Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve, Durban

Last week I paid a visit to Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve in Durban. I have been wanting to check out this spot for a minute now and I finally managed to make my way down. It’s a protected reserve that has an abundance of birdlife.

It’s tricky though, as they are only open every third Saturday of the month from 8am – 1pm so you have to plan accordingly

The Beachwood Mangroves are located near the beach on the other side of Blue Lagoon Park at Riverside Rd, Prospect Hall, Durban, 4051.

Entrance is Free though! No Booking is Required

The Mangroves features a 2-3km boardwalk that runs through this scenic mangrove-swamp forest and it also features an activities center. It is a short walk but if you take your time you can spend a good hour or two here. Walking through the reserve you can hear bird calls all around you.

I tried to capture some birds on my camera but was unsuccessful in getting a good photo but if you have the patience and love bird spotting or bird photography this is your place.

I noticed though that the Mangroves Forest was extremely dry, and not the watery forest I was expecting, but this may be due to the time of year when I visited (June 2024) which is winter in Durbs.

As I was walking around the place I noticed the reserve staff were offering guided tours where they pointed out the various species of birds and gave interesting facts about all the plants and animals here. You can tell they are passionate about their jobs.

I also noticed they were doing a reserve trash cleanup which I think happens every month on opening day.

Overall, a nice outing for nature lovers, birders and families.