Two decades on the South Coast
The Southern Explorer has guided travellers along the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast since 2002. What began as a printed route guide and magazine has become the region's recognised, road-signposted guide to its beaches, towns, restaurants, activities and places to stay. Reissued edition after edition for more than twenty years, it stands among South Africa's established destination guides, mentioned in the same breath as the Midlands Meander, Route 62 and the Crocodile Ramble.
An official, member-owned guide
The Southern Explorer is a non-profit, member-owned association, managed by an elected committee and supported by the region's tourism structures. Many of the businesses profiled in its pages have been part of the guide for the better part of two decades. That continuity is deliberate: the brand, the route network and the trust visitors place in it belong to the association and the member businesses who built it, not to any single publisher.
Nine signposted routes
The South Coast is organised into nine themed routes, each with its own character, running from Illovo Beach in the north to the Wild Coast in the south. Follow Route 1, Paradise Begins, through Scottburgh and Sezela; wind inland to Oribi Gorge on the Adventurer's Paradise route; or chase the greens around Southbroom and San Lameer. Every route gathers the beaches, eateries, accommodation, attractions and activities along its stretch into one easy-to-follow guide, in print and online.
The region we cover
The KwaZulu-Natal South Coast runs for more than 120 kilometres from Scottburgh down to Port Edward, and inland to the forests and gorges around Oribi and Ingeli. It holds the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the province and has long been known as the Golf Coast for its eleven courses. Add three Marine Protected Areas, world-class dive sites at Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks, the annual Sardine Run, nature reserves, rivers and a network of trails, and it is a subtropical destination with year-round appeal for families, adventurers and travellers alike.
Print and digital, working together
Today the Southern Explorer lives across an annual print edition, a digital edition and this route directory website. Together they serve two audiences at once: the visitors planning a trip to the coast, and the member businesses who rely on the guide to be found. Every listing, route and story here is part of that job, connecting people to the places that make the South Coast worth the drive.
Advertise or get listed
If you run a business on the KZN South Coast, the Southern Explorer is how many visitors first discover you. To join the guide or advertise in the next edition, get in touch, and become part of a guide the region has trusted for over twenty years.