Munster is a quiet coastal town in

Ugu District Municipality Ugu is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. ''Ugu'' is Zulu for "coast". It governs the KZN South Coast and its seat is Port Shepstone. The majority of its 722,484 people speak IsiZulu (2011 Census). The district cod ...

in the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Facilities

Other facilities in Munster include a small airfield that lies east of the R61, many guest houses in the area, a service station and pharmacy.

Tourism

Munster Beach enjoys a backdrop of picturesque coastal vegetation, which is home to birds and bugs, adding to the

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

. The mouth of the Itongasi River has made it a perfect place for launching boats, and Glenmore Beach is often the site of beauty and fishing competitions. The annual

Sardine Run The KwaZulu-Natal sardine run of southern Africa occurs from May through July when billions of sardines – or more specifically the Southern African pilchard ''Sardinops sagax'' – spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northwar ...

, which beached in Glenmore Bay in 2000 and 2001, attracts such large schools of dolphin that need to be seen to be believed.

Confusion with Glenmore Beach

Munster is within walking distance of adjacent Glenmore Beach and it can get a little confusing, particularly as the swimming and surfing bay in Munster is known as Glenmore beach.

Recreation

Munster Sports Club is a sports complex in Munster which offer bowls, tennis and squash facilities. Munster is also home to the Glenmore Ski-Boat Club.

Transport

R61 road

The

R61 R61 may refer to: * R61 (South Africa) The R61 is a long provincial route in South Africa that connects Beaufort West with Port Shepstone via Graaff-Reinet, Komani (previously Queenstown), Mthatha and Port Edward. The R61 is co-signed with the ...

regional route lies west of Munster and connects to most towns of the Lower South Coast such as Port Edward,

Southbroom Southbroom is a coastal village in Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is located 143 km south-west of Durban, and 213 km south of Pietermaritzburg. The village was officially founded in 1933, an ...

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...

, Shelly Beach and

Port Shepstone Port Shepstone is a large town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It is located halfway between Hibberdene and Margate and is positioned 120 km south of Durban. ...

. The road also goes further than KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Mbizana,

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matanzi ...

and ending in

Beaufort West Beaufort West (Afrikaans: ''Beaufort-Wes''; Xhosa: ''eBhofolo'') is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Beauf ...

in the

Western Cape province The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

Air

Munster Airfield is a private airfield used only by the farm owner. It is kept in good order and there is a geocache next to it.

References

{{Ugu District Municipality Populated places in the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality Populated coastal places in South Africa KwaZulu-Natal South Coast