Scottburgh is a coastal city of 11,000 people (2011) on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, that is popular with beach-goers and surfers.

Understand

Scottburgh Beach

Scottburgh is a bay on the South Bank of the Mpambanyoni River, a short river that culminates in a lagoon. One appeal of Scottburgh beach is its grass-covered banks leading down to sandy beaches, which have made it a popular holiday resort for holidaymakers for many years.

Wildlife found regularly inside the township includes snakes, skinks, geckos, numerous insects, millipedes, bushbuck, mongi, and most famously, large numbers of vervet monkeys. Genets have been sighted, and there are occasional unverified spottings of civets and similar small felines and cat-like mammals. Birds are abundant, perhaps the most noticeable being the raucous and much-loved hadada ibis.

The Indian mynah is widespread but regarded as a pest due to its habits of defecating in public restaurants and eating areas and pillaging the nests of native birds. This bird has presented similar problems in other areas in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The sardine run is also visible from the shores of Scottburgh and its surroundings most winters. The umdoni and Strelitzia are the best-known trees specifically associated with Scottburgh and its environs.

Get in

Flight from Durban international airport, 30 minutes from Scottburgh.

Get around

You will need to drive to get around Scottburgh.

See

North of the Mpambanyoni lies the suburb of Freeland Park, a largely residential area with the Cutty Sark Hotel and a river populated by juvenile and adolescent crocodiles. These crocodiles are the product of the 1987 cyclone, when infant crocodiles escaped from the nearby Crocworld theme park.

South of Scottburgh, and separated from it by the Country Club, Golf Course, and a considerable expanse of bush, is Scottburgh South, and a few kilometres inland lies the sugarcane farming hamlet of Renishaw, well known for its chapel.

Do

The summer season sees many tourists from the inland flock to the beaches of the South Coast. There are many activities that contribute to Scottburgh being a popular destination such as microlighting, diving, shark cage diving, sea rides, rock and surf fishing, Umdoni Park run, and bicycle trails. There are many more activities that can be inquired at the local South Coast tourism office.

• Scuba diving the famous Aliwal Shoal
• Scottburgh Main Beach, Pennington and Park Rynie have been awarded blue flag status.

Surfing

Scottburgh is particularly renowned for its large surfing community. Superior waves are to be found along the coast, especially during the winter months. Popular spots include Green Point, Pennington, Kelso, Scottburgh and Rocky Bay. Many other perfect breaks along this coast can be found. Surfers and bodyboarders from around the world come for surf trips around the south coast, and visit Scottburgh in particular for its worldwide surfing reputation.