Conserving our ancient mariners

At Sodwana Bay Lodge, we believe that paradise should be shared—not only with our guests but with the ancient creatures that have been visiting these shores for millennia. Yes, we’re talking about the loggerheads and leatherbacks that shuffle up our beaches every summer, determined to leave behind the next generation.

It’s a sight that never fails to move you. Watching a leatherback haul herself onto the sand under moonlight is a reminder of how fragile, yet resilient, life can be. These ocean wanderers have been doing this for more than 100 million years. The least we can do is make sure they can keep going for a few million more.

Why Sodwana Matters

KwaZulu-Natal’s north-eastern coastline, especially the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), is one of the world’s turtle hot spots. It’s here that loggerheads and leatherbacks choose to nest, year after year. Thanks to decades of careful monitoring, turtle numbers are making a comeback. In the 1960s, fewer than 250 loggerhead nests were recorded each year. Today, that number is closer to 1 700. Leatherbacks, once down to fewer than 10 nests annually, now have more than 70. Small wins, perhaps, but every clutch of eggs is a triumph.

Challenges for Our Ancient Mariners

Turtles face no shortage of obstacles—plastic pollution, poaching, bycatch in fishing nets and coastal development. Hatchlings scramble from nest to sea under the cover of darkness, only to encounter beachfront lights that confuse them, or predators that lie in wait. Even the lucky ones who make it into the waves face long odds—only one in a thousand will survive to adulthood.

The People Behind the Protection

Thankfully, the odds aren’t entirely stacked against them. Conservation teams, researchers, and volunteers monitor nesting beaches, protect hatchlings, and help turtles in distress. Organisations such as the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre in Cape Town rescue stranded hatchlings and injured adults. In 2024 alone, they rehabilitated more than 500 loggerhead hatchlings after a freak storm, releasing 85% safely back to the sea. Some even carry tiny satellite tags so we can learn more about their marathon ocean journeys.

And then there are the watchful eyes on the ground: people such as Mike Bolhuis and his Specialised Security Services team, who support anti-poaching and anti-disturbance efforts in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Together, these efforts ensure that when a turtle drags her heavy shell up the beach at Sodwana, she can do so in peace.

How You Can Help

Every visitor has a role to play in turtle conservation. Keep beaches clean. Cut down on single-use plastics. Switch off beachfront lights during nesting season. And when you stay with us at Sodwana Bay Lodge, remember—you’re sharing this space with some of the ocean’s oldest travellers.

For us at Sodwana Bay Lodge, supporting turtle conservation isn’t a marketing slogan—it’s part of living in harmony with the extraordinary place we call home. After all, Sodwana wouldn’t be Sodwana without its turtles. And we’d very much like to keep it that way.