Discover South Africa’s Wild Coast
From surfing dolphins to breaching whales and diving penguins, South Africa’s Eastern Cape is a thrill ride
Bobbing about in a boat, it was hard to work out where to point our cameras...
A humpback whale breached in front of us, dolphins surrounded us on all sides and Cape cormorants dive-bombed into the water – we were immersed in the chaotic feeding frenzy of the annual sardine run, just off the coast of South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
In late July, we were seeing the tail end of the incredible natural phenomenon in which billions of sardines move through the southern Indian Ocean along South Africa’s coast, bringing with them dolphins, whales,
and sea birds all jostling for a fish supper.
Minutes later we moved closer to the shore, to watch hundreds of bottlenose dolphins surfing the giant waves – just for fun. We were off the coast of Port St Johns, the same spot where the team from Blue Planet II filmed these very acrobatics for the hit BBC show.
Eight days earlier, we had set off on our adventure from Port Elizabeth to Durban along the fabled Wild Coast.
Although this part of South Africa is best known for the glamour of Cape Town and the well-trodden Garden Route along the south coast, there’s plenty more to see as you head further along the Eastern Cape.
An internal flight from Johannessharks burg took us to our starting point, and we spent our first day in Port Elizabeth on an ocean safari to the island of St Croix, home to the largest colony of African penguins in the world.
There’s been a devastating drop in numbers in recent years, but we were still able to watch the penguins in their natural habitat – when we weren’t being distracted by pods of friendly dolphins. After leaving Port Elizabeth, we travelled up the coast to Morgan Bay, stopping at Ngxingxolo village to meet people from the Xhosa tribe. We were treated to singing and dancing, and an education in the culture and traditions of Nelson Mandela’s homeland. We stayed at the nearby Morgan Bay Hotel, right on the beach with rooms that look out over the crashing waves. Beach lovers will be right at home here, soaking up the sun on the sand, lazing by the pool or learning to surf, while those up for a little adventure can go horse-riding or hiking through the nature reserves. Heading back inland, we followed in the footsteps of Mandela, passing his home and burial site in Qunu to the village of Mvezo, where he was born. This is now home to the Nelson Mandela Museum, where you can learn more about Madiba and his life. The museum stretches across three sites, exploring the great man’s
journey. As well as videos and pictures, there is also a replica of the jail cell on Robben Island where Madiba spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars during apartheid.
It’s an emotional experience to see the cramped and dingy space where the political activist spent so much of his life. With little more than a thin mattress for comfort and a bucket for the necessities, it’s hard to imagine the great Nelson Mandela living in such squalor.
The next stage of the trip took us to Coffee Bay – named after a shipwreck in 1893 which spilled its cargo of coffee beans off the coast. This is where you can really see how the rugged Wild Coast got its name – on the hike up to the area’s most famous attraction, the Hole in The Wall, an intimidating rock formation with a huge tunnel at the centre.
It’s an impressive sight especially as you see (and hear) the waves roaring through the hole to create massive towers of white sea spray.
The next leg on the journey towards Durban took us to Port St Johns and the Umngazi Hotel
& Spa – the perfect
place to chill out after a busy few days. It’s right at the mouth of the Umngazi River, with luxury thatched bungalows overlooking the river mouth and the rugged beach on the other side.
There’s plenty to do for visitors of all ages, including sandboarding on the beach’s huge sand dunes, a sunset cruise along the river or book into the hotel’s beautiful spa for a treatment overlooking the sea. We borrowed a board from the hotel, and took the boat across the river to the long stretch of beach, which we had pretty much to ourselves.
Despite great enthusiasm, it turned out sandboarding was much harder than it looked.
You wouldn’t think scooting down a dune on what looked like a child’s plastic sledge would take much skill, but we ended up eating a lot of sand!
As well as the awe-inspiring sunset, we were also able to watch an African fish eagle – a formidable predator with a piercing, distinctive call that echoes across the water –
swooping to catch its tea. Nature-lovers can also book a guide for hikes around the area, or sign up for a trip with Offshore Africa for a chance to see the whales and dolphins off the coast.
The speedboat crashing through the waves as the river hits the ocean is not for the fainthearted, but the bumpy journey is well worth it. We found ourselves right in the middle of the chaos that comes with the annual sardine run with dolphins leaping out of the water on all sides of the boat. It was impossible to get a clear photo as the sea birds bombed into the waves like arrows to snatch their dinner. We were later joined by two humpback whales, before watching the dolphin surfing made famous by Blue Planet II. What a place!