Zinkwazi Beach: The Quiet End of the KZN North Coast

Zinkwazi Beach is the quiet end of the KZN North Coast, roughly half an hour north of Ballito on the N2. It is a village of holiday houses around a lagoon, with a long beach, a ski-boat club, a lodge and one hotel. There is no mall and no promenade. People who choose Zinkwazi over Ballito are choosing the lagoon, the fishing and the quiet. The 2011 census counted fewer than 700 residents.

The name is isiZulu for the place of the fish eagle.

The beach

The beach is long and mostly empty, taking in Main Beach and Black Rock, with rock pools that show at low tide. Main Beach is one of the KZN Sharks Board's protected beaches.

Lifeguards are on duty at Main Beach in holiday season only. Swim at Main Beach, and only when they are there. The other stretches, Black Rock included, are not bathing beaches.

Zinkwazi Main Beach

The lagoon

The Zinkwazi lagoon is the estuary of the Zinkwazi River, and small boats can travel about seven kilometres up it. It holds fish, prawns and crabs, and it is known for its birdlife. There are no lifeguards on the lagoon, and after heavy rain the mouth can break open and run hard, so keep well clear of it then.

Boating and fishing

The Zinkwazi Ski Boat Club launches from Main Beach. If you are visiting with a boat, ask the club about launching before you tow it up. There is fishing from the shore and offshore. You need a fishing permit for both the lagoon and the sea.

Where to eat

We could confirm two places trading in October 2026, both attached to places to stay.

Raffia Restaurant and Havana Bar at Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

The restaurant and bar at ANEW Hotel Ocean Reef. The hotel is cashless, so bring a card.

For more choice, Salt Rock is the nearest beach town with a run of restaurants. See our Salt Rock guide.

Where to stay

Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge. It now calls itself the Zinkwazi Lagoon Beach and Forest Resort. Hotel suites, lagoon chalets and forest campsites, with a private jetty and a ferry across to the beach when the water level allows.

On the lagoon

ANEW Hotel Ocean Reef. A four-star hotel with rooms and self-catering apartments, and a boardwalk to the beach and the lagoon.

Zinkwazi Beach

Beyond those, Zinkwazi is mostly self-catering houses and cottages.

A little history

South African History Online records that the land south of the lagoon was first granted in 1857, and that the first plot in what became the village was bought in 1903. It has stayed small ever since.

Good to know

• Follow the signs for Zinkwazi Beach off the N2. The N2 north of Ballito is tolled at the Mvoti plaza.
• There is very little shopping. Stock up in Ballito or Salt Rock on the way.
• Alcohol and open fires are not allowed on KwaDukuza beaches.
• After heavy rain, bathing can be closed while river debris clears.

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