GweGwe Beach Lodge
Eastern Cape
From R 19,425 a night
Inside park
Where to stay in and near Mkambati Nature Reserve
Wild Coast coastal reserve in Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape, South Africa
About Mkambati Nature Reserve
Mkambati is a Wild Coast reserve between Port St Johns and Port Edward, a grassland plateau that ends in cliffs and waterfalls dropping straight into the sea, most famously at Waterfall Bluff. The Msikaba and Mtentu rivers bound it in deep gorges with forest and Cape vultures nesting on the cliffs, and the beaches between are empty. Eland, red hartebeest and blue wildebeest graze the plateau. Accommodation inside the reserve is basic, the roads are rough, and the reserve is co-managed with its neighbouring communities, which makes it one of the country's notable land-restitution conservation areas.
Things to do: Game drives
Where you can stay: Camping · Chalets · Nearby B&Bs
Wildlife near Mkambati Nature Reserve
What people record most across Eastern Cape. Past sightings, never a guarantee.
From iNaturalist records across Eastern Cape, not confirmed sightings inside this reserve.
Stay in & near Mkambati Nature Reserve
Inside-park stays and nearby lodges, sorted by distance.
When to visit Mkambati Nature Reserve
Most of the rain at Mkambati Nature Reserve falls from September to April, peaking in December at about 132 mm. January is the hottest month, with average highs of about 28°C, and July the coolest, with average lows of about 11°C.
| Month | Rain (mm) | Average high (°C) | Average low (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 122 | 28 | 20 |
| February | 108 | 28 | 20 |
| March | 109 | 27 | 19 |
| April | 110 | 26 | 17 |
| May | 48 | 25 | 14 |
| June | 38 | 24 | 12 |
| July | 28 | 24 | 11 |
| August | 39 | 24 | 13 |
| September | 72 | 24 | 14 |
| October | 117 | 24 | 16 |
| November | 128 | 24 | 17 |
| December | 132 | 26 | 19 |
Averages for 2005 to 2024 at the park's centre point, about 199 m above sea level. Weather data from Open-Meteo.com (opens in a new tab) (ERA5), CC BY 4.0.
Getting there
One stay we sell in Mkambati Nature Reserve. Tap the pin for the listing.
31.2800° S, 29.9700° E200 km from Cape TownOpen in Maps (opens in a new tab)
Why book here
Your stay helps keep Mkambati Nature Reserve wild
Wild places survive when the communities around them earn more from protecting wildlife than from anything that would replace it. Every stay you book through Spekboom carries a conservation contribution built into the price, never added on top, so choosing where you sleep becomes a way to fund the people and projects keeping this landscape intact.
- Built into every booking
- A conservation share
- Where it goes
- Local causes & communities
Mkambati Nature Reserve: your questions
Where is Mkambati Nature Reserve?
Mkambati Nature Reserve is in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
What wildlife can you see near Mkambati Nature Reserve?
In Eastern Cape, commonly recorded species include animals such as Red Hartebeest, Oribi, Yellow Mongoose, Cape Mountain Zebra and birds including Red-necked Spurfowl, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Cape Parrot, based on iNaturalist occurrence data. These reflect the wider province, not confirmed sightings inside the reserve.
When is the rainy season at Mkambati Nature Reserve?
Most of the rain at Mkambati Nature Reserve falls from September to April, peaking in December at about 132 mm. January is the hottest month, with average highs of about 28°C, and July the coolest, with average lows of about 11°C. Averages for 2005 to 2024 at the park's centre point, about 199 m above sea level.
When is the best time to visit Mkambati Nature Reserve?
The best time to visit Mkambati Nature Reserve is Year-round (best Mar-May, Sep-Nov).
What is there to do at Mkambati Nature Reserve?
Popular activities at Mkambati Nature Reserve include game drives.
Where can you stay in Mkambati Nature Reserve?
Places to stay inside Mkambati Nature Reserve include GweGwe Beach Lodge. Request them on Spekboom and pay once your dates are confirmed. Every booking funds conservation.
Parks near Mkambati Nature Reserve
The closest parks and reserves. Distances run centre to centre, as the crow flies.
Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Oribi Gorge Nature ReserveProvincial Nature Reserve · 70 km
Dramatic gorge scenery
Mount Currie Nature Reserve
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Mount Currie Nature ReserveProvincial Nature Reserve · 103 km
Highland grassland and a dam above Kokstad
Malaria-free
Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Vernon Crookes Nature ReserveProvincial Nature Reserve · 128 km
Coastal grassland and forest above the South Coast
Malaria-free
Part of
Other parks and reserves that share something with Mkambati Nature Reserve.
National parks and reserves in South AfricaNature reserves and parks in the Eastern CapeAll protected areas
