On the Indian Ocean side (east) of the lake are huge overgrown dunes, up to 200m in height, forming a barrier to the sea. This "barrier" includes some open grassland, wetlands and (exotic) pine plantations. Cape Vidal is a great getaway spot located on the beach a short way from the lake. It features un-ending golden sand beaches. It is a perfect spot for whale watching (humpback whales around October), swimming and snorkel diving.

To the south the lake is connected to the sea via the St. Lucia Estuary, which runs past the town of St. Lucia to meet up with the ocean a short way further. The western shore of the lake is where the old seashore used to be thousands of years ago when the ocean level was 2m higher. It is a birder's paradise with a large array of bird species including the African Fish Eagle. A number of antelope occur here including suni, nyala, red duiker and reedbuck.

Located along the western shore, from south to north at roughly 20km intervals, are three Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife retreats: Charter's Creek (mainly angling with some hiking and birding); Fanies Island (similar to the former but with better location and great views) and False Bay Park (birding, hiking, fishing). False Bay Park lies next to "Hell's Gate", a channel leading to a remote corner of the Lake. On the other side of Hell's Gate is the small Nibela Peninsula on which is located Nibela Lake Lodge. The Lodge can only be reached by private boat transfer and makes for a very interesting stay.

To the north of Lake St. Lucia lies the Mkuzi Game Reserve (Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife reserve), from which the small Mkuze River makes its way into the Lake. It is not a Big Five game reserve but offers a good wildlife experience and excellent birding. Bordering Mkuzi is Phinda Game Reserve, a private game reserve. It is on the smallish side but offers a good wildlife experience for the un-initiated and a wide variety of activities including excursions into other sections of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park. While all four its up-market lodges are top-notch we especially like Forest Lodge. There is a good chance that Phinda and its surrounding protected areas will drop their border fences to create a huge open haven for wildlife - a development eagerly awaited by wildlife enthusiasts.