{"id":9005,"date":"2015-03-10T10:05:27","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T08:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.pricecheck.co.za\/?p=9005"},"modified":"2015-03-10T10:05:27","modified_gmt":"2015-03-10T08:05:27","slug":"delight-in-the-dolphin-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/delight-in-the-dolphin-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Delight in the Dolphin Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s named after the schools of bottlenose dolphins that regularly ride the warm waves of the Indian Ocean along this stretch of shoreline on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. Nestling between the Tongaat River at Zimbali and Zinkwazi Beach, it is a playground of golden beaches set alongside sugarcane fields that almost hum in the heat. The Dolphin Coast is an easy drive from Durban\u2019s King Shaka International Airport along good roads. PriceCheck will help you find the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/categories\/1064\/Flights\" target=\"_blank\">cheapest flights<\/a> to this holiday mecca.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When you\u2019re here make sure you\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Bask in the sun in the pretty coastal towns of Ballito, Salt Rock, Zinkwazi and Umdloti, as well as the lesser-known hamlets of Princes Grant, Tinley Manor and Umhlali, all of which boast quaint shops, great restaurants and beautiful beaches.<\/li>\n<li>Take in the historic attractions dotted along the north coast, including Shaka\u2019s grave at Kwa-Dukuza and the battle sites of Ultimatum Tree or Fort Pearson.<\/li>\n<li>Explore the stunning Harold Johnson Nature Reserve where you can take a \u201cmuti trail\u201d and picnic in the shade.<\/li>\n<li>Practice your swing at the golf courses of the Umhlali Country Club or Princes Grant golf estate.<\/li>\n<li>Discover the reefs, teeming with marine life, along the coast. If you don\u2019t have a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/search?search=snorkel+set\" target=\"_blank\">snorkel<\/a>\u00a0set, there&#8217;s never been a better time to get one!<\/li>\n<li>Go deep-sea fishing off Zinkwazi on a charter boat that leaves at 6 am and returns around 3 pm. All equipment and bait is provided and beginners are welcome \u2013 there are experts on board to show you the ropes. But you don\u2019t have to be an angler to enjoy this trip \u2013 there is some excellent whale and dolphin viewing in this part of the world. And then there are the sharks that regularly come up\u00a0to the surface, making for an unforgettable sea-life experience.<\/li>\n<li>Soar over the Indian Ocean in a microlight while taking in the magnificent scenery. Flights last between 15 and 30 minutes at the Ballito Microlight School, which is open seven days a week, weather permitting.<\/li>\n<li>Learn how to kite-surf at Ballito Beach, which with its consistent waves and reliable breeze is the ideal place for beginners to master this increasingly popular pastime. La Mercy is the most popular kite-surfing beach in the area and there are trained instructors on hand to show you how it\u2019s done. And the best part is it\u2019s not as hard as it looks: it\u2019s entirely possible to be up and riding in two hours!<\/li>\n<li>Walk along the seemingly endless Tugela Beach, a bird-lover\u2019s paradise with over 250 species living in the bush and near the water. Also keep an eye out for turtles and, if you\u2019re here in October and November, you\u2019re bound to see waves breeching beyond the breakers.<\/li>\n<li>Come well prepared against the elements \u2013 KwaZulu-Natal is a hot place almost all year round and is very humid in the summer months. Stock up on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/search?search=sunscreen\" target=\"_blank\">sunscreen<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/search?search=sun+hats\" target=\"_blank\">sun hats<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/search?search=flip+flops\" target=\"_blank\">flip flops<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pricecheck.co.za\/search?search=beach+umbrellas%20\" target=\"_blank\">beach umbrellas<\/a> for maximum protection\u00a0as you frolic in the outdoors.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s named after the schools of bottlenose dolphins that regularly ride the warm waves of the Indian Ocean along this stretch of shoreline on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. Nestling between the Tongaat River at Zimbali and Zinkwazi Beach, it is a playground of golden beaches set alongside sugarcane fields that almost hum in the heat.<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"\/blog\/delight-in-the-dolphin-coast\/\" title=\"Read More\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"amp_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/Dolphine-Coast.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9005"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}