About us
On the west coast of East London, South Africa, just landwards from the beautiful and ever-changing Gxulu mouth, Gxulumanzi welcomes and invites you to heed the call of nature. Whether it’s the crashing of waves, cackling of the wood hoopoes, or the chatter of vervet monkeys, that calls – Gxulu is the perfect destination for birders, nature lovers and people looking to restore their souls and reconnect with nature.
Water or amanzi is at our core – our biodiversity is dependent on pristine riparian zones and catchments of rivers that flow into our marine protected area. This includes the Gxulu canyon, inshore of where the first coelacanth was caught. Our goal and way of life is to protect, restore and share our unique environment.
“Without water we have no power, without water we have no food, without water we have no homes, without water we have no life”. - Mina Guli, founder and CEO of Thirst.
Explore
As we are located between coastal and indigenous forests and farmlands, there is so much to explore. The forest is canopied by indigenous trees with some massive wild fig trees, ngwenyas, white stinkwood, milkwoods and coral trees to mention a few.
Look out for the smaller indigenous plants including clivias, aloes, euphorbias, wildflowers and forest bride's bush.
There are 10 kilometres of pristine beach, 4 kilometres of marked walking trails, rivers and the estuary, and many quiet farm roads. And that’s without venturing to surrounding villages.
Download a map of the Gxulumanzi trails here.
Our location
Gxulumanzi consists of two properties, mShumani and Kingfishers. The properties are located either side of the Gxulu Estuary on the Gxulu and Ngwenyama rivers respectively. Gxulumanzi forms part of a planned 200ha Gxulu Conservancy which is a protected area falling under the Eastern Cape Parks land stewardship programme. In turn, the Gxulu Conservancy is connected to the East London Coastal Nature Reserve and Amathole Marine protected area from the Mcantsi River to the Igoda river incorporating a 13 km stretch of pristine coastline. The envisaged Gxulu Conservancy aims to create a protected corridor from the coastal Nature Reserves all the way to the Fort Pato and Umtiza Nature reserves (covering 17 000 ha).
Birding
With forests, grasslands, the estuary and ocean, Gxulu is home to over 200 species of birds. Some frequently seen feathered friends are a variety of kingfishers and sunbirds. There are also the ‘heard but not often seen’ narina trogons, Burchell's coucal, grey-headed bush shrike and Knysna touraco. Keep an eye out for the trumpeter and crowned hornbills, African and wood hoopoes, emerald doves, orioles, weavers and more.
In late October, the rare Cape parrot arrives, sometimes in a flock of about 30 birds, to feast on the ripening ngwenyas (wild plums). They join the African green pigeon and touraco in this feast, but don't stay as long.
On a windy day if you don’t see the resident crowned or fish eagles, you will hear their cry. Other commonly seen raptors are the long-crested eagle, jackal buzzard, harrier hawk, and osprey. Visit us and see the beautiful bird life that inhabits Gxulu.
Sustainability
At the core of everything we do is sustainability. We believe it’s our duty to do anything we can to protect and preserve the world around us. From organic farming practises used on our farm, producing solar energy and supporting local community projects, sustainability is a way of life at Gxulumanzi. We follow and promote the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) guidelines. If you’d like to learn more about our eco-friendly lifestyle and practises, why not come for our Volunteer program?
Local community
It is important to look at sustainability in terms of our local community, as well as our environment. Our organic farm has teamed up with the amazing KSFI project (Kidlinks Small Farm Incubator), which aims to uplift rural communities in the Eastern Cape. They do this by empowering youth with the knowledge of regenerative farming, giving them the confidence to become profitable farmers and leaders in their community.
We also teach chess to children in our rural community. It has been very successful, seeing our kids excel against elite schools.
Recharge
Let nature heal your soul! If you’re just looking to escape the busy-ness of life, restore your soul, and regain energy – spend time in nature with us. Detach from mobile phones, computers and the hustle and bustle of modern life, you won’t regret it.
Bathe in our peaceful forests or take a stroll along the beach, listening to the crashing waves.