The section of the Wild Coast from Port St John s (PSJ) in the north to Coffee Bay in the south forms part of the original Transkei Hiking Trail and is approximately 66km long. It covers some of the best scenery and hiking country to be had along the Wild Coast as the coastline is extremely diverse and rugged and takes the traveller through some most impressive natural phenomena - over high coastal cliffs around PSJ, through well populated hills and valleys around Mngazana and Mpande, crossing rivers and round promontories and the sculpted beaches of Mdumbi and Coffee Bay. The nature of the terrain has precluded much in the way of development and infrastructure. Roads are few and poorly maintained and settlement has taken place only in a few accessible points. Unlike the "hotel hopping" trail further south, the trail is better suited to more experienced and self contained hikers who are content to make use of village type accommodation and a few backpackers or private cottages where they exist. It is better to be prepared to carry your own pack with clothing and gear for the time you are on the trail, though on special request, porters can be arranged. Hiking Distances& Terrain The Port St John s Coffee Bay stretch of coastline is the most undulating (read: hilly) of the Wild Coast, so hikers should have a good level of fitness. Distances can be as much as 20km per day, with a large proportion involving hill climbing and bush walking. The hiking though, is always interesting and varied and the scenery, encounters and sense of achievement you will get from the trail will remain long after the aches and pains have disappeared. We guarantee that this is a hike you will never forget!
The trail entails 5 days of hiking (6 nights required) and due to the logistics of access points, cannot easily be reduced to fewer days. A fair amount of the route deviates inland to avoid the deeply incised river gorges so a guide is essential and included in the trail package. Hikers usually carry their own backpacks, but by special request, porters can be arranged. The hike is walked from north to south (Port St John s to Coffee Bay) to avoid looking into the sun, for the majority of the day. However it can be run in reverse if necessary. Customising your Trail Itinerary On our customised PSJ C Bay hike, you can choose between homestay s and backpackers on most nights. During peak season/ holiday periods, groups should be prepared to overnight at homestay s on almost ALL of the nights as it is very difficult to secure 1-night bookings at the backpackers & other accommodation venues during holidays. Out of season, we recommend a great itinerary option as: homestay s at Mngazana, Mdumbi and Hluleka if you want meals catered for. If you happy to self-cater (bringing your own food) then Hluleka nature reserve is a really great option, and there is a private cottage at Mpande which we can book for groups of 6 persons or more. We recommend staying in one of the backpackers at PSJ and Coffee Bay, and the Kraal backpackers at Mpande. Meals: In terms of costing on the standard trail, dinners and breakfasts are included from every Homestay night, whilst dinner only is provided if you chose a backpacker night. Accommodation Type: The village homestay s are exactly as they sound they are host families who are very familiar with having hikers. They are based in a nearby coastal villages (generally about 1km inland from the coast) & you will stay in a rondavel which is allocated for your group only (i.e. you won t be sharing with the host family). They provide mattresses on the floor & bedding. They also provide a simple dinner & breakfast which is part of their all inclusive rate costed in the package, as they do not offer self-catering facilities. The home stays in this particular section are well organised and used to accommodating tourists and hikers. They mostly have flush loos (re-filled with a bucket as there s no piped water to these parts) rather than pit latrines & & donkey boiler shower. It is an authentic cultural experience all the same.
Below is the standard PSJ Coffee Bay itinerary with accommodation options or upgrades where they exist on each night. You need to specify your first choice of accommodation on all nights, and we will check availability to try and accommodate this. STANDARD 6 NIGHT / 5 HIKE DAY PSJ COFFEE BAY ITINERARY Blue inclusive accommodation option on standard trail pricing Red extra / upgrade option Day 1: Arrive in PSJ (86km from Mtata). Advise: self-drive or public transport to Mtata arrive by 14h00. Backpacker Shuttle (departs 14h30) from Mtata down to PSJ Overnight: Amapondo Backpackers PSJ, 2 nd Beach (meals for own account here ala carte restaurant onsite) * You need to arrive in PSJ the day before, as you need to make an early start for the hike the next day! * If you prefer: you CAN book your own accommodation in PSJ (deduct R200/pp off the std. price) or request an upgraded accommodation option which we can book. However, you need to meet your guide at Amapondo (2 nd beach) as the hike starts from here. * Vehicles can be left at Amapondo for R25/per vehicle/per day paid directly to Amapondo Day 2: Hike from 2 nd Beach PSJ Mngazana Estuary. Approx 14km/5hrs walk. Overnight: Village-based Homestay (VBA) with dinner & breakfast (DBB) included. Day 3: Hike from Mngazana - Mpande. Approx 11km/ 4hrs walk. Overnight: Kraal Backpackers (dinner incl) OR VBA (DBB) or Self-catering holiday cottage for groups of 6 or more out-of-season (On Special Request for groups overnighting in holiday cottage: dinner & breakfast can be provided for R200/pp). Day 4: Hike Mpande - Hluleka. Approx 15km/6hrs walk. Overnight: VBA (DBB) or Hluleka Nature Reserve Self-Catering chalets (Self-catering) Day 5: Hike Hluleka - Mdumbi. Approx 18km/6hrs walk. Overnight: VBA (DBB) or Mdumbi Backpackers (dinner incl.) Day 6: Hike Mdumbi-Coffee Bay. Approx 8km/ 4hrs walk.
Overnight: Backpacker accommodation (dinner included), or Ocean View Hotel (extra R550/pp/sharing basis DBB Out of Season / Garden Facing Unit. Will need to quote for in-season) 2018 Price for STD 6 Night / 5 Hike Day Trail: Group of 2 Pax R4500/pp Group of 3-4 Pax R4200/pp Group of 5-7 Pax R4000/pp Group of 8-10 Pax R3900/pp 11 or more Pax R3800/pp This price includes: 6 Nights Accommodation: 4 nights backpackers (PSJ, Coffee Bay, Kraal-Mpande, Mdumbi) & 2 nights VBA s (dinner & breakfast included) or, availability permitting, substitute VBA for backpacker nights & upgrade options as selected from itinerary. - Homestay s will provide dinner & breakfast in the inclusive rate (packed lunch optional extra at R50/lunch) - Backpackers provide dinner only in the inclusive rate (breakfasts & packed lunches for own account from backpackers) 5 Full Hiking Days accompanied by a local hiking guide Return Backpacker shuttles from Coffee Bay back to PSJ (self-drives) OR pick-up from Mtata to PSJ + return from Coffee Bay to PSJ (* Larger groups can request the additional price of a PRIVATE TRANSFER from Coffee Bay PSJ direct) Meals: Dinner & Breakfast s inclusive from all village homestay s. Dinner included on backpacker nights, but breakfasts for own account (continental & cooked ala carte breakfast options). ** You will need to supply your own trail lunches or request these from the backpacker / home stay for R50/lunch. Price Excludes: Personal Insurance Own transport to/from start of hike
Extra Information Guide & Porters You will be accompanied by a local hiking guide for all the hike days. The guide will overnight in the village home stays, so if you chose a different accommodation option from the VBA, the guide will usually part company on those nights, overnighting in a neighbouring home stay, and return to meet you the next morning. Unless porters have been pre-arranged, you will be required to carry your own Backpack on the trail. Both the home stays and the backpackers provide bedding, but it is recommended you bring a personal sleep sheet or lightweight sleeping bag. Try to keep your backpack as light as possible guideline: not more than 15kg for ladies or 19-20kg for men. ** Porters, by special request, can be arranged for around R150 R200 /porter/per day. Getting to & Returning to - Port St Johns SELF-DRIVES: You can either self-drive to Port St John s (PSJ) & we ll provide 2 backpacker shuttles from Coffee Bay back to Port St John s on the final day (Shuttle 1: Coffee Bay Mtata. Changeover shuttle at Mtata Shell Ultra. Shuttle 2: Mtata - PSJ) OR self-drive to Mtata & leave vehicles there & get shuttles at beginning & end * If using these backpacker shuttles, you only arrive back in PSJ around 4pm, so it is recommended you overnight another night in PSJ at the end, or rather leave your vehicle at Mtata USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Catch the Baz Bus (www.bazbus.com) or coach through to Mtata - Shell Ultra. We ll arrange a pick-up from Mtata transfer down to Port St John s on your arrival day and we ll transfer you back to Mtata (to make a Baz Bus connection) from Coffee Bay at the end of the.* You need to make your own Baz Bus or coach bookings though to Mtata. PRIVATE TRANSFER FOR GROUPS OF 6 OR MORE PERSONS/ OR SPECIAL REQUEST: A private transfer can be organised to collect you from Coffee Bay and transfer you directly back to Port St John s. This saves a lot of time and waiting as the private transfer takes 2.5-3hrs, which means you can be back in PSJ before midday (instead of 4pm), to start your travels home that day. * The cost of this private transfer is more expensive than the std. backpacker shuttles costed for, so please request a custom quote if you wish to use this transfer option (it is not much more expensive if you are a larger group) Maximum Number of Hikers: Group sizes of 6-12 hikers are preferred