Slowing it down at Bulungula Lodge backpackers on the Wild Coast

Kick off your shoes, grab your book and get ready for some serious relaxing. Nestled among traditional Xhosa homes, with herds of speckled Nguni cows wandering past, Bulungula Lodge is a wonderful spot from which to experience the slow-paced life in the Transkei.

Perched 15 metres from a secluded beach, it overlooks the mouth of the Bulungula River and backpackers, surfers and fi shers can amble down to the sand and waves, which extend as far as the eye can see.

Guests can partake in a number of community activities such as visiting a sangoma, fishing with the locals, canoeing, horse riding, beer brewing and maize stamping and I encourage you to explore the forest and find the secret bath beneath a canopy of milkwood trees. You can also take a short walk up the hill and enjoy a meal at a traditional Xhosa restaurant and it’s worth waking up early on a Wednesday morning to join the troop of sleepy backpackers making their way to a nearby dune for tasty pancakes at sunrise.

This Fair Trade, eco-friendly backpackers runs in partnership with the Nqileni village, a vibrant, traditional community who owns 40 per cent of the lodge.

What you get at Bulungula Lodge backpackers

Dorm rooms are traditional circular Xhosa huts with four to six beds in each. They also have rooms that sleep two in a double or two single beds (two-sleeper safari tents under the milkwoods are more private).

There is a communal kitchen and lounge area where you can make yourself feel at home and you can either self cater or pre-book your meals at the lodge. The chefs cook three meals a day, with a meat and vegetarian option available.

Getting to the lodge can be quite an adventure and a shuttle runs from Mthatha to the lodge four times a week. Make sure you book these shuttles beforehand or drive there in your own vehicle.

What it costs to stay at Bulungula Lodge backpackers

Dorm beds are from R130 a person, triple rooms are R420 a room, double/twin/single rooms are R330, and a night in one of the luxury safari tents is R300 a tent. Camping is R70 a person a night.

Bulungula Lodge backpackers contact details