Wild Coast, Pondoland & Interior

Includes Qolora Mouth, Wavecrest, Mazeppa Bay, Mboyti, Dwesa, Cwebe, Coffee Bay, Port St Johns, Mthatha, Flagstaff, Butterworth.

This area stretches from the Kei River in the east to the uMtamvuna River in the North.  The area north of the uMzimvubu River is known as Pondoland.  It was formerly known as the Transkei (across the Kei) homeland in the previous Apartheid regime.

It's the ancestral seat of most of the Xhosa nation, and the birthplace of many of the nation's leaders - such as Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela (at Qunu, just off the N2) and there are traditional villages everywhere, with typical Xhosa-style round huts dotted over rolling green hills.  For many, life has not changed much for hundreds of years and there's an unhurried pace of life, where children, goats, donkeys and chickens still have right of way.

(Pic: Xhosa coastal village - Photo: Rodger Bosch, MediaClubSouthAfrica.com)

The dramatic, untamed coastline is aptly called the 'Wild Coast' - both for it's cliffs, coves, lagoons, estuaries and rock formations ... and for the many ships it has claimed over the last few hundred years.

The capital is Mthatha, a bustling economic and commercial hub.  The coast has many breaktakingly beautiful and unspoilt havens - like Dwesa, Cwebe and Hluleka - where often the only other footprints you'll find on the beach are those of buck ... or cattle.

The two coastal towns with tarred roads are Port St Johns and Coffee Bay.  Each with its own unique flavour and ambience. 
This is one of the most unspoilt and fascinating parts of South Africa.  It's a paradise for hikers, surfers, anglers, game-watchers and 'off the beaten track' travellers.

Make time to do it slowly.  And be prepared to be amazed. 

It's an all-year-round destination with a warm, balmy climate.  Rainfall is generally in summer months.

Closest airport: East London.  Served by the N2 east of East London and west of Port Edward in KwaZulu-Natal.

[MAP]

Top 10 Attractions:

• Hole-in-the-Wall rock formation (near Coffee Bay)
• Nelson Mandela's museum and home at Qunu (off N2)
• Jopono Village - cultural village tours, sometimes may witness Xhosa rites and rituals
• Dwesa-Cwebe Nature & Marine Reserve
• Tsita Falls near Qumbu & Wesleyan mission Station (1839)
• Silaka Nature Reserve (near Port St Johns)
• Hluleka Nature Reserve
• Luchaba Nature Reserve (near Mthatha)
• Mazeppa Bay's 100m high suspension bridge to its island
• Wild Coast Sun Casino & Country Club (near Port Edward)

Left: The unique Hole-in-the-Wall rock formation,
some 10kms from Coffee Bay on the Wild Coast. Photo: Rodger Bosch, MediaClubSouthAfrica.com


                                   Right: Sunset over the dramatic cliffs
                                                         of the Wild Coast.






For more information, visit Amathole District Tourism