Thonga Beach Lodge stands in coastal dune forest above Mabibi beach, one of the most remote and least developed shorelines in South Africa, deep inside the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage Site. There is no village, no road noise and no other lodge in sight: just a long arc of empty sand, the Indian Ocean, and a lake system behind the dunes.

Rooms are thatched and open, connected by raised boardwalks through the forest. Forest View Rooms sit among the trees, Ocean View Rooms open to sea views from a secluded balcony, and there are two Forest View Family Rooms with two en-suite bedrooms each. Set well apart from everything else are the Deluxe Ocean View Family Room, effectively a private lodge of its own, and the Deluxe Ocean View Honeymoon Suite with a private plunge pool.

Almost everything is included: all meals, guided snorkelling with equipment on the offshore reefs, guided forest walks, kayaking, a sundowner excursion to Lake Sibaya, the Tsonga cultural tour, and turtle-tracking walks from November to February when loggerhead and leatherback turtles come ashore to nest. Diving, the Open Ocean Experience and 4x4 turtle-tracking drives are available at extra cost. The lodge is Fair Trade Tourism certified and a long-standing partner of the local Mabibi community.