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TURTLE

Join marine biologist Natalie Dos Santos and her team on Honey Guide’s Sea Turtle Tagging Expedition in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Take part in active research on loggerhead, green and critically endangered hawksbill turtles, helping us improve our understanding of how they move, use our coastline and, ultimately, how we can better protect them.

TAGGING

Join the Mission

The journey begins with Chapter One on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, with a strong focus on research, conservation and hands-on turtle tagging. From there, the expedition opens into one of two seasonal Chapter Two journeys, each based at an exceptional, remote coastal lodge.

In winter, continue to GweGwe Beach Lodge on the Wild Coast, where the focus shifts to the Sardine Run and the extraordinary marine life that follows it. In summer, continue to Thonga Beach Lodge in iSimangaliso, timed around nesting season and the chance to witness turtles nesting or hatchlings emerging on the beach. As you move through the expedition below, you’ll be invited to choose the chapter that best suits you.

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  • The base package includes 9 nights/ 10 days , following two incredible expeditions along South Africa’s east coast. Enquire about options for shorter or extended stays.

  • We offer two distinct seasonal departures.

    In July, Chapter Two follows one of the ocean’s great natural spectacles — the annual sardine migration along South Africa’s breathtaking Wild Coast.

    During late January and early February, the journey shifts north to the tropical coastline, where we set out in search of nesting turtles and newly emerged hatchlings making their way to the sea.

    These are our recommended travel windows. Please enquire to explore how the journey could unfold outside of these seasonal dates.

  • Group size: 4–8 guests.

    Smaller groups can also be accommodated. Please feel free to reach out to us to discuss a more private or tailored experience.

  • FROM USD $7,500 PER PERSON
    9 nights · 10 days · based on a group of 8. Pricing adjusts for smaller private groups.

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE HATCHLINGS
Caretta caretta

Newly emerged and leaving the nest for the first time, beginning their journey to the sea.

  • Arrive on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast and settle into your private villa. The afternoon is deliberately slow-paced, giving you time to unpack, take a swim, ease into your new surroundings and properly settle into the rhythm of the coast. Later, meet the HoneyGuide team, Natalie Dos Santos and Andy Coetzee, before sitting down to your first dinner prepared by your private chef — with the adventure ahead beginning to feel very real.

  • Your first full day of turtle research begins with an early surf launch. Join Natalie and her team at sea to locate turtles, observe the capture process and follow each animal through its biological assessment, acoustic tagging and release.

  • Go behind the scenes at uShaka Marine World for a closer look at the work that happens away from the public exhibits. Spend time with the team involved in turtle rescue and rehabilitation, learn about the challenges these animals face, and see firsthand what goes into their recovery before release back into the wild.

  • Return to sea for a second full day with the research team. Help search for turtles and experience another day of active fieldwork, building on what you learned during your first tagging day and contributing to Natalie’s ongoing research.

  • Spend your final full day on the South Coast exploring the region beyond its marine environment. Join a local Zulu cultural experience before returning to the villa for your final evening on this stretch of the South Coast.

  • The expedition now shifts with the season. Winter guests travel to GweGwe Beach Lodge for the Wild Coast and Sardine Run chapter of the trip, while summer guests continue to Thonga Beach Lodge for the nesting and hatchling season.

AT THE HEART OF TURTLE SCIENCE…

Join marine biologist Natalie Dos Santos and her research team for two expedition days at sea, helping locate, capture and tag wild sea turtles as part of active conservation research.

  • Get closer to the coastline with a marine specialist, exploring intertidal ecosystems before a self-harvest seafood cook-up on the beach.

  • Go behind the scenes at uShaka Marine World for a private look at its turtle rehabilitation work, meet the team, and learn what goes into rescuing, recovering, and releasing injured sea turtles and stranded hatchlings.

  • Back at the villa, evenings are shaped around your private chef, with relaxed, personalised menus built around the group and the best local ingredients.

  • Optional extras can be arranged around the South Coast chapter, including baited shark dives, recreational scuba diving, scuba courses and freediving courses.

  • Spend time at a local Zulu homestead with a guide, sharing stories and gaining a more personal understanding of everyday life, traditions and the community around you in a part of KwaZulu-Natal steeped in incredible history.

  • Most importantly, know that your participation directly helps Natalie continue her research, putting more tags on turtles to help answer questions we still have about their lives beneath the surface.

FOLLOW THE SEASON

CHOOSE YOUR next chapter to continue 

WINTER
THE SARDINE RUN
GweGwe Beach Lodge

SUMMER
TURTLE NESTING SEASON
Thonga Beach Lodge

CHAPTER TWO · WINTER

GweGwe Beach Lodge · Mkambati Nature Reserve

THE WILD COAST

AWAITS…

Leaving the South Coast behind, the journey continues into one of South Africa’s most remote and spectacular coastal wildernesses. Here, rolling grasslands fall away towards a wild, untouched shoreline, and GweGwe Beach Lodge becomes our base for the second chapter of the journey.

Winter brings with it the Sardine Run — a vast seasonal movement of sardines along the east coast that draws in dolphins, whales, sharks, game fish and huge numbers of seabirds. Over two dedicated Sardine Run expeditions, we head out in search of the moving shoals, reading the birds, following dolphins and working with the conditions to get into the heart of the action. When the right opportunity presents itself, guests can enter the water and experience the spectacle from below the surface as sharks, dolphins, game fish and seabirds converge around the bait balls.

Four nights at GweGwe give us the flexibility to experience this wild stretch of coast properly, while still leaving time to slow down and enjoy the landscape, lodge and inshore environment.

Your full Chapter One and Two include:

  • 9 nights’ private villa and lodge accommodation.
  • All meals, beverages, premium wines, spirits and cocktails.
  • Private chef with personalised menus and drinks.
  • Two full days of sea turtle research and tagging.
  • Marine specialist-led intertidal walk and seafood cook-up.
  • Behind-the-scenes turtle rehab at Ushaka Marine World Aquarium.
  • A local cultural experience.
  • Two expert-led Sardine Run expeditions.
  • Helicopter transfers to and from GweGwe.
  • Airport transfers and all local transport.

THE SARDINE RUN

  • Take to the skies for a spectacular helicopter flight along the coastline, landing on the beach at Gwe Gwe’s lagoon mouth. The afternoon is yours to settle in, relax and enjoy the lodge and its exceptional food.

  • Head out in search of migrating sardine shoals and the extraordinary wildlife that follows them. Dolphins, whales, sharks and seabirds converge on the action, with opportunities to enter the water when conditions allow.

  • A second day dedicated to the Sardine Run, following the best activity the ocean presents. Every day is different, with our plans guided by weather, wildlife and the movement of the shoals.

  • Slow things down with a guided intertidal walk, exploring the rock pools and remarkable inshore life of the Wild Coast. Conditions permitting, finish with a relaxed catch-and-cook experience.

  • Enjoy a final breakfast and morning at GweGwe before beginning the journey home, bringing our nine-night coastal adventure to a close.

CHAPTER TWO · summer

Thonga Beach Lodge · iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Leaving the South Coast behind, the journey continues north to one of South Africa’s most remote and beautiful stretches of coastline. Set within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Thonga Beach Lodge becomes our base for the final chapter of the journey.

Summer brings a completely different coastal spectacle as nesting sea turtles return to these warm Indian Ocean beaches, followed later in the season by the emergence of hatchlings. Guided by turtle expert Andy Coetzee, evenings are shaped around the chance to witness these remarkable events in the wild.

Between these experiences, there is time to enjoy the tropical forest, empty beaches and warm waters that make this part of the coastline feel so completely removed from the rest of South Africa.

Your full Chapter One and Two include:

  • 9 nights’ private villa and lodge accommodation.
  • All meals, beverages, premium wines, spirits and cocktails.
  • Two full days of sea turtle research and tagging.
  • Private chef with personalised menus and drinks.
  • Marine specialist-led intertidal walk and seafood cook-up.
  • Behind-the-scenes turtle rehab at Ushaka Marine World Aquarium.
  • Two expert-led expeditions to find turtle hatchlings leaving their nests.
  • A remarkable cultural experience in the heart of Zululand.
  • Airport transfers and all local transport.

NESTING TURTLES

South Africa’s

hidden gem …

  • Travel north through KwaZulu-Natal, stopping for lunch at a beautiful local restaurant along the way. Arrive at Thonga Beach Lodge in the afternoon, settle in, and ease into the tropical coast with sundowners on the beach and, if you feel like it, a warm swim in the Indian Ocean.

  • Spend the day enjoying Thonga’s all-inclusive activities and exploring the extraordinary landscapes of iSimangaliso Wetland Park. In the evening, join turtle expert Andy Coetzee for a guided night experience in search of nesting mothers and, with some luck, newly emerging hatchlings making their first journey to the sea.

  • Spend the day exploring Thonga’s coastal environment, including a guided intertidal experience along the shoreline to discover the remarkable life hidden among the rocks, pools and shallows. The evening brings another opportunity to head out with Andy in search of nesting turtles and emerging hatchlings.

  • Enjoy a slower morning at Thonga before heading out in the afternoon for a local cultural experience, offering a chance to connect with the people, traditions and stories of this remarkable part of northern KwaZulu-Natal.

  • Enjoy a final breakfast at Thonga Beach Lodge before beginning the transfer back to the airport, bringing the tropical chapter of the journey to a close.

Exclusive Lodging

The journey pairs meaningful fieldwork with exceptional private accommodation throughout. Your first five nights are spent in a private South Coast villa, with a private chef, personalised menus and the HoneyGuide team taking care of the details from start to finish.

From there, winter continues to GweGwe Beach Lodge on the Wild Coast, while summer heads north to Thonga Beach Lodge in iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Both have been carefully chosen for their remote wilderness settings, exceptional hospitality and reputation as two of Africa’s standout beach lodges. Across all nine nights, the aim is simple: to keep you deeply connected to the places you have come to explore, without compromising on comfort, privacy or the quality of the experience.

TURTLE RESEARCH

For decades, sea turtle research has been heavily weighted towards mature females because they come ashore, while males and juveniles remain at sea. Natalie’s research takes science beneath the surface, using acoustic telemetry to understand how turtles of both sexes move, which habitats they rely on, and where greater protection may be needed. Honey Guide helps fund the fieldwork and tagging needed to continue building this important dataset.

leave your mark

This is not conservation created for tourism. You are joining Natalie and her team during real fieldwork, helping locate turtles and witnessing the research process from capture and biological assessment through to tagging and release.

It is rare access to science as it happens, and an opportunity to contribute directly to research whose value continues long after you return home.

WANT TO STAY A LITTLE LONGER?

Feel like ten days isn’t quite enough? If you’d like to see more of HoneyGuide — or more of what South Africa has to offer — don’t hesitate to reach out. We can help build a seamless extension around your trip, from safari and wild coastline to wine country, mountains and more of the region’s extraordinary places.

our partners

  • Natalie Dos Santos

    Natalie Dos Santos

    Marine scientist and PhD researcher Natalie Dos Santos specialises in the ecology of sea turtles on South Africa’s east coast. Her work takes turtle research beneath the surface, studying animals on their foraging grounds to better understand their movements, habitat use, residency and ecological roles. Guests join Natalie during active fieldwork at Aliwal Shoal, contributing directly to the research she is leading.

  • Andy Coetzee with leather back turtle.

    Andy Coetzee

    Naturalist and turtle conservationist pioneer Andy Coetzee has spent decades working in wild places, with a particular depth of experience in marine and sea turtle conservation. He has tagged more than 1,000 turtles around the world and contributed to Natalie’s research along South Africa’s east coast. Andy joins Honey Guide guests in the field and, during the summer expedition, leads the turtle beach drives that reveal another side of the turtles’ life cycle.

  • GweGwe Beach Lodge

    GweGwe Beach Lodge

    Our winter partner on the Wild Coast, GweGwe places guests within Mkambati Nature Reserve for the second chapter of the expedition. Its remote coastal setting provides the base for two full days experiencing the Sardine Run, alongside time exploring the reserve on land.

  • Thonga Beach Lodge

    Thonga Beach Lodge

    Our summer partner within iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Thonga places guests within one of South Africa’s most important sea turtle nesting landscapes. From here, guests join guided night drives along the coast to search for nesting loggerheads and leatherbacks and, when timing allows, emerging hatchlings.

YOUR PARTICIPATION MATTERS.

Because meaningful travel doesn’t just admire the world, it helps sustain it.

Enquire Now