Take a walk on the wild side

The heritage beach walk is definitely worth the exercise.
SOUTH COAST HERALD 4 April 2008
THE Petrified Forest is along the stretch of beach between the WILD COAST SUN Hotel and the Mzamba River mouth. Sedimentary rockbeds along the seaside and cliffs on the landslide are rich in fossil deposits of a bygone age.
Large logs, turtle scutes, reptile remains, comminuted shell material, shark teeth and ammonites are com¬mon. During low tide, foreshore reefs are exposed for more than a kilometre along the beach. Silicified tree trunks orien¬tated in an east-north-east direction are noticeable. Some of these are enormous, reaching lengths of up to five metres, whereas others are hardly larger than a piece of braai wood.
On either side of the Mzamba River mouth is a range of low cliffs, up to. 20 me¬tres high. These cliffs contain hard layers of rock alternated with fine-grain silt horizons. Heavy surf action at the base of these cliffs has resulted in small caves in the silt.
The name 'forest' is a misnomer, as none of the logs are preserved in an up¬right position, but are embedded horizon¬tally in the rocky ledges.
The sensitive coastal dune forest oc¬cupies the narrow belt on the row of high dunes running down the coast. It includes flora on the beach and the mud flats of the estuaries, making it a particularly interesting ecological zone. Flora found along this stretch of the coastline in¬clude dune morning glories, dune aloes, strelitzias, crane flowers and flame lilies.
The Umtamvuna and Mzamba rivers carry a large silt load and are responsible for the murky brown colour of the warm Indian Ocean from time to time.
Stands of black mangroves, date palms and yellow coast hibiscus grow along the river banks.
Guided walks are available at 9am eve¬ryday at the WILD COAST SUN HOTEL AND CASINO RESORT'S public relations desk.