Mkhambati Nature Reserve

Two years old, GweGwe is one of two standout boutique beach lodges found on South Africa’s east coast. As far as I know it’s the only five star operation in a tribal region known as Pondoland – within which is one of only 36 floral biodiversity hotspots on earth.

What’s the attraction? Beyond the epic location right on the beach at Mkhambati Nature Reserve, the community’s role in the lodge and the activities on offer, it’s the tale behind GweGwe’s existence that always attracted me. For two decades I’d kept my journalist eye on the various attempts by an Australian mining giant to dig up Mkhambati’s titanium-rich beaches.

In that time I was commissioned by the European Union to (very simply put) hike one of the Wild Coast hiking trails that the EU was supporting with funding. I was asked to check if the monies had been put to the intended use on the trail, which was supporting local community initiatives. However, in discovering that a local chief had indeed fiddled the funding, I rediscovered one of the most beautiful stretches of South Africa’s eastern coastline.

The Good News: Parallel to that experience, for 20 years I had tracked Natural Selection co-owner Colin Bell’s determination to build a lodge at Mkambati. Here the main attraction is the annual sardine run (see below).

From late May, for a couple months the ‘Run’ puts on a show that belongs up there with natural phenomenons like the Migration. In what is termed the Greatest Shoal on Earth, sharks, whales, seabirds and dolphins make an annual feast on the massive sardine bait balls that move up South africa’s eastern coastline.

Colin eventually got permission to open the lodge in a collaboration with the local Mkhambathi Community Trust, some 20 years after first trying. It’s complicated, but it turned out rather nicely.

And so when my clients, a delightful Canadian couple named Richard and Susan, asked me to design a 36-day safari to southern Africa, I decided to end with GweGwe. After a week of game drives in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, I figured they’d a) need some downtime and that b) the Wild Coast would cap off the comprehensive South African experience I would already have shared with them.

GweGwe scored on every level: It is now one of my two favourite South African beach destinations, where guests spend more time walking, learning and swimming than seated in a vehicle. The cuisine is premium restaurant standard, with the hospitality beyond expected.

For visitors open to engagement, the staff introduce themselves and share where they are from. Led by senior guide Asanda and Amanda and Swazi in hospitality, they share their stories, inviting guests into their lives for just a few days.

Activities: eBiking, swimming, surfing, SUP, kayaking up the dramatic Mtentu river gorge, birding, beach-walking, community visits and hiking to the Horseshoe waterfall are amongst the attractions on offer. There is so much to do, if there is time I would suggest a four night stay.

Travel: A transfer from King Shaka airport, allowing for essential stops and 30 minutes for lunch, is eight hours. If budget allows, go for the 40 minute scenic coastal flight from Durban’s Virginia airport – it’s magic. My clients chose to fly in and drive back – I’d do it the other way around next time, as the long drive is not a good way to end a safari, let alone leaving such a compelling destination.

Mkambati

“We engaged Angus to guide us on our extended 40 day first visit to Southern Africa . We made it clear that we wanted to get a feel for the people, their history, (anthropology, archaeology, political and social history) as well as to fully experience the geology, geography, botanical history as well as to encounter wildlife in all its forms on land, in the air, on the ocean and in the deltas. And wine estates!
It is impossible to describe all that we did and saw. Perhaps it would be simplest to say that Angus blended together into one
visit what most people would need 5 or 6 visits to Southern Africa to experience. Not only did Angus deliver but, working with his partners at Hartley’s Safaris, he made it all happen seamlessly from arrival to departure.” Richard, retired dentist, Canada.