Thonga’s 12 eco-sensitive rooms are positioned to create minimal environmental impact and afford maximum privacy. They offer ocean or forest views, with the Deluxe Ocean View Rooms sporting private plunge pools. Surrounded by such natural beauty stirs something special within your soul, igniting a spirit of adventure and leaving you with a lasting impression.
Natural materials of thatch, reeds and wood, sourced from the area create a seamless flow, while providing authentic textures to the minimalist spaces. Each room is on a raised platform nestled among indigenous forest in undulating dunes. Expansive glass windows and doors let in the ocean breeze and sounds, freeing one’s spirit and senses.
Dreamy crisp linen and mosquito nets adorn the beds, while soft down-lighting creates a peaceful, serene ambience, perfect after a day under the African sun. Your very own wooden deck reaches out into the forest where you can enjoy morning coffee amidst birdsong, or cocktails under starlight.
You can also enjoy excellent cuisine, al fresco on the dining deck or beach deck overlooking the sea. Treading lightly in this paradise will make you feel rejuvenated by nature and give you a special connection with the harmony of this extraordinary place.
ACCOMMODATION AT THONGA
This 24-bed luxury lodge is the ideal place to connect with one of Africa’s last pristine wilderness beaches and rediscover your place in it. The 12 thatched eco-sensitive rooms, with ocean or forest views, boast an earthy elegance, and are positioned to afford maximum privacy and minimal environmental impact.
OCEAN VIEW ROOM
Experience a room with breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean, an airy bedroom complete with open plan bathroom and private deck.
DELUXE OCEAN VIEW FAMILY ROOM (very secluded)
This stunning room with exquisite sea views is perfect for families who want a seamless connection with the ocean, all the way to the horizon. (This Room consists of 2 ensuite bedrooms joined by an expansive deck with its own private plunge pool)
DELUXE OCEAN VIEW HONEYMOON SUITE (very secluded)
This spacious suite has sweeping views of the ocean and a private plunge pool, a setting you’ll fall in love with. Thonga Beach Lodge is a perfect destination for an idyllic “Robinson Crusoe” beach honeymoon.
Your private luxury beach Honeymoon Suite is situated in an indigenous forest, surrounded by sounds of the sea. A romantic king size bed is dressed in crisp linen and dreamy mosquito netting. Enjoy a wide bath with complimentary bubble bath and candles in the privacy of your beach retreat.
FOREST VIEW
These rooms have a uniquely tranquil charm, nestled in the coastal dune on the forest’s edge, which throngs with bird life.
FOREST VIEW FAMILY ROOM
These rooms are ideal for families travelling with children, perfect for sharing this unique location and intimate connection with the spectacular setting.
TURTLE MONITORING IN THE ISIMANGALISO WETLAND PARK
During turtle season (Nov-Feb) we arrange one turtle drive every night at low tide. Due to the concession legislation we have access to the beach at the low tide mark for 4 hours. We are permitted to drive the length of the beach looking for the females and the hatchlings. There is a charge for the turtle drives but no charge for turtle walks.Night drives are tide-dependent and may happen just after dinner or in the early hours of the morning and can sometimes be as long as three hours.
NESTING Both loggerhead and leatherback turtles nest during the summer months at night (November – February). Steep beach faces make it easy for loggerheads to swim through the surf over low lying rock ledges. The females emerge from the surf and rest in the wash zone on the beach. Here they assess the beach for any danger by lifting their heads and scanning the beach. Satisfied that there is no danger they then proceed up the beach to well above the high water mark.
EGG LAYING Having found a suitable site, the female commences by excavating a body pit, this enables her to lie with the top of her carapace level with the beach. She then digs an egg cavity with her hind flippers. The egg pit is a flask shaped hole about 50-80 centimetres deep. A normal clutch constitutes 100-120 soft white shelled eggs which are deposited into this hole. When all of the eggs have been laid the female fills the hole with sand and kneads the surface until the sand is packed hard. Once this is done, she disguises the nest site by throwing sand with her fore flippers over the nesting area. Leatherbacks can return up to seven times to lay eggs, while loggerheads return up to four times in a single season.
HATCHING Loggerhead turtle eggs take between 55-65 days to mature and leatherback turtle eggs take between 65-70 days. Once ready to emerge the hatchlings cut their way out of the egg with a special egg tooth on the end of their beaks. After the bulk of the eggs have hatched the hatchlings start digging at the sides of the nest. The hatchlings will often wait during the heat of the day, until the sand has cooled before emerging and heading to the sea.
The most serious threats that are present at various life stages
1. Nesting – Egg collecting, slaughtering for meat, coastal development, sand mining and beach driving
2. Home Ranges – (coral reefs, sea grass beds, open oceans) These are disturbed or destroyed by bad fishery practices, pollution and global warming.
3. Migration Movements – Their migration routes are threatened by trawlers or drift nets and long lines.
Littering in the Sea – The leatherbacks feed mostly on jellyfish – with the serious problem of plastic bags littering our seas, the bags are often ingested by turtles who choke on this toxic waste.
SCUBA DIVING AT THONGA BEACH LODGE
SCUBA diving at Thonga Beach is phenomenal, with reefs located a short distance from the lodge. Shoals of game fish, sharks and schools of bottlenose dolphins are often seen. Our professional lodge diving team accommodates all enthusiasts; from the beginner to the veteran, wanting a tour of the very best our reefs have to offer. 1,250 fish species (the Great Barrier Reef has 1500) occur on the reefs in this area. Dives are from a semi-rigid dive boat which accommodates a maximum of 8 divers at a time.
To get to our reefs, we start with a shore entry boat launch, where the skipper, dive master and divers, with the help of a tractor, push our7 metre boat into the surf, directly in front of the lodge. This is a normal boat launch procedure for this part of the coastline and for most guests, probably the first time they will have experienced a launch of this nature. It is exciting and adventurous however the launch can be strenuous, so a reasonable level of fitness is required.
Diving is weather and tide dependant.
SCUBA training is available at our PADI dive centre. If you are already certified, please bring proof of your diving qualification. We regret no children under 10 years, but kids aged 10 and up can do a Discover SCUBA Diving (DSD) or Open Water Diver Course. Please note that guests must be of a reasonable fitness level to dive.
Dive sites:
· Gogo’s
· Brewer’s Gardens
· Pine / Yellowfin
· Coral Alley
· Slingers
· Water World
· 3 Sisters / Coachman’s Ledge
THE SEA SPA
Your much-needed me-time starts at our onsite spa, which offers a wide selection of rejuvenation and beauty treatments for you to look and - more importantly - feel your best. Enjoy the ultimate in beachside bliss when you spoil yourself with an invigorating session at our world-class spa. Take a look at the tempting treatments on our spa menu… you deserve it.
SPA ETIQUETTE
Spa Facilities Our spa experience is relaxing, calming and rejuvenating to our stressful bodies. To ensure the best experience for all guests using the spa, please keep your voices low.
Punctuality Please arrive 15 min early to assist with the paperwork for your pampering.
Spa Treatments As in nature, things outside of our control can change and prices are subject to change without notice. Please note, the spa does not accept credit cards directly and treatments will be charged to the guest’s room account.
General All ages are welcome, guests under the age of 16 years adult supervision is required.
FOOD WITH THOUGHT
Chef Carl Moller is the Executive Head Chef of Isibindi Africa Lodges. He is a true creative who combines a love of cooking with beautiful plating skills and a passion for photography.
Carl is a KwaZulu-Natal local, born in Durban and schooled in Hillcrest. He has been passionate about food from an early age, which led him to complete his training at the Chantecler Hotel in Bothas Hill. After graduating, Carl worked at various restaurants in both Durban and Johannesburg, including Durban’s well-known Café 1999. He also ran his own catering company for a while.
As a keen angler, trail runner, swimmer, diver and general outdoorsman, the opportunity to work and live in Thonga Beach Lodge’s pristine marine environment was too good to pass up. Carl joined the team in 2009 and has been wowing our guests with his culinary creations ever since.
With his focus on sustainability, Carl’s food philosophy is closely aligned with the Isibindi brand. In our lodges’ remote and ecologically-significant locations, it is vital for social, economic and environmental factors to work symbiotically and interdependently. Carl believes that incorporating these principles into his food and choice of suppliers enhances sustainability from the ground up.
Carl sources many of his ingredients from ethical suppliers - like stone ground flour, unrefined sea salt, sustainable seafood and fish that is approved by the South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI). He also seeks out local suppliers, sourcing community-grown vegetables and fruit as well as locally-farmed products such as cashew nuts and dried pineapple. Carl is a keen supporter of seasonal cooking, and his signature dishes vary according to the produce, fish and game available at that time of year.