Richards Bay

Afrikaans name: Richardsbaai

Richards Bay harbour

Photo © Steven Herbert

KwaZulu-Natal

Richards Bay is a town situated on the site of one of South Africa's biggest harbours. The town gets its name from Sir Frederick Richards, Commodore of the Cape at the time, who set up a small harbour there in the 1870's.

In 1972 work began to improve and extend the harbour with work finishing in 1976.

Richards Bay is very much an industrial town. The harbour possesses the worlds largest coal export facility as well as two aluminium smelters. Although Richards Bay has residential areas, a number of the workers live in nearby Empangeni and Esikhaweni.

Richards Bay is also well known for a number of recreational pursuits including kite-surfing, bird-watching and fishing. Although it is not an ideal holiday spot it is well placed to visit places like iMfolozi Game Reserve and St. Lucia which are less than an hour away.

Why do you visit Richard's Bay?

References and further reading

Where to Watch Birds in Southern Africa - Author: A. Berruti and J.C. Sinclair - Published: 1983 - Page: 168

Where to see Birds in Natal - Author: Gordon Bennett - Published: 1989 - Page: 37

Where to see Birds in KwaZulu-Natal - Author: Bennett and Herbert - Published: 1995 - Page: 48

Top Birding Spots in Southern Africa - Author: Hugh Chittenden - Published: 1992 - Page: 274

The Pictorial Motoring Atlas of South Africa - Author: Maxwell Leigh - Published: 1987 - Page: 134

Southern African Birdfinder - Author: Cohen, Spottiswoode and Rossouw - Published: 2006 - Page: 134

Southern Africa from the Highway - Author: AA RSA - Published: 1991 - Page: 95

Readers Digest Illustrated Guide to Southern Africa - 4th edition - Author: - Published: 1986 - Page: 361

On Route - Explore South Africa region by region - 3rd edition - Author: B.P.J. Erasmus - Published: 2014 - Page: 263

On Route - A region by region guide to South Africa - Author: B.P.J. Erasmus - Published: 1995 - Page: 143

Lighthouses of South Africa - Author: Gerald Hoberman - Published: 2009 - Page: 367

Hit the Road - 2nd Edition - Author: MapStudio - Published: 2018 - Page: 162

Getaway - Vol 31 No 05 - Author: - Published: 2019 - Page: 103

Conollys Guide to Southern Africa - 2nd edition - Author: Denis Conolly - Published: 1982 - Page: 211

Book of the Road - 4th edition - Author: MapStudio - Published: 2019 - Page: 141

Wikipedia

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