Morukuru Family De Hoop

03/06/2026

Morukuru Beach Lodge sits oceanfront within the protected shores of De Hoop Nature Reserve. Five suites, accommodating up to 14 guests, and a stillness that reminds you why you travel in the first place.

As a proud member of Relais & Châteaux , Morukuru Family De Hoop belongs to a rare collection of independently spirited properties united by an unwavering devotion to the guest experience.

This is where the sea meets something truly special, whether you're a couple seeking a coastal escape or a small family ready to explore one of Africa's most extraordinary Marine Protected Areas.

02/06/2026

Kai, a loggerhead turtle who arrived at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation 's Turtle Conservation Centre in November 2020 as a 533-gram hatchling with severe lung and buoyancy issues, was released into the De Hoop Marine Protected Area on 14 May 2026 after six years of rehabilitation.

He entered the water at 100 kilograms and, in his first week back in the ocean, travelled 76 kilometres, averaging around 11 kilometres a day.

We’ve put together a blog on his remarkable healing journey and to keep track of Kai’s journey. Morukuru Goodwill Foundation are honoured to support the work of the dedicated Turtle Conservation Centre team.

Kai, a loggerhead turtle, was released in De Hoop Nature Reserve's Marine Protected Area. Kai's release was made possible through the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation's three-year partnership with the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation's Turtle Conservation Centre.

02/06/2026

Leopard tracks! We know from our camera trap project that there are a few elusive leopards in the De Hoop Nature Reserve. Our guide, Hilton, was ecstatic to spot these fresh tracks in the dunes with our guests who then dedicated almost 5kms following them.

The reward? A distant glimpse of the shy Cape leopard (the first time ever since 2014!), as it disappeared into the fynbos.

01/06/2026

Breakfast tastes different when the dunes are in front of you and there's nowhere else you need to be. The only decision you'll need to make is whether to start with the watermelon or the muffins. Everything else can wait.

29/05/2026

There’s something so special about exploring the rock pools along the De Hoop coastline. The pools are worlds of their own, and every visit reveals something new - perhaps a flash of colour from a hidden sea anemone, a scuttling crab, or a starfish nestled in the shallows.

The beauty lies in the surprise; you never quite know what you’ll discover as you peer into these tidal treasures...

27/05/2026

It's not just a gin. It's botanicals foraged from fynbos, and the level of contentment that only happens when you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

Sundowners at Morukuru Family De Hoop. There's really nothing quite like it.

25/05/2026

There's a reason people who've been to Africa spend the rest of their lives trying to get back.

It's not just the wildlife or the silence of the bush at dawn. It's a feeling that settles into you quietly and refuses to leave. Bridget Dore captured it better than most: "You cannot leave Africa… It is always with you, there inside your head. Our rivers run in currents in the swirl of your thumbprints; our drumbeats counting out your pulse; our coastline, the silhouette of your soul."

Happy Africa Day, from a family that is endlessly, hopelessly in love with this continent.

25/05/2026

The dune doesn't care how coordinated you think you are. It will humble you cheerfully and without apology... and you will love every second of it.

23/05/2026

There’s a moment, if you are lucky enough to witness it, when a sea turtle meets the ocean again…

Morukuru Family has been privileged to be part of sea turtle releases as the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation has sponsored the care and satellite tags for the release of Bheni, Nori, and most recently Kai.

All have been lovingly cared for by the team at the Turtle Conservation Centre at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation in Cape Town who play a critical role in their rehabilitation and release in De Hoop Nature Reserve, a Marine Protected Area.

This World Turtle Day, take a moment to read more about the turtles that we may encounter on our shoreline.

Most importantly, should you find a stranded turtle anywhere on the South African coastline, do not return it to the water.

Call the Turtle Rescue Hotline immediately: 083 300 1663.

Morukuru Family has been privileged to be part of sea turtle releases as the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation has sponsored the care and satellite tags for the release of Bheni, Nori, and most recently Kai. All have been lovingly cared for by the team at the Turtle Conservation Centre at the Two Oceans....

22/05/2026

Most nature reserves have one ecosystem worth protecting. De Hoop Nature Reserve has several, stacked so closely together that you can watch a southern right whale breach from the same dune where a bontebok is grazing and a Cape vulture is riding the thermals overhead.

Below the waterline, the De Hoop Marine Protected Area, one of the largest in Africa, extends five kilometres out to sea as a no-take zone, sheltering hundreds of fish species, dolphins, turtles, and the southern right whales that return to these bays every year to calve. On land, more than 80 mammal species move through one of the most biodiverse fynbos ecosystems on earth, alongside approximately 260 bird species and nearly 50 reptiles.

On International Biodiversity Day, the reserve is a reminder of what's possible when wild places are rigorously protected. And of exactly what's at stake if they aren't.