
Gulu
A quiet beach south of East London — the local's answer to the city's busier strands.
Trip Role
Ideal stay
Best for
Our take
A proper, no-frills coastal retreat for those who value solitude over convenience.
A proper, no-frills coastal retreat for those who value solitude over convenience.
- Trip Role
- Quick Stop
- Ideal Stay
- a morning
- Time Needed
- 2-3 hours
- Best For
- solitary walkers and nature enthusiasts
- Go If
- you want to escape crowds and prefer a wild, natural setting for long walks.
Why it's worth your time
Gulu is a raw, unmanicured stretch of coastline that serves as a necessary escape from the urban sprawl of East London. It lacks the manicured amenities of city beaches, offering instead a rugged landscape where the Gulu River meets the Indian Ocean.
What we love
The sense of isolation provided by the expansive dunes and the quiet river mouth.
What to know
There are no lifeguards on duty and the currents can be unpredictable, so exercise extreme caution if you decide to swim.
More beach in Eastern Cape

Boknes
A quiet Sunshine Coast beach at a river mouth near Kenton — uncrowded and warm, with a shipwreck on the shore.

Bushmans River Mouth
The estuary beach at Bushmans/Kenton — boating, swimming, and a river you can paddle up for kilometres.

Cannon Rocks
A long, empty Sunshine Coast beach near Addo's coast — dunes, a shipwreck, and almost no one.

Cintsa
A lagoon-and-sea beach half an hour from East London — the gentle gateway to the Wild Coast.
Coffee Bay Beach
A remote Wild Coast beach with cliffs, cattle on the sand, and the Hole in the Wall a walk away — the region's backpacker heart.

Gonubie Beach
East London's local beach — a long arc of warm sand with a boardwalk and a river-mouth swimming pool.