Thonga Beach Lodge 

A wild beach escape

Thonga is located hours from civilisation but the journey is totally worth it.

Why we love Thonga Beach Lodge

  • iSimangaliso Wetland Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

  • The coastal forests are home to an abundance of flora and fauna and worth a guided walk through

  • Honeymooners shouldn’t miss a couple’s massage cocooned under the trees, branched off from the fully fledged spa

  • During the turtle season (November to February), there's a chance to see turtles laying eggs on the beach

Located on the azure shores of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Natal
It’s possible to reach Thonga if you have your own 4x4 that can handle the off-grid sandy roads but for most, it’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive from the nearest airport to a drop-off point at Sodwana Bay where they will pick you up for an hour trundle through untrammelled territory

Facilities

  • Restaurants & bars
  • Spas & wellness
  • Activities
  • Sustainability
  • Families

The food is a highlight at Thonga. Think steaming mussels followed by melt-in-your-mouth lamb shank and the silkiest panna cotta for pudding.

The treatments at the spa have been inspired by the ocean. Expect salt glow exfoliations and Soul of the Sea aromatherapy massages.

Go kayaking on Lake Sibaya or join a coastal forest walk - home to 440 bird species, Tonga red squirrels and dwarf chameleons.

Guests are given a reusable water bottle on arrival, all seafood is ethically harvested and solar panels provide the energy. The have appointed a Marine Monitor who collects and researches plastic that washes up on the beach which assists the work done for turtle conservation.

As well as two swimming pools and the beach location, there are plenty of activities for children. They can go on a forest walk, learn about turtles or go in search of scorpions and spiders with infrared torches on a night walk. Over 10s can also try a scuba diving lesson in the pool. The Family Rooms have two bedrooms and with views of the forest or ocean.