indeed, from the point of view of uniqueness, the number of living species and the combination of incredibly diverse landscapes in a small area, this place can be considered a real African miracle.

Ishimangaliso is located in the east of South Africa and occupies a coastal strip of land with a length of about 220 kilometers, as well as part of the Indian Ocean with a width of 5 kilometers. The width of the land part of the national park is variable and ranges from 1 kilometer in the narrowest part to 24 kilometers. In a relatively small area, you can see a combination of sandy beaches, lakes, marshy plains, tropical forests and savannahs. For this reason, the diversity of the animal kingdom in the park is unusually great.

The Isimangaliso Park is home to many representatives of the typically African fauna of mammals - elephants, lions, buffalos, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, leopards, primates, several species of antelopes. Since wetland landscapes are widely represented in the park, hippos and crocodiles are found here in abundance. At the same time, there are also endemic species that are not found outside the region.

The world of birds Ishimangaliso is striking in its diversity of species. Over 500 species of birds inhabit the wetlands and surrounding landscapes.

We should also mention the marine part of the park. There are extensive coral reefs that are home to a large number of tropical fish, shellfish, as well as whales and dolphins. Sodwan Bay has a very high diversity of corals.

Ishimangaliso includes several wetlands, which, due to their uniqueness and significance, are protected by the Ramsar Convention. In the future, Isimangaliso Park is planned to be connected with neighboring nature protection zones and create an extensive reserve, which will also be located in the territory of the neighboring state of Mozambique.