Have you explored Durban’s Green Corridor?
Ever heard of the Durban Green Corridor? If not, read up on an initiative that unearths a diamond in the rough.
INSTEAD of spending Women’s Day the traditional way – being pampered in bed, going for lunch, I decided to do something out side of my comfort zone – canoeing. And although I didn’t t actually paddle the canoe (a guide steered us through), it was, for me, an adventure I wish I had discovered a long time ago.
Our guide, Mlamuli was not only an expert canoeist, at least I thought he was, since I had never set foot in canoe, he was also well versed on the variety of birds that frequent the lagoon. Myself and my intrepid friend gingerly stepped onto the vessel and inquired from our guide if we could take our phones and if our hair would get wet. He rolled his eyes and said “no”.
In the distance we had left behind hundreds of people who were braaing and simply relaxing to celebrate the historic day. To be safe we left our phones in the car and ventured into the lagoon. Five minutes in and we said, we had “had enough”. To our guide’s credit he pushed on and told us that we hadn’t seen the half of it and boy was he right. As we ventured in we saw a cormorant perched on a discarded tree, in the middle of the lagoon. It was at that point that we began kicking ourselves for not bringing our phones and began visualising what amazing pictures we could have posted on Instagram.
The day was possible after I stumbled upon a website called Durban Green Corridor and discovered that anyone could take a canoe, go mountain biking and get a close look at a variety of birds. All in the heart of the city of Durban at a minimal expense.
As they say on their website, “Very few Durban residents or even visitors to Durban are aware of the amazing natural beauty and wild areas just inland of the city.”
The Durban Green Corridor (DGC) is an initiative of the eThekwini Municipality and the Duzi uMngeni Conservation Trust (DUCT).
They list canoeing, birdwatching, cultural tours and mountain biking and one of the many items they have on offer. I enjoyed an hour’s in a canoe, on the Blue Lagoon at a cost of R40. Well worth it.
Why are there never any bylines on the stories? It’s very frustrating not knowing who wrote the stories.