PONDOLAND COAST

The experts all agree: this must be the most spectacular coastal wilderness in the world. It is a land of white water, black rock, green grass, blue sea – - all in the most intense shades imaginable. There are only five places on earth where waterfalls cascade more than 100 metres directly into the sea – this coast has three of them.

There are towers of black rock that rise up sheer from the water – depending on your own private fantasy they could be either King Arthur’s castles, ancient cathedrals, goblin palaces or the haunt of sea-spirits. There are gorges of dark rock with deep forests - take a canoe down one of these quiet rivers where every sound echoes from the rock walls. Here you will see wildebeest grazing against an ocean backdrop. There are quiet ravines where rare birds call. There are countless deserted beaches and cosy bays.

The traditional Amampondo lifestyle continues here, undisturbed by the outside world. The tribesmen use horses a great deal, and therefore it is a natural extension that visitors should see the area from the back of a horse. Amadiba Adventures operates in the north and Amampondo Trailsoperates between Msikaba and Port St Johns. Most of the coastline is taken up with the Mkambati Nature Reserve, which is so beautiful and so special that it deserves World Heritage Site status.

The best access to this unique wilderness is by traveling on the R51 route from Mzamba to Lusikisiki, where various roads lead off in different direction with varying degrees of impassability. For many of these roads, a 4x4 vehicle is essential. But a negotiable track leads from Lusikisiki to the resort of Mbotyi and to the famous Magwa Falls, where the river leaps a sheer 142 metres into a narrow gorge below. Near Mboyti is where the wreck of the Grosvenor lies, surrounded by debris left by fortune-seekers who have tried to recover the fabled treasure.

Locality Map
Getting There
Information Office

Places in this district:

Msikaba
Kilroy
Port Grosvenor
Luphatana
Cutweni
Mbotyi
Mnyameni

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Wild Coast Community Tourism Initiative

Postal Address: PO Box 18171, Quigney 5211, South Africa

Physical Address: Tourism Centre, Eastern Cape Tourist Board, Quigney, East London 5211, South Africa

Telephone: +27 43 7222203
Fax: +27 43 7222219
info@wildcoast.org.za