Finfoot Loop
The Durban Green Corridor is an eThekwini Municipality initiative to create jobs and develop leisure and adventure tourism driven local economic activity through the uMngeni Valley. It has been awarded the KZN Top Business Award for 2014 in the category of ‘Partnerships’ which recognises projects that reflect the importance of effective interagency collaboration and partnerships.
The Durban Green Corridor established a trail between Pietermaritzburg and the uMngeni Estuary
with several visitor sites along the route, which offer a range of outdoor adventure activities. The uMngeni valley is teaming with birdlife so the Durban Green Corridor has set up the guided birding trail called the Finfoot Loop â€" named because the rarely spotted African Finfoot is to be seen just above the new bridge crossing the uMngeni River upstream from the N2 freeway.

In July 2014, twenty-one intrepid birders from BirdLife Port Natal gathered at the Green Hub, situated in the park on the southern bank of the uMngeni River mouth. The first part of their morning was spent birding the river mouth where numerous birds were seen including Cape Cormorants, Pinkbacked Pelicans, Kittlitzs, White-fronted Plovers, Grey-headed Gulls and Swift Terns as well as many
other water birds. The birding route followed the river inland towards the Inanda Dam. The first stop was on the new M25 bridge spanning the gorge to create a short route between Pinetown and the N2 heading northwards.
The group then drove down to the Green Corridor’s KwaDabeka site where they saw a female Klaas’s
Cuckoo, and both Mountain and Pied Wagtails. Mocking Cliff Chats abounded in this particular spot
and two Giant Kingfishers. Just before leaving, a Purple-banded Sunbird made an appearance.
Ultimately, the tour stopped at seven different locations along the river. The scenery was stunning
even though it has been a very dry winter. Crossing over a mountainous area from one stopping point to
another, the group was treated to an aerial display of a juvenile Martial Eagle and a Lanner Falcon. At
the last bridge crossing below the Inanda Dam wall the African Finfoot was eventually spotted. The final
venue was the lovely eNanda Adventures picnic site on the Inanda Dam where the birders were greeted by the Durban Green Corridor staff. The birders then returned to the same bridge, where in all its splendour the African Finfoot calmly swam up to and onto a close-by rock for all to view.