title: Palm Beach, South Africa
text: # Palm Beach, South Africa
  
  Palm Beach is a seaside town in Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.
  
  ## Etymology
  
  Palm Beach is named after the Ilala Palm (hyphaene critina), a species indigenous to sub-tropical Southern Africa and used by rural communities for centuries. The trees' leaves are used for woven rooftops, baskets and mats and the sap is used for liquor.
  
  ## Geography
  
  Palm Beach is located on the southern bank of the Mpenjati River which enters the Indian Ocean at the Mpenjati Nature Reserve.
  
  The Mpenjati Nature Reserve surrounds the Mpenjati River lagoon and extends some 500 metres out to sea in order to protect the unique fossil found in the area.
  
  ## Beach
  
  The village boasts a beach with its own natural tidal pool and nearby estuary.
  
  ## Kitesurfing
  
  Palm Beach has been and continues to be rated as one of the best wind sport wave riding venues in the world although it is not exploited much by kitesurfers.
  
  Palm Beach is a microcosm on its own. It is in fact the combination of an outer reef, a rocky outcrop in the form of a point and a river system that feeds sand into the equation that makes this place unique. The outer reef transforms the ocean swells into sought after waves while at the same time disarming the waves' explosive energy.
  
  