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Where is Umngazi Hotel & Spa and How Do I Get There?

Posted on: July 12, 2022, in Latest News

Umngazi Hotel & Spa is a unique beach hotel and spa located on the Wild Coast of South Africa, 20kms south of Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape. We have guests who visit us from around the country and are often asked for the best route to take when driving. We have put together detailed directions from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town to help you navigate your way.

It is important to note that the last 12km road leading to Umngazi Hotel & Spa is not always in the best condition. We ask you to please take it slowly and drive carefully on this final stretch, where you will soon be able to relax and unwind in paradise.

Flagstaff Detour

We recommend taking the detour around the Flagstaff town centre to avoid any unnecessary delays.

As you head down the hill on the R61 towards Flagstaff take the right turn before the Flagstaff Shoprite. Follow the road and take the first left. At the top of the road, turn right. Continue on this road until you reach the T-junction with the R61. Turn right and continue on the R61.

Directions from Johannesburg

When driving from Johannesburg, Umngazi Hotel & Spa is 882km away and should take 12 hours to reach.

Take the N3 towards Durban.

Stay on the N3 until you approach Howick, and then take exit 99 for R617 toward Underberg/Howick. 

Turn right onto the Boston Rd/R617 and follow the R617, which will continue straight on to the N2. 

You will then take a left turn onto the R394 and continue onto the R61, which will lead you through the towns of Flagstaff and Lusikisiki towards Port St Johns. (Don’t forget the Flagstaff detour)

After crossing the Umzimvubu River bridge, turn right, and continue for the next 10km until the Umngazi turn-off.

Directions from Durban

If you are travelling from Durban, you can expect your drive to take about 6 hours over 390km.  The conditions of these roads vary and it’s best to take it easy and keep a keen eye out for potholes, unmarked speedbumps, cattle, donkeys, taxis and people.

Take the N2 from Durban to Port Shepstone. 

From the toll, continue to Port Edward, Bizana, Flagstaff, Lusikisiki and Port St Johns on the R61. (Don’t forget the Flagstaff detour)

After crossing the Umzimvubu River bridge, turn right, and continue for the next 10km until the Umngazi turn-off.

Directions from Cape Town

The drive to Umngazi Hotel & Spa from Cape Town is approximately 1348 km and will take about 16 hours.

Take the N2 East, which runs all the way through to Mthatha.

Recent travellers have strongly recommended turning off the N2 50km passed Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) onto the R72, at Nanaga, and travelling via Alexandria and Port Alfred to East London, where you will re-join the N2.  

This route is extremely pleasant and scenic and has considerably less traffic than the other option via Grahamstown.

Once in Mthatha, continue straight into town along Mandela Boulevard, turning left into Madeira Street/N2, before eventually turning right on the R61 towards Port St Johns. Central Mthatha can be heavily congested at certain times of the day.

Should you want to avoid the congestion in central Mthatha, you can make use of the following easy detour:

Enter straight into Mthatha on the N2/Nelson Mandela Dr and instead of turning left onto Madeira/N2 (one way), continue straight over Madeira and turn right onto Sprigg Street (one way).

At the junction of Errol Spring and Tutor Ndamase Ave (traffic lights), turn left into Tutor Ndamase/Tembu.

After a couple of hundred meters turn left into Northwood 6th Ave, which becomes Bernard Schultz Drive. Please be aware of speed bumps. 

Continue straight until the traffic light junction with R61 where you will turn right towards Port St Johns.

Follow this road to the marked Umngazi Hotel & Spa resort turn-off.

Please note:

We would strongly advise that you do not get distracted by anyone trying to suggest alternative routes in Mthatha.  

We hope that you find these directions easy to follow. Paradise awaits on the other side of your road trip, and we are thrilled to be able to host you. 

For those guests who prefer not to drive and would like to fly…

Johannesburg

SA Airlink has regular flights from OR Tambo Airport to Mthatha Airport. Sun Shuttles is our recommended shuttle company. You can speak directly to Ncebekazi on 071-616 2931 or email thesunshuttleservices@gmail.com

Cape Town

Unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Mthatha from Cape Town. An alternative would be to fly to East London, hire a car and drive the 4.5 hours to the hotel. The roads are in good condition along this route. We would, however, suggest you drive during daylight hours.

Durban

There are no commercial flights from Durban, however, Umngazi offers a chartered weekly fly-in package from Virginia Airport every Friday. The hour-long flight is a real treat, and guests enjoy spectacular views of the coastline, including the world-famous Waterfall Bluff and Cathedral Rock. The flight lands at Port St John’s landing strip, where guests are met by Umngazi and transported directly to the hotel.

If you have any questions about finding your way, please don’t hesitate to email our reservations team directly at requests@umngazi.co.za or call the hotel on 047-564 1115/6/8/9.

Safe travels!

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