KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) will see two events taking place from June 29 to July 1: The iSimangaliso Trail Challenge and the iSimangaliso MTB Adventure Tour.
The iSimangaliso Trail Challenge powered by KZN Trail Running will kick off from St Lucia’s Sugarloaf Campsite, with a 6km ‘full moon’ leg-stretcher beach run. This is where families and the less-fit can join in the activity.
The next two days will challenge the resilience of the more seasoned runners, with the Saturday route covering the southernmost section of iSimangaliso towards Maphelane. Runners will be exposed to pristine beaches, the Jolly Rubino shipwreck, and dense coastal forest. The following day, the terrain changes, as runners navigate the vegetated dunes of the Park’s Eastern Shores section, under the protection of armed rangers, as the area is populated by elephant, buffalo, leopard, and other wildlife.
The second event – the iSimangaliso MTB Adventure Tour powered by Bell – exposes riders to a huge variety of what KZN’s natural environment has to offer, and will take place over three days.
Shane Webster, one of the event organisers, says: “So many of our riders are here for the game, birds and bush, as much as the technical ride. Yes, the route will still offer plenty of raw MTB track, but we’ve done away with timing altogether. Instead, we now genuinely offer the full ‘safari in the saddle’ opportunity. Groups of ten riders will each be led by a qualified current or ex-ranger on a bike, intimately acquainted with the area and offering excellent bush skills. This allows the group to truly immerse themselves in a holistic experience, learning while riding hard through several ecosystems, big five game country, hippo and rhino paths, mountains, bush, wetlands and coastal forest. There will be exhilarating MTB challenges but also time to stop to watch and discuss an animal, bird or learn about an interesting tree. We are truly excited by this new model which we know will attract wildlife-lovers from around the world.”
“The best part about all of our iSimangaliso events,” says Marketing Manager Lindy Duffield, “is that you are supporting our conservation efforts with a compulsory contribution towards the iSimangaliso Rare and Endangered Species Fund for the monitoring, reintroduction and management of these animals in our World Heritage Site”.
