The region northwest of St Lucia Estuary is called the Western Shores, and comprises two stunning lakeside spots, known as Fani’s Island (closed to visitors at the time of research) and Charters Creek (entrance is off the N2, 18km north of Mtubatuba and 32km south of Hluhluwe), an area of dense coastal forest and grasslands.
A new road provides direct access between St Lucia and Charter’s Creek (a nice lakeside spot for views, but there's not much to do here), and offers excellent leisurely wildlife-drive opportunities up the western side of Lake St Lucia (it had just opened at the time of research). The drive up the western shore reveals antelope (waterbuck and kukdu in particular), plus the possibility of hippo sightings.
