Hike trail comes of age
The Strandloper still an attraction 21 years after its founding
ONCE crowned the best summer hiking trail in South Africa by an airline magazine, the Strandloper Trail between Kei Mouth and Gonubie has come of age and celebrates its 21st birthday this year.
The non-profit organisation is one of the region’s premier eco-tourism attractions and since it was formed, thousands of national and international hikers have rambled and river-crossed through 58km of the picturesque coastline.
“Most of the top hiking clubs have had members walk the trail and hiker comments have been most favourable toward the management and maintenance of the trail,” chairman of the Strandloper Ecotourism Board (SETB) Kevin Cole said.
Cole, who is the principal scientist at the East London Museum, was one of the founding members of the board and has served as its voluntary chair since 1998 – along with another founding board member, Sean Price, who co-owns Buccaneers Lodge & Backpackers in Chintsa.
The three-night, four-day trail begins with a briefing at the Kei Mouth enviro centre, where trail manager Bryan Church hands out maps and timetables and gives hikers the lowdown on safety, emergency evacuation and, importantly, where to stop for pub lunches in villages along the way.
The first night is spent in a Double Mouth log cabin, the second at the Haga Haga Hotel and the third in the Beacon Valley settlers cottage.
“The youngest hiker was a fiveyear-old and the oldest 77,” said reservations manager Erica Church, who together with husband, Bryan, manage the trail from their Kei Mouth home.
“We moved to Kei Mouth after retiring from the mines in Zambia in 1995 and we did the trail as a recce a couple of years later and it was so beautiful. Now I do the reservations and Bryan takes wood to the overnight stops and makes sure the trail is clear of fallen trees and that the footprint trail markers are in order. We also have two coastal rangers, John Pakamile and Johnson Mila, who live in the Chintsa East informal settlement.
Church said about 600 hikers walk the trail annually.
Cole said roleplayers like the Department of Nature Conservation, the East London Museum, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa, the Small Projects Foundation, Amathole District Municipality and the University of Pretoria had put together a proposal which culminated in the board 21 years ago. Over the years, overnight stops have changed after the pumphouse at Cape Morgan was destroyed by a massive storm surge in 2008 and the Cape Henderson overnight chalet burnt down in 2011.
“The board still seeks to reestablish a facility close to the pumphouse and to rebuild the Cape Henderson chalet,” Cole said.
“As a non-profit organisation and with no financial support from any other stakeholders, these tasks will take a while to achieve.”
● To celebrate its 21st birthday, the Strandloper Trail is offering special rates for families.
Bookings can be made by calling 043-841-1046.