The Mpenjati Nature Reserve is situated on the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

South Coast south of

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

. The reserve lies on the Mpenjati River Lagoon. The residential town of

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * The Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England Trafalgar may also refer to: Places * Cape Trafalgar, a headland in ...

is on the northern border of the reserve, and Palm Beach lies to the south. The reserve is managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and consists of a system of interconnecting riverine and floodplain marsh habitats, areas of coastal forest, coastal grasslands and open coastline, as well as the river estuary. In the reserve the following bird species may be seen: water thick-knee,

osprey The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and a wingspan of . It ...

, swift tern, half-collared kingfisher,

Kittlitz's plover Kittlitz's plover (''Anarhynchus pecuarius'') is a small shorebird (35–40 g) in the family Charadriidae that breeds near coastal and inland saltmarshes, sandy or muddy riverbanks or alkaline grasslands with short vegetation. It is native to muc ...

, African black oystercatcher, giant kingfisher, black-bellied starling,

red-capped robin-chat The red-capped robin-chat or Natal robin (''Cossypha natalensis'') is a species of passerine bird belonging to the Family (biology), family Muscicapidae. This species is found in central and eastern Sub-Saharan Africa. Taxonomy The red-capped ro ...

, white-browed scrub robin,

brown scrub robin The brown scrub robin (''Tychaedon signata'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Eswatini, Mozambique and, South Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical dry or moist forest A forest is an ecosystem charact ...

, black-backed puffback,

forest canary The forest canary (''Crithagra scotops'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in South Africa and Eswatini. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane ...

, green twinspot, orange-breasted bushshrike and

grey-headed bushshrike The grey-headed bushshrike (''Malaconotus blanchoti''), colloquially known as the ghostbird, is a species of passerine bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, although relatively absent in Central Africa ...

. The Mpenjati River Lagoon is also a popular venue for water-based recreation including

angling Angling (from Old English ''angol'', meaning "hook") is a fishing technique that uses a fish hook attached to a fishing line to tether individual fish in the mouth. The fishing line is usually manipulated with a fishing rod, although rodless te ...

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

and swimming. The beach in the reserve has been used by nudists for over 20 years and was proclaimed as a

nude beach A nude beach, sometimes called a clothing-optional or free beach, is a beach where users are at liberty to be nude. Nude beaches usually have mixed bathing. Such beaches are usually on public lands, and any member of the public is allowed to us ...

in October 2014. In November 2017 the Public Protector declared that the proclamation of the beach as a nudist beach by the Municipality and did not follow proper procedures and prescripts. The beach continues to be used by naturists, even though the beach is not an official nudist beach. Mpenjati has two picnic sites, one on each bank of the river, the picnic sites have

braai Barbecue varies by the type of meat, sauce, Spice rub, rub, or other flavorings used, the point in barbecuing at which they are added, the role smoke plays, the equipment and fuel used, cooking temperature, and cooking time. The meat may be wh ...

facilities, toilets, and a children's playground.

Notes and references

{{Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Parks Protected areas of KwaZulu-Natal Nude beaches KwaZulu-Natal South Coast

See also

Notes and references