WILD COAST
The slackpacking trail between Port St Johns and Coffee Bay is a safe, inexpensive and proudly South African experience. It’s time you made a booking.
Fall in love with South Africa all over again on the five-day slackpacking trail between Port St Johns and Coffee Bay. You’ll receive a warm welcome and delicious food.
Six dots march up a hill along a narrow footpath, which has been stamped out by man and animal over centuries. All along the Wild Coast, in the rolling green landscape, you’ll find paths like this. They lead from one village of colourful huts to the next, through fields of spinach and mielies, and past spaza shops. It’s the fourth day of the five-day hike between Port St Johns and Coffee Bay. On one side of us, waves break onto a beach – empty except for some lazy cows. Ahead of us (and behind) there are estuaries, lagoons, coastal forests and endless hills. I first did this trail in 2010 and I should have come back to do it again long before now. I’ll add it to my list of things to do every few years, alongside re-reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and watching the highlights of the 438 cricket match. The last few days have gone by in a pleasant daze. We’ve been staying with local residents and eating local food. The glimpse of rural life I’ve been given has made me realise that we’re all actually the same. Our needs are simple: We all want food on the table, a roof over our heads and a school for our children. That’s what a hike like this does: It gives you perspective and it fills your head with good thoughts and even better views. Come experience the warmth of the Wild Coast!