Essential Information

Wondering how to get here and how to prepare for your visit? Here’s everything you need to know!

How to Get to Khula Dharma

Khula Dharma’s location is listed on both Google Maps and OpenStreetMap. Follow the links attached to find us.

Need more directions? Here’s how to navigate your way to Khula Dharma and The Hill:

Take the N2 north from East London towards Mthatha. About 35km out of East London, take the Kei Mouth/Morgan Bay/Haga Haga turn-off to your right. Travel along this road for 11km until you reach St Anthony’s Trade Store. Take the turn-off across from St Anthony’s and onto the Haga Haga road. Travel along this dirt road for 6km (if you aren’t driving a 4×4 or offroading vehicle, we recommend taking a slow and scenic drive during this leg of your journey!) 

After 6km, you will see a clump of bluegum trees and a steel cattle gate in a hollow to your left. There is a wooden ‘Khula Dharma’ sign board on the left-hand side as well. Turn into the driveway next to the sign and enter through the cattle gate.

Once you have entered the first gate and closed it behind you, drive for 700m to reach the second gate, located just before our low-bridge crossing the Quko River. Cross over the bridge and keep straight for another 1.2km up through the forest before reaching The Hill. Enter through the Hill gate and follow the signs up to our reception, where someone will be ready to greet you.

Private Transport Links

If you don’t have your own transport and arrive by air or by bus, we recommend that you organise a transfer using a trusted transport service. Many of our visitors use Velile’s private transport service: contact him on 083 487 8975 to book your spot. 

Velile’s transport service costs around R800 one-way for between one and four people. You can also book an Uber using the Uber app to get to The Hill.

Our Address and Coordinates

Physical Address:

Khula Dharma Farm

Haga Haga Road

Haga Haga

5272

Eastern Cape

South Africa

GPS Coordinates:

-32.6972832887257, 28.19540638960269

Our Communal Spaces

Here’s what you need to know about our guest utilities, staying in our communal spaces, and living on The Hill.

Spaces for Communal Activities

We offer maintained communal spaces on The Hill for connecting with guests and residents, socialising, hosting shared meals, and more. The Pixie Palace (located just next to our campsite and the Retreat Centre) is our primary communal building. Feel free to use this space to relax, unwind, read books, play games, prepare meals, and connect with the people you meet on The Hill.

Our Yoga Hall is also communal and built for guests and residents to enjoy. We invite you to practice yoga, meditation, and other rejuvenating activities on the Yoga Hall deck or inside, and to make use of the musical instruments in the hall as well. Please help us to maintain the Yoga Hall by removing your shoes before entering, and replacing yoga mats, cushions, and instruments after using them.

Guests and residents are also welcome to enjoy the Lapa (situated just a few metres from the Yoga Hall). This thatched structure provides the perfect, shady space in which to sit and observe the hustle and bustle of The Hill. 

Please note that the Farm House is a space dedicated to management activities, and also serves as our guest reception area. Communal gatherings may be held here by prior request and invitation only; aside from these instances, the Farm House should be treated as a private building.

Enjoying Our Natural Areas

Khula Dharma is full of beautiful natural spaces to explore. The Quko River runs through the farm, and can be found just past the second gate on the road up to The Hill. Guests and visitors are welcome to relax along its banks, and can also swim in the river if they wish.

The dam is located on the other side of The Hill, a few hundred metres past Gaia Khaya. It also provides great opportunities for relaxation, meditation, swimming, and nature and bird-watching. Keep an eye out for species like Mangrove and Pygmy Kingfishers, African Fish Eagles, and Cape Clawless Otters!

The Hill and the greater farm are also home to many walking and hiking trails, which are indicated with arrows along the pathways. Feel free to explore any part of the farm you wish, but please do ask consent from our long-term residents before venturing onto their private homesteads. 

Waste Management

As part of our commitment to sustainability, we aim to Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle, and Rot as far as possible. Use these steps to help us manage waste and create a clean, healthful environment for all:

1. Reduce: Please be mindful about bringing single-use plastics onto The Hill. Try to purchase supplies packaged in cardboard, paper, and glass wherever you can. Visit our Khula Dharma shop to buy zero-waste pantry staples that don’t cost the Earth!
2. Repair: We try to repair damaged or broken items before sending them to landfill. If you need advice or assistance with repairing an item, please speak to management!
3. Reuse: The Hill can reuse many waste items. We use waste paper and cardboard to light our donkey boilers; glass jars for storing food and making preserves; and plastic buckets for a myriad of purposes.
4. Recycle: While recycling has long been considered the gold standard for responsible waste management, recent studies show that only a fraction of waste is actually recycled in practice. Thus, we do not rely heavily on recycling waste, but focus rather on reusing, repairing, and reducing our consumption.
5. Rot: We compost all of our plant-based organic waste, repurposing it into nutrient-rich compost. Please reserve your food scraps in the bins provided to you: we will add it to our vermicomposting systems to keep our gardens healthy

If you have any waste which needs to be disposed of, please place it in plastic rubbish bags and tie the bags up securely. 

There is a landfill site located between Khula Dharma and Haga Haga on the Haga Haga road; please drop off your rubbish in person when visiting Haga Haga. If this is not possible, please speak to management to make arrangements for waste disposal.

Pets on The Hill

The Hill is a dog-friendly space, and guests and residents are welcome to bring their dogs along with them. We kindly request that no cats be brought to the farm. If you do bring your dogs with you, please ensure that they are well behaved and supervised, and please clean up their waste consistently. 

If your dog experiences any challenges with socialising with people or other pets, we advise you to please keep them on a leash at all times. Please note that we do have wild animals, including Vervet Monkeys, Boomslang, and Puff Adders, on The Hill from time to time. It’s essential to supervise your dogs to keep them safe, as management cannot take responsibility should your four-legged friends be injured here.

The closest veterinary practice to Khula Dharma can be found at the Mooiplaas Centre (19.6km away).

Wildlife on The Hill

Living with Wildlife

We share our farm with an abundance of incredible wild animal and insect species. While they tend to stay in their own territories, some insects and animals may occasionally enter your home. 

Please do not harm any animals, insects or reptiles unless absolutely necessary to your safety! If a creature is too close for comfort, contact management or a member of staff to have it gently removed from your space.

Maintaining Harmony with Monkeys

There are many Vervet Monkeys in the area as well. While they are lovely to see and entertaining to watch, they can be mischievous and destructive as well. Please do not feed the monkeys at any time, and keep your food items stored securely out of their sight. 

We recommend keeping your doors and windows closed when you leave your room or home. Please store rubbish somewhere out of their reach too, as they will take any chance they get to pick through it in pursuit of tasty scraps.

Ticks and Mosquitoes

Encountering ticks and mosquitoes is a fact of life at Khula Dharma, especially during the warmer months. The Eastern Cape is a malaria-free area, but ticks can act as vectors for tick bite fever. 

We suggest that you bring along an insect repellent of your choice, and wear sturdy shoes and long trousers when hiking or walking in long grass. Check yourself for ticks regularly, and remove them immediately if you spot them on your skin!