- Turtle nesting and hatchlings on a protected World Heritage coastline
- More than 520 bird species are in the iSimangaliso wetlands during peak summer activity
- Zambezi’s green season with 400+ bird species and newborn wildlife
- Canoe safaris, forest walks, river cruises, and island wildlife experiences
- Two sister lodges forming a seamless summer travel route across Southern Africa
When Southern Africa Becomes Summer’s Secret Stage
While the northern hemisphere pulls its curtains tight for winter, Southern Africa does the opposite. The season flings everything open — skies, forests, beaches, and riverbanks — revealing a kind of summer the postcards never quite capture.
Isibindi Africa’s two sister lodges sit in the middle of this pulse, offering travellers a way to move from the Indian Ocean to the Zambezi River in one effortless itinerary, best experienced between November and April.
At Thonga Beach Lodge, perched on a remote stretch of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the season begins under warm rains and star-drenched nights. This is when the loggerhead and leatherback turtles return home. Every evening, giant females emerge from the surf, leaving deep, deliberate tracks in the sand as they dig their ancient egg chambers. January turns the coastline into a tiny stampede of hatchlings racing for the Indian Ocean — a moment so small and fragile that guests fall silent as it happens.
The sea wakes up, too. Pods of spinner and bottlenose dolphins pass along the reef line all year, but summer brings them closer. Ocean safari boats from the lodge skim over clear water, offering a front-row seat to reefs, dolphins, and whatever else decides to show up.
And then the forests answer. With 520 recorded species, summer birding around Thonga becomes almost theatrical. The migrants arrive dressed for the season — European rollers, broad-billed rollers, bee-eaters in their shimmering colors. Warblers chatter from wetland edges, flamingos and pelicans drift across floodplains, and cuckoos and herons move through the forest with the arrogance of creatures who know the season belongs to them.
Where the Zambezi Breathes in Green
A thousand kilometres inland, the Zambezi unwraps its own summer script at Tsowa Safari Island, tucked within Zimbabwe’s Zambezi National Park. The island is wrapped in riverine forest and open floodplains, the kind of landscape that fills with life the moment the rains arrive.
Here too, birdlife takes centre stage. Over 400 species have been recorded on and around the island — African finfoot, Schalow’s turaco, Pel’s fishing owl, and migrants that return like clockwork. Kingfishers and raptors claim sections of the riverbank as their nurseries, and early morning birders often find themselves spoilt for choice.
December turns the plains tender. Calving season arrives, bringing newborn impala, giraffe calves wobbling through the trees, and zebra foals flicking their tiny tails. Predators move with intention, following the new arrivals. Elephants and buffalo gather at the river’s edge, while hippos puff and splash from the shallows. Canoe safaris drift quietly through this world, and sunset cruises slow the whole landscape into gold.
Together, Thonga Beach Lodge and Tsowa Safari Island create a summer route that feels both wild and intimate — two ecosystems, one unfolding season, and a conservation ethos that ties them together. For travellers who want something different from the usual summer script, this is the moment.
For reservations, contact res@isibindi.co.za, call +27 (0)35 474 1473, or visit their website.
