Kosi Bay

Swimming in a lake that’s home to pods of hippo doesn’t sound like a bright idea. But I’m assured by the local guide that the hippos don’t wander to the shallows at this time of day. Assurances aside, the crystal clear waters were enough to allure me to plunge in. At just the right temperature, swimming in one of the four connected lakes in the Kosi area off the KwaZulu Natal north coast, felt like the ideal way to cool off in the summer heat.