The Red Desert of the South Coast

10 kilometers to the west of the coastal town of Port Edward is the surprising phenomenon of a tiny desert surrounded by lush coastal greenery. As you can see from the aerial picture (above) the soil is reddish in color and lead to it being called the Red Desert. It is about 200 meter in diameter but the Nature Reserve itself is 11 hectares in its entirety.

Visiting this area is hugely interesting as it is as if you stumbled into an alternate universe. Moving from the vibrant and lush coastal greenry into a seemingly dead area is an experience in itself. Without the usual background noises of the birds and insects to keep you company it is quiet and strangely peaceful. However, when the wind blows the quiet turns into an eerie whistle underlining the feeling that you entered an alternate universe.

What caused the
existence of the
Red Desert?

No, the Red Desert weren’t caused by an alien landing or by magic but due to simple mismanagement.

In the 1800’s a Zulu tribe kept a large cattle herd here after stealing the herd from the Pondo’s, leading to severe trampling and over grazing. The subsequent wind erosion turned it into a small desert.

The ongoing erosion is clearly visible in the image above.

Things to do:

Hiking/Walking
Mountain biking
Study the Geology, Archeaeology and Botany
Birdwatching
Viewing points
Enjoy nature

You can expect to glimpse a variety of small animals like the caracal, serval, genet, buck, (reed, bush, grey and blue) monkey, (vervet, samango) baboon, dassies, mongoose, (water, white tailed, large grey) otter, mouse and even bush pig.

The bird life won’t disappoint birdwatchers and the plant life to be found here will be very interesting when compared to the surrounding sub-tropical area.