Mkambati Nature Reserve

Mkambati is a nature reserve that is owned the Mkambathi Land Trust, a trust that represents the rights of 40,000 rural people who live inland from Mkambati Nature Reserve whose ancestors were forcefully evicted off these lands over 100 years ago.

Mkambati Conservation & Community NPC is a not-for-profit initiative whose sole objective is to fund the ongoing costs of the conservation within the Mkambati Nature Reserve and community upliftment projects around Mkambati Nature Reserve as well as to assist with funding the considerable costs that will be incurred when the Mkambati Reserve is expanded into the interior. The Mkambati Conservation and Community NPC has been set up to provide that funding. To ensure transparency and full accountability, the board of the Mkambati Conservation and Community NPC consists of a blend of reputable independent members and Mkambati professionals. The NPC’s accounts will be published annually detailing its source of funds and how those funds were spent.

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Some people have questioned why it is necessary to charge a park entry fee to guests staying at GweGwe Lodge and to hikers and cyclists while traversing across the Mkambati Reserve. International and local studies have proven that when protected areas have insufficient funding, they cannot conserve their biodiversity effectively, nor can they generate benefits for local communities. A 2023 Endangered Wildlife Trust investigative report detailed the perilous financial state of the country’s provincial reserves. All provincial parks in South Africa have had their operating budgets slashed resulting in all of the country’s provincial park authorities not having adequate funds nor the manpower to do their work effectively. The recent rapid spike in rhino poaching in KZN protected areas is one of the tragic by-products of an under-resourced provincial park authority. ECPTA and Mkambati is no exception.

The sad reality is that conservation without cash is merely a conversation. We estimate that the annual budget needed to adequately manage and protect the northern concession within Mkambati and the expansion of the reserve into the interior will be between R3m and R4m. With not enough funding from Government funding and an impoverished land-owning community, the money needed to pay for this management and conservation work can only be funded by tourists who visit the reserve, either overnighting or transiting through on foot, cycle or horse. All amaMpondo people are excluded from these fees. This is the norm for how parks and reserves are funded right throughout Africa.

Mkambati Conservation & Community NPC

Reg # 2023/110189/07

The Mkambati Conservation and Community NPC is the not-for-profit company that has been set up to provide that funding. To ensure transparency and full accountability, the board of the Mkambati Conservation and Community NPC consists of a blend of reputable independent board members and GweGwe staffers. The NPC’s accounts will be published annually detailing its source of funds and how those funds were spent.

The money needed to help fund Mkambati will be earned from a variety of sources

Park entrance fee

The CCR (Conservation, Community, Reserve) fees charged to everyone who is entering or visiting the northern sector of Mkambati Nature Reserve. This applies to all guests staying at GweGwe Lodge and all the hikers, runners, riders, cyclists etc who transit through the northern sector of the reserve. The park entry fee is R800 per person per night, with South African’s being charged R300. Trailists who are booked and guided by a local Mpondo trail company pay just R50 per person for 2025 and 2026.

% of Lodge turnover

9% of the lodge’s gross revenue is paid to the Mkambati Land Trust and to the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) to support and fund communities and conservation. Once GweGwe Lodge breaks even, it will donate a further 1% of the lodge’s gross turnover to this NPC.

Donations

Donations from guests, trailists, corporates & NGOs

Local amaMpondo community members transiting through the northern sector of the reserve to visit relatives etc on the other side are exempt from all fees and will continue to be able to transit through this sector for free. Local amaMpondo guides and trail leaders will also be exempt from paying fees.

Trailists who are traversing along the Wild Coast and through the Mkambati’s northern concession can purchase their park entrance fee in advance.

Payment details

September 2025 - The first royalty cheque handed over to the trust

Going where it matters most!

In September 2025, the first royalty cheque was officially handed over to the trust — a milestone moment for our community partnership. The funds will be used to equip seven primary schools across the seven wards that make up the trust, ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach the heart of education where it’s needed most.

The Green Griffons

An all-women anti-poaching and ecological monitoring team. Inspired by the award-winning Black Mambas of the Kruger region, the Green Griffons have been selected by their Trust and community leaders and are being trained to be deployed to safeguard Mkambati’s wildlife, monitor its biodiversity and engage local communities in protecting Mkambati’s extraordinary environment and natural heritage.

Eye Testing

Optometrists and their full range of testing equipment were brought in from East London to the Mkambati region. Two free eye testing clinics were held in the MLT area, providing vital eye care to local residents. Around 300 people received free prescription and reading glasses — enabling many to see and read clearly again for the first time in years.

Education

The funds will be used to equip seven primary schools across the seven wards that make up the trust, ensuring that the benefits of tourism reach the heart of education where it’s needed most.

Supporting local mobility & engagement

Trailists who are traversing along the Wild Coast and through the Mkambati’s northern concession can purchase their park entrance fee in advance by paying by EFT in advance.

Payment details

Transiting route through Mkambati

Please note that GweGwe Lodge is a private lodge in a privately leased concession for its resident guests only. It is not a public facility and is unable to provide meals or drinks to transiting trailists. If you are traversing through the reserve, we request that you respect this by avoiding the lodge precinct entirely by following many of the ‘jeep’ tracks, trail routes or game trails that route you inland and away from GweGwe Lodge and its beach. This will allow you to experience the natural beauty of Mkambati without seeing buildings and associated amenities.

The map below shows the numerous ‘jeep’ tracks throughout the reserve marked with thin brown lines, with the suggested traversing trails with white dots.

All tourists entering the Mkambati Reserve do so at their own risk and subject to the T+Cs of the concession and reserve.

Trail routes through the reserve

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