The Wild Coast Meander and Wild Coast Amble are awesome ways to get to know the beautiful Wild Coast. Hikers walk from hotel to hotel along the coast and get to experience the best of what it has to offer in a relaxed way.
Start at Kob Inn
Kob Inn is the official start of both the Wild Coast Meander and Amble. We (Warrick Poultney and I) spent most of the afternoon prior to our walk in the pool. It’s directly overlooking the sea and enclosed by glass on the windy ocean end and still gorgeously tepid in late March. But we were eventually lured from our wallow by the promise of a sundowners and a boat ride up the Quora Mouth. The steep-sided ravines are home to innumerable species of plants and aloes and are teeming with birdlife. Warrick provided the entertainment by becoming the unsuspecting victim of a mullet attack. The fish leapt from the water and smacked him on the back of the head. It was a news event that featured prominently in the Kob Inn newsletter that graced our breakfast table the next morning. The newsletter appears on the back of the menu and is a fun way of getting to know about other guests staying at the Inn.
Day 1
After a lazy breakfast we got going on the first leg of our hike – it was a shortish lope to Mazeppa Bay Hotel, which provided a gentle introduction to the coming days. We met our guide who led us to the mouth where we waited for the boatman who rows people across the deep channel for R5. We were delighted at this service as we’d opted to carry our own rucksacks and didn’t fancy soggy gear for the next few days. Once at the hotel we headed straight for their swimming pool to cool down. This one was equally satisfactory and offered and view of the obligatory cows on the beach. Mazeppa Island is a popular fishing spot, particularly for sports fishermen who like fighting the abundant sharks around here. They were out in their droves that day, the fishermen at least. I can’t speak for the sharks as I didn’t witness any catches, which is just as well because I’ve got a thing about hunting and fishing merely for sport.
Day 2
Because I’d already been on the road for two weeks we opted not to stay at Mazeppa, and, more specifically out of the longest part of the hike. Instead we drove through the rolling green landscape to arrive at Wavecrest Beach Hotel on the banks of the pristine, mangrove-lined Nxaxo estuary. Having spared ourselves 20 + kilometers of walking we were left with some time to kill so lulled on the deck with some beers and soon got chatting to a group of three hikers from Volunteer Africa 32° South. They were nearing the end of a 380-kilometre hike, which had started in Mynemeni, near Port Edward, and would end in Chintsa. The aim was to raise awareness around education and conservation challenges along the Wild Coast. Awesome, inspiring people who made our stomp along the shore seem rather a doddle. You can read about their efforts on www.volunteerafrica.co.za.
Early the next day we went for a morning cruise along the estuary, a favourite among birders, and later we were guided through a forest walk to the beach where we learned about the ecology and history of the area before reaching the wreck of the ill-fated Jacaranda. The 2#00-ton Greek-owned coaster ran aground in 1971. The rusting hulk of metal serves as evidence to the innumerable ships that have met their end on the Wild Coast.
Day 3
Our next stop was Trennerys Hotel, which is one of those old-Transkei legends that retains much of the rhythms and routines of days gone by. Along the route we met at least three groups of people who had made a nostalgic, return visit to Trennerys having had fond memories of childhood holidays at the hotel. Its here that we met Trevor Wiggley, a local with enormous knowledge of the area. He runs Trevor’s Trails which involves a gorgeous forest walk and a boat trip through “˜The Gates” – a waterway runs through the rocky maze to a secret picnic spot where you can leap off the cliff side into the deep, cool water below. It’s all great fun and Trevor has shown the likes of Johnny Clegg and Zakes Mda around these parts.
Day 4
Unfortunately by the time we reached Haga Haga the weather had turned. After days of sun a blustery wind arrived bringing rain and cold mist with it. As a result we never really got to enjoy the best of what the quaint town had to offer. We did, however, score an amazing seafood extravaganza of the trip. Option-upon-option of fresh seafood prepared in a variety of ways, which more than made up for the weather not playing ball.
Day 5
The next stop was my favourite of the hike, but that’s because I have fond memories of a camping trip with varsity friends at Morgan’s Bay. Things were a lot more luxurious this time around (and the food was amazing) because instead of staying at the campsite we got a cosy, comfortable room at the hotel. Despite a mushrooming of holiday homes in the area, everything else is pretty much as I remember it from 10 years ago, although the hotel is in the process of sprouting an impressive new wing. To get there we had to take a ferry across the Kei River, it felt like crossing an international boundary. Everything north of the Kei up to Port Edward is part of the former Transkei. Although the homeland has long since dissolved in terms of national boundaries, it’s amazing how different it feels from one side of the Kei to the other (a bit like crossing the border from Mozambique to Mpumalanga in terms of efficiency, infrastructure etc).
It’s also about here that the terrain of the hike really began to change. For most of the way we had archetypal beach bliss. Wide stretches of white sand and vast blue horizons interrupted occasionally by a cow or 10. Morgan’s Bay marked our first proper climb to the rocky cliffs overlooking the town to the south. It was a welcome change and although our exertion levels were upped slightly it was really nothing too hectic at all.
Day six
Our arrival and stay at Crawfords Cabins in Chinstsa was a fitting end to a wonderful holiday. The was no doubt that we were back in civilization, but a gentle civilization and an excellent way to ease back into “˜real’ world. Awesome food, once again and the weather had resumed its good mood. The sea was warm and not too rough. Although it was much busier than what we had come from the beach was a satisfying place to send our final days contemplating a healthier, happier frame of mind, all thanks to the wonders of the Wild Coast.
To book the Wild Coast Meander and the Wild Coast Amble contact Wild Coast Holiday Reservations. The family-run business prides itself on having an intimate knowledge of all the hotels and products they punt so their advice is based on personal experience. Tel 043-743-6181, email [email protected], www.wildcoastholidays.co.za.
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