Thonga Beach Lodge is a great barefoot luxury beach property on South Africa’s Elephant Coast.

The biggest upside to Thonga, when comparing it to its closest neighbor Rocktail Beach Camp, is that the property is right on the ocean. The ocean here can be big on some days (this is not the Caribbean!) but the setting is remote and stunning and Thonga has the area to itself.

Thonga offers a huge range of activities including snorkeling, scuba diving, turtle walks (seasonal), village visits and kayaking on Lake Sibaya (the largest fresh water lake in the world). There is also a small spa if you want some time to relax.

Thonga has three categories of rooms, Forest, Ocean View and Ocean View Deluxe. We prefer the Ocean View and Ocean View Deluxe rooms to Forest View but the Forest View are absolutely fine if the others are not available. The food at Thonga is excellent and the service is warm and friendly. Because Thonga is partially community owned much of the staff come from the villages immediately surrounding the property. The biggest downside to Thonga is the pools. While they have space for one large pool they opted for two smaller, round ones which seems like a wasted opportunity.

We really like Thonga Beach Lodge. It is great value for money and a good way to add some time on the beach in South Africa for those who don’t have the budget or time for adding the beach in Mozambique.