Hi Kimjoan,

There are two places on the pristine shores of the Maputaland coast in Kwa-Zulu Natal that I recommend/book my clients to when they are in that area. The first one is Thonga Beach Lodge, on the beach, part of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park (A World Heritage Site), secluded, incredible, great snorkeling and diving. The other one is Rocktail Bay Lodge (a property of Wilderness Safaris), equally attractive.
Good luck!Hope they fit

Hi Kimjoan,

I also endorse Rocktail and Thonga. I was at both lodges in May 2010. Although I could not SCUBA dive because of a sinus infection, everyone else at the lodge did and they swam with a whale shark for over 30 minutes. The drawback to these two places is that they are VERY remote. They are over four hours by road from Richards Bay airport and it is best to get there by small aircraft or a hired transfer from RCB or Durban/DUR. There are non-stop flights from Cape Town to DUR throughout the day.

Compared to Thonga, Rocktail Bay is much better suited for families. Thonga is four star honeymoon beach resort designed for romance. Both are located on some of the most remote stretch of beach I have ever seen. At Rocktail, I walked for four hours on the beach and did not see a single sign of human life. It was incredibly remote. They are about 20 miles apart.

There is no coral reef and these two spots are not ideal for snorkeling. They are better known for open ocean SCUBA and both have dive shops and dive masters. If you want snorkeling I suggest you head up to Vilanculos, Mozambique and go to Marlins (activities) or Azura (romance + activities). Because they are so much closer to a commercial airport the door-to-door time from your hotel room in Cape Town to the beach will be less in Mozambique unless you charter a private plane to get to Rocktail or Thonga. You can snorkel at Marlins or Azura.

To prevent unnecessary overnights in Jo’burg here is what I suggest:
Day 1 Land Jo’burg and overnight.
Day 2,3,4,5 Sabi Sands Safari. Maybe a place with stay4pay3 like Lion Sands?
Day 6,7,8,9,10 Cape Town
Day 11 Early road transfer to Cape Town/CPT. Fly CPT-JNB-Vilanculos.
Day 11,12,13,14 Spend four nights in Mozambique or 5 depending on specials (like stay5pay4).

Another place close to the East London commercial airport is Prana Lodge.

Craig Beal – owner – Travel Beyond
2011/2012 Travel & Leisure A-List agent for Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Thank you all for the help!
Safari_Craig- Can I contact you via Travel Beyond to help with getting my trip together?
Thanks! Kim