Stung by the Sand, Hidden Mangroves & Beach Cleanups! (42km La Mercy to Athlone Park) | Days 32–36

I quit my job to walk the entire 3,000km South African coastline solo. Days 32 through 36 took me 42km from La Mercy to Athlone Park, featuring stinging sandstorms, iconic landmarks, and an eye-opening ocean cleanup! 👇 SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW THE SOLO COASTAL TRAVERSE: YouTube Channel:    / @becuriouswithcam   Travel Blog: https://becuriouswithcam.com TikTok:   / becuriouswithcam   Instagram:   / @becuriouswithcam   --- 📊 THE TRAVERSE LOG (CHAPTER 6 | DAYS 32–36): 📍 ROUTE: La Mercy ➔ Umhlanga ➔ Blue Lagoon ➔ Durban Promenade ➔ Cave Rock ➔ Athlone Park 🥾 STRETCH DISTANCE: 42 km 📈 TOTAL CUMULATIVE DISTANCE: 432 km (Started Chapter at 390 km) 💰 AVG DAILY SPEND: R52.25 / day ⏱️ DAYS ON TRAIL: 5 Days --- Days 32 to 36 on the trail! 🥾 Chapter 6 was an action-packed 42km stretch pushing down the KwaZulu-Natal coast from La Mercy to Athlone Park. The leg started off smoothly with a family lunch stop in Umhlanga, taking in views of the iconic Whale Bone Pier—easily one of the prettiest piers in the world. However, heavy winds whipped up the sand so aggressively that the stinging conditions forced me to halt the walk for the day to take cover! Once back on foot, I pushed toward Blue Lagoon, refueling on local street treats—fresh corn, warm chai, figs, and bor (madan). A major highlight was discovering the Beachwood Mangroves Nature Reserve right on International Mangrove Day, exploring boardwalks packed with climbing crabs and thriving marine ecosystems. 🌿 LEARN ABOUT INTERNATIONAL MANGROVE DAY: Website: https://www.unesco.org/en/days/mangro... After cruising down the paved Durban Promenade, I crossed over to the Bluff to trek from Cave Rock down to Athlone Park. While the coastline here is breathtaking, seeing heavy plastic pollution washed up on the sand was heartbreaking. Fortunately, I ran into the dedicated crew from The Litterboom Project. They execute vital beach cleanups along the coast. 🌊 SUPPORT OCEAN CLEANUP & THE LITTERBOOM PROJECT: Website: https://www.thelitterboomproject.com/ This series documents the raw, unedited daily reality of beach camping, route navigation, and coastal survival as I attempt to traverse the entire edge of South Africa completely solo. #CamConquersTheCoast #Umhlanga #WhaleBonePier #DurbanPromenade #BeachwoodMangroves #TheLitterboomProject #SoloHiking #SouthAfricaTravel #ThruHike #ExpeditionVlog #IQuitMyJob #KZNCoast