Ozabeni lies north of Lake St Lucia, west of the Maputoland Marine Reserve, east of the Mkuzi river and swamps, and south of Sodwana Bay National Park and Mbazwana town. Covering an area of 46 OOOha, it is generally flat and low lying except for the dunes along the eastern perimeter. Dotted with many pans and small  lakes, the entire area is part of a wetland system draining into Lake St Lucia. During the preceding centuries, rivers changed course, dunes have moved and sediments have flooded over the area gradually filling the ancestral Lake St Lucia with silt until the northern-most sections formed into what is now the Ozabeni, a flat, low-lying wetland draining into modern St Lucia, now much reduced in size.

Much of the land is covered either by grasses in the drier sections or reeds and sedges in the wetter areas whilst the eastern dune lines are covered in dune forests.

Along the north western section of the reserve is found more bush which transforms into dry sand forest. Eleven pans and small lakes are found in the area, Lakes Neshi, Mozi, Yengweni, Mdlanzi, Mpanza, Ntshangwe, northern Bhangazi and Ngobezeleni (which drains straight out to sea at Sodwana Bay), Bikibiki, Mfula and Ndlebeni.

However, during the wet season, vast areas of shallow water may be seen giving the impression of extensive pans.This provides excellent birdwatching opportunities ranging from coastal to dune forest, grassland, swanp and dry sand forest with the lakes providing their own selection of avifauna. Caution should be exercised when visiting the lakes and pans where both hippo and crocodile may be found.

At least 47 species of mammals are now known to occur here, whilst the array of amphibians, reptiles and birds is staggering. The vegetation is complex and diverse. In days gone by elephants used to migrate from Mocambique southwards through the area reaching the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal and even further before returning along the same route. The area has also served as a route for the early explorers to the north and south, when it was very sparsely populated due to malaria and other illnesses, as a base for a mission station, as home to part of the Mbila and Mabaso tribes, as a missile testing area and now as a part of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site.