Closest Town: Port St Johns
Grading: Easy to intermediate
Duration: 5 days
Location (Area/Province): Eastern Cape and Wild Coast
Configuration: Circular
Start Point: Port St Johns
Access: Booking is required. Book at Drifters.
Beware of:
Facilities: Rustic, fully equipped, self catering accommodation at each camp
Cell Reception: Intermittent
This has to be one of the world’s best hiking / cycling areas, boasting 150 km of undeveloped, pristine coastline with endless beaches, the warm Indian Ocean, unpolluted estuaries, rolling hills dotted with traditional Xhosa villages, shipwrecks, whales (in season), a warm climate, and much more. Drifters operate, in conjunction with the local communities, 6 camps between the remote reserve of Mkambati and the historic town of Port St Johns. This is undoubtedly the most spectacular section of this dramatic, unspoiled coastline. The involvement and co-operation of the local community ensures the safety and long-term viability of this venture for all parties.
On your bike
On offer will be a package that allows hikers / cyclists to park their vehicles safely in Port St Johns (for those without vehicles, public transport is available from Umtata). Drifters will provide a transfer from Port St Johns at 14h00 every day to the start of the hike at Msikaba where hikers / cyclists will spend the night in comfortable, twin-bedded log cabins, with rustic bathrooms en-suite.
The next five days will be spent exploring the Coast, moving from camp to camp, covering distances of between 9 and 16 kilometres each day.
For more information on the Wild Coast, check out our blogpost here.
Off the bike
Each night will be spent in relative comfort in a different camp, with all camps offering a similar standard of twin-bedded rooms with bathroom en-suite. Hikers / cyclists will be required to supply their own sleeping bags and towels, and to either carry their own belongings and necessary food supplies or arrange on site to have luggage portered from camp to camp.
Clients will be required to self-cater, although all cooking equipment, crockery, cutlery, etc will be available at the camps. There are supermarkets etc. in both Port St Johns and Lusikisiki where clients can purchase the necessary food and drinks supplies before starting the hike / ride. Each of the camps will supply safe, drinking, tap water.
