‘Hold on tight – the first bit is going to be bumpy’, our skipper Nathan Pienaar shouted over the sound of crashing waves. You can travel to the Mkambati Nature Reserve by road, plane, helicopter or boat. Our trip by speedboat, from the NSRI station in Port Edward to Pondoland, treated us to the most spectacular views of the KwaZulu-Natal coastline. We hadn’t gone very far when a school of dolphins came to say hello, and despite the big waves a sea turtle swam slowly past our boat. We were on our way to GweGwe beach Lodge in the Mkambati Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape, but to me it felt a lot more like the waters of a tropical island.
The Mkambati Nature Reserve lies between Port Edward and Port St Johns and is considered one of the most beautiful coastal reserves in Africa. Mkambati’s rolling grasslands give visitors the feeling that they are in the Serengeti – but with the Indian Ocean as a backdrop. There are few places on earth where you can watch herds of Eland, Blesbok and Zebra grazing on grasslands while dolphins and whales leap out of the water in the background.
Mkambati’s story
The area’s moderate climate made it ideal for a leper colony. With the construction of a hospital for persons with leprosy in 1920, about 8 km inland from GweGwe, the local amaMpondo people were forcibly removed from their 18,000 hectares of land. Then with the discovery of a treatment for leprosy in the 1950s, the hospital became a TB facility, after which 7,400 hectares of the area was proclaimed a formal provincial nature reserve in 1977.
In early 2000, seven villages inland from Mkambati formed a trust to represent the rights of their community members, whose ancestors were the original inhabitants of Mkambati. Their land claim was successful and today the Mkambati Trust owns the Mkambati Nature Reserve. As the titled owners of the land, the community has chosen to use their land for conservation and tourism. And after 20 odd years the new GweGwe Beach Lodge finally opened its doors to guests on the first of August. ‘Not only does the lodge create jobs in an area where unemployment is a major challenge, but the community also receives 9% of the lodge’s gross turnover, as well as all the park’s entrance fees,’ Colin Bell, a board member of the Mkambati Conservation & Community NPC, told us during our stay.
GweGwe Beach Lodge
GweGwe Beach Lodge consists of seven Deluxe Suites and two Family Suites, all with breath-taking views of the Indian Ocean. The family rooms are spacious, with the main bedroom and the second bedroom divided by a cosy lounge. A combination of boardwalks and pathways lead guests down to the beach and lagoon, and up to the main lodge, where a fishing-inspired bar and a lounge area with a large fireplace invites you to sit back and relax. The lodge’s design is simple, yet stunning, with lots of Pondo-inspired elements. The restaurant area boasts both in- and outdoor seating, both with spectacular views of the ocean. I love the fact that GweGwe Beach lodge aims to be an “ultra-green” lodge by limiting the use of single-use plastic. They also take recycling seriously. The lodge has been deliberately designed in such a way as to limit the impact on the environment by, among other things, making use of the latest and most efficient solar, wind and grey water technologies.
A day at GweGwe Beach Lodge
We awoke to soft rays of sunlight filtering into our room. Remembering the invitation to a sunrise kayak, we grabbed our binoculars and headed down to the lagoon. After a steaming cup of coffee on the beach we set out for some early morning birding. We hadn’t ventured very far when a bright blue flash caught our eye as a tiny Malachite Kingfisher darted into the reeds. With Little Bee-eater, Giant Kingfisher and Cape White-eye on our list we headed back to the lodge.
After chef Sam Mthiyane and his team’s generous breakfast, I could have easily headed back to our room for a lazy day of dolphin and whale watching from our veranda, but it was low tide and our guides, Matt Stanford and Jade McKinnon, had other plans for the day. It’s not often one gets onto a game viewing vehicle in your swimwear, but at GweGwe it seems to be standard practice. As we made our way down a dirt track, we spotted Zebras grazing to our left and to our right a Humpback whale and calf played in the waves. Every now and then Jade would stop the vehicle to point out an endemic plant. With more than 2000 different species of plants in this tiny area, it is not difficult to see why Mkambati is considered one of the planet’s most important biodiversity hotspots.
At the beach we headed down to the rockpools. What looked like an empty pool to us became a treasure trove of life through Matt’s eyes. The rockpools of Mkambati are brimming with life, from small sea hares laying eggs to a young octopus that curiously stuck out her leg to make my acquaintance. Mkambati is the perfect destination for marine enthusiasts – whether you are looking for pristine rockpools, whales or the greatest migration on earth – the Sardine Run – this stretch of protected coastline has it all.
With the turn of the tide, we got on the vehicle ready to return to the lodge, but again Matt and Jade had other plans. After a few minutes’ walk we were in Baboon cave with the most beautiful view of a waterfall. Matt and Jade had prepared a picnic for us. And for dessert, Matt announced, we had the opportunity to jump down 8 meters into the cool pools of water below. After copious amounts encouragement and self-motivation, I joined the other guests in taking the plunge into the cool water of the Strandloper Falls. Floating on my back, I was reminded of the lodge’s plans for the deployment of Mkambati’s Green Griffons, a monitoring, security and anti-poaching team that will consist of local women. Looking around I felt a deep sense of gratitude about this initiative, because when you are here, you just know this place needs to be protected. Before heading back to the lodge, we stopped at the breath-taking Mkhambathi Falls. It is quite something watching the Mkhambathi River drop directly into the Indian Ocean.
After a shower with a view, we headed to the main lodge for dinner. Around the table we shared the day’s experiences while sipping on Lubanzi wine, a local wine named after a stray dog. Chef Sam treated us to a traditional Xhaxha soup and meat cooked over an open fire. Later the evening we headed back to our room looking forward to being lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean.
A lodge with a difference
At GweGwe, one encounters something rare – a sense of optimism and a shared passion to make this special place flourish for the sake of the community and the preservation of the environment. If you love the bush and the ocean GweGwe Beach Lodge has to be on your bucket list. A big thanks to GweGwe Beach Lodge and Natural Selection for hosting Peet and I.
Visit their website to book your spot. SADC residents receive a 50% discount on their accommodation outside peak times.
Photo credits: Peet van Eeden, Matt Stanford, Jade McKinnon, Peter Pickford & Martin Harvey.
