From late November to March, Sodwana’s beaches become a nursery. On summer nights, loggerhead and the enormous leatherback turtles haul out of the surf to lay their eggs above the tideline, some having crossed whole oceans to nest on the very beach where they hatched. Later in the season the hatchlings make their frantic dash for the water.

A guided turtle walk is a quiet, patient, unforgettable thing, done after dark with a licensed guide who knows how to find a nesting female without disturbing her. It is strictly protected: no lights, no flash, no touching, and only ever with a guide.