Zimbali and Zimbali Lakes: What Visitors Can Actually Do

Zimbali is the forested estate on the southern edge of Ballito, and one of the best-known addresses on the KZN North Coast. It is also gated, which leaves most people unsure what they are allowed to do there. This guide answers that: how to get in, where you can stay, eat and play golf as a visitor, and what has opened next door at Zimbali Lakes.

Getting in

You cannot drive into Zimbali unannounced. What follows comes from the estate's own published rules, which it can change, so confirm the details when you book. Visitors need an access code, and the code comes from whoever you are visiting: the hotel, the country club, or the owner or agent of the house you have rented.

• The North Gate and the South Gate are open 24 hours for visitors and golfers who hold a code. The South Gate is the hotel entrance.
• A code from the hotel or the country club gets you to that venue only, not through the residential booms.
• If you are renting a holiday home, day visitor codes come from the owner or agent. They work once, expire at midnight and do not allow an overnight stay.
• The speed limit is 25 km/h, and visitors may not bring pets.

Zimbali Lodge puts the estate about five minutes from Ballito and 20 minutes from King Shaka International Airport.

Where to stay

The Capital Zimbali

The five-star resort at the heart of the estate, formerly the Fairmont, has traded under The Capital since November 2021. It has The Copper Restaurant and Bar, Fireroom Sushi and Grill, the Stingray Cafe and Pool Bar, a spa and a large conference centre. The hotel describes its beach as private and not for swimming.

If you want to eat here without staying, phone the hotel first. You need a code to get through the gate.

Zimbali Estate, south of Ballito

Zimbali Lodge

The smaller, older option, run by Dream Hotels and Resorts, with 18 hotel suites and self-catering units. Its restaurant, Eleven Tribes, serves modern South African food and is open to the public.

Zimbali Estate

Golf at Zimbali Country Club

The Zimbali course was designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened in November 1998. It is 18 holes, par 72. The first eleven run over rolling hills and the last seven through coastal forest.

The course reopened to non-members at the start of 2026, after five years as residents only. The club's 2026 fee sheet lists a day visitor rate of R1,300, for 18 holes only, plus R540 for a cart, which the club's course policy makes compulsory. Guests of the hotel, the lodge and short-term rentals pay R970 for 18 holes or R490 for nine, plus the cart. Members keep some tee times for themselves, so book through the pro shop before you arrive. The booking is also how you get your gate code.

Zimbali Country Club

The forest and its wildlife

What sets Zimbali apart from every other North Coast estate is the forest. The estate lists 265 bird species and 34 mammal species, and sets aside 100 hectares purely for conservation. On the trails you may see bushbuck, blue duiker, vervet monkeys and banded mongoose, and bushbabies after dark. The trails are for residents and people staying on the estate. If you are only in for lunch or golf, you cannot roam them.

African crowned eagles nest on the estate, with a live camera on the nest. The nature trails have wooden viewing decks. Dolphins are common offshore, and whales pass in season.

What is for residents only

The Valley of the Pools, the Bushbuck Club with its pools, tennis and squash, and the nature trails are for residents and people staying on the estate, not day visitors. The gym is for residents only. If you are renting a home in Zimbali, ask your host what your booking includes, and arrive while the Welcome Centre is open so that you can register.

Zimbali Lakes

Zimbali Lakes is the newer estate next door, more than 400 hectares in size, and it is more open to the public than the original.

Open now

• The Ernie Els Signature Course. An 18-hole course that opened for play in 2025. The public are welcome. The course and clubhouse are closed on Mondays.
• The clubhouse. It opened on 21 April 2026 to residents and the public, with a gym, a 25-metre training pool and a golf shop.
• Big Easy Winebar and Grill. Ernie Els's restaurant at the clubhouse, open to the public since 10 May 2026. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and serves lunch only on Sundays.

Announced, not yet open

• Tonino Lamborghini Suites and Residences. Announced in June 2026 as the brand's first project in Africa, with no opening date given. We covered it here.
• A second restaurant, further residential phases, a retail precinct and a hotel.

Zimbali Lakes

Good to know

• Sort out your gate code before you leave home. Security will not let you in to ask.
• Prices here were checked in October 2026. Confirm them when you book.
• Comparing estates? See our guide to Ballito's best estates.

For more ideas nearby, see things to do on the KZN North Coast.