In April 2019 a very special Lodge opened within the De Hoop Nature Reserve along the Garden Route and 3 hours from Cape Town. The lodge is situated along a secluded stretch of white sandy beach, at least 8kms away from any other lodges.
It nestles amongst a rich diversity of Cape Fynbos vegetation and looks directly over the ocean that is alive with marine wildlife.
At certain times of the year migrating Southern Right whales as well as migrating humpback whales, can be viewed from every part of the homely lodge, even from your bedroom!
BOOK NOW for your family holiday!! Whale watching De Hoop
Below is a visitors experience at Lekkerwater beach lodge at De Hoop
“We had a great opportunity to visit Lekkerwater beach lodge. As we approached the crest of the steep winding road before arriving at the Lodge, we were greeted by the sight of 2 pods of bottlenose dolphins playing in the surf right in front of us. It was a wonderful welcoming party!
That first afternoon we went on a 3 hour long walk through the fynbos where our guide imparted such interesting information regarding this fascinating floral kingdom. I am not very clued up when it comes to fynbos so it was fantastic to learn a little about the approximately 1500 plant species found around this destination. We even came across the fairly recent scratch marks on an inland Milkwood tree made by a Cape leopard!
We may have been by the sea but the amount of wildlife utilising this stretch of the coast was surprising. Leopard tracks have regularly been discovered on the beach (although the animal has not actually been seen). Other tracks litter the beach in front of the lodge on a daily basis and these include: Honey Badger, Porcupine, various buck species and mongoose. Breeding pairs of African Oystercatchers, endemic to Southern Africa, can also be found every few hundred meters along the beach.
The following day we started our morning with a stroll along the seemingly endless beach. Not a soul was around and we felt as if we could have just kept walking and walking…
This wasn’t the case as we were to be taken on a guided rock pool experience later in the morning. We were fortunate to be visiting at a time of low tides which means the extensive rock pools were beautifully exposed and perfect for us all to explore. Again, our guide was able to bring to light a world that we know little about and one that we rarely have the opportunity to explore. I really felt like I was a kid again as we peered into the pools eager to discover what was residing in those contained areas.
A snorkel in the larger pool gave a chance to see large schools of elf, black tail and various juvenile fish species. The experience was absolutely magical and the 3 hours passed in no time.
Coupled with excellent home-style, authentic South Africa cuisine and sundowners on the beach, this is not your average beach holiday. This is luxury beach holiday accommodation which offers the opportunity to experience numerous natural wonders including the fynbos, bird watching, rock pools, snorkelling and land based marine mammal watching, Lekkerwater Beach Lodge is hard to beat.
If you are planning a Garden Route visit, Lekkerwater beach lodge at De Hoop should be your first destination.
