They don’t call this 280 km stretch of coastline between the Umtamvuna River in the north and the Kei River in the south the Wild Coast for nothing. This heartland of the amaXhosa people, brimming with rolling hills, dramatic cliffs, serene rural villages and a tempestuous shoreline, is sure to leave you breathless.
Freshwater rivers, diverse inter-tidal zones, pristine beaches and montane woodland combine here within an ecological treasure trove, and fortunately the subsistence farming practised by locals has so far left most of the landscape relatively untouched.
A diverse range of biomes stretches along the Wild Coast, a relatively protected habitat for 320-plus species of birds, numerous mammals as well as butterflies such as the striking green banded swallowtail. Tidal estuaries, fringed by the planet’s southernmost mangrove swamps, offer a safe haven to breeding schools of stumpnose, kob and grunter, while whales, dolphins and monster sharks cruise the Big Blue.
The mangrove forest found near the Wavecrest Hotel and Spa on the Wild Coast is the southernmost in Africa, located at the very limit of gro...
Hole in the Wall, at the mouth of the Mpako River, is one of the most recognisable geological formations on Southern Africa's coast. The hug...