Richard’s Bay is the first of three ports in South Africa that we visited.
Flag of the Republic of South Africa
Because of the political instability in Mozambique, early on in the cruise it was decided not to call there and to add an extra day in Richard’s Bay. Richard’s bay is a major port because it is the largest harbor in South Africa with rail and pipeline links to Johannesburg. Like Mombasa and Maputo, it also serves land-locked African neighbors. Unlike Durban,which is largely a container port, Richard’s Bay has bulk goods facilities since coal and minerals are big exports.
Because of the natural habitats in the bay and surrounding lakes, lagoons, and estuaries, a compromise was worked out to allow development of half of the bay and protect the other half for nature. The Richard’s Bay Game Sanctuary was established in 1935 to protect the lagoon. In 1999 St. Lucia Wetlands Park, including a huge estuary (tidal river) north of Richard’s Bay, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A couple of years ago, the park was renamed to iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
The area is also part of the homeland of the Zulus, hence the province is called KwaZulu-Natal from combining the place of the Zulu with the name the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama gave it because he “discovered” it on Christmas day—Natal. The province is one of the richest and most culturally diverse in South Africa.
The first day we didn’t have an excursion. We arrived late in port because the seas were high and the immigration agents had a hard time coming aboard to check our passports.
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The pilot was brought in by helicopter a bit later.
Pilot Arrived by Helicopter
We were greeted on our arrival the first day and departure the second day by a Zulu dance troupe with traditional drums, spears and shields. The trademark of the Zulu dance is the high kick.
Zulu Dancer Highkicking Left then Right
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They also drop onto their seat from a standing position (see below) and have other moves that have them lying on the ground. Whereas those moves might be OK on grass or dirt, it seemed like it would be a bit uncomfortable on an asphalt pavement covered with dust and small grains of coal.
Janice and I took the free shuttle into town thinking we could find a hotel that might be able to help us arrange an evening safari. It was not to be since the shuttle took us to essentially a suburban shopping mall and there were no hotels in sight. We were able to return with a few South African beers and some Zulu beaded jewelry though.
Janice Bought these Beads from their Maker
The cruise terminal had a number of vendor booths with everything from wood carvings to bead jewelry to painted Ostrich eggs to clothing to some quite original art.
Typical Vendor's Shop
The second day we took a boat ride On Lake St. Lucia to see the local fauna. We saw (salt-water) crocodiles, hippos, Goliath and Grey Herons, Egyptian and Spurwing Geese, African Fishing Eagles, Kingfishers, and Spoonbills.
Crocodile Warming in the Sun
Goliath Heron (World's Largest Heron)
African Fishing Eagles
Kingfishers
One herd of hippos included a baby that the guide said must be a female since the herd’s male will kill male babies. When a hippo is about to give birth, she will leave the herd and stay away to raise a male baby but return to the herd with a female.
Hippos (With Baby)
After the excursion, Janice and I took the shuttle, but this time wound up at the marina since the shopping plaza was suffering a power outage. There were a few shops at the marina and we got more Castle Milk Stout, a very dark beer that we had tasted the day before.
Enjoying Some Castle Milk Stout back on the Rotterdam
But again it was a hot day and there was no beach in sight so after a brief walk we returned to the ship.
The Zulu dancers returned for our farewell.
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In addition to the port facilities, Richard’s Bay is quite a tourist location. We saw a small part of St. Lucia park, which is about a 90 minute drive from the port. There is a cute little resort town on an island in the middle of the park. Also within one to two hours are several Zulu cultural centers—including Shakaland, the set of the movie Shaka Zulu about the Zulu king who united the tribes and defeated the British for a while—and several game parks. In sum, Richard’s Bay is an interesting place and worth another visit.