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Useful links:

http://www.wildcoast.co.za/

http://eastern-cape.com/history.aspx

http://eastern-cape.com/

http://www.south-africa-info.com/eastern-cape/history.htm

http://www.sardinerun.net/

http://www.wildcoastholidays.com/ 

http://www.visiteasterncape.co.za/ 

http://www.wildcoastjikeleza.co.za

Eastern Cape Coastal Route: Wild Coast

The Wild Coast is an area of great beauty that remains untainted by urban

development and is dotted with rural Xhosa villages, with strange decorations on

their roofs to ward off lightening. There are no fences as the community has a

communal concept of land ownership.

The area seems to have been locked in a time capsule since thousands of Xhosa-

speaking tribes trekked over the centuries to meet up with the Khoi near the Fish and

Keiskamma Rivers further west. It is also the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, Africa’s

greatest leader. The clothes worn by people in this area are strictly governed by

tradition. Everyone is expected to dress the same and each colour used on each

item of clothing carries meaning.

The Wild Coast has open grassy hillsides, groves of indigenous trees, deep gorges

and tidal estuaries covered with riparian forest. There are no malls, housing

developments or large farming concerns, it is an environment that has been fiercelyprotected. The local communities have resisted pressures to be bought over by

property developers with an eye on short term gains.

The Wild Coast is known for a range of traditional activities and ceremonies. Stick

fighting, traditional horse racing and praise singing happen in an atmosphere of 

traditional dress and dance, combined with beadwork, each piece carrying a unique

message or story in the colours and pattern. Traditional food and beer are combined

with a strong tradition of storytelling to create ceremonies of life stages that are

touching and inspiring. The easy-going down-to-earth attitude of the herders

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managing their flocks is a charming experience for many visitors. The Xhosa people

are naturally musical and friendly, and the language with its click fascinates millions

around the globe. It is from the Khoi that the Xhosa language derives its

unmistakable characteristic clicks, found in as many as one-sixth of all spoken and

written Xhosa words.

The Wild Coast has adventure activities including hikes, horse trails, game watching,

cliff jumping, abseiling, quad biking, mountain biking, salt water fly fishing, river and

sea fishing, canoeing, surfing, boat-based dolphin watching and other water sports. It

is a haven for snorkelling and scuba diving enthusiasts. The best part of swimming in

this area is that the beaches are untouched, have clean water and are not busy.

There are opportunities for whale and dolphin watching, and interesting traditional

beach ceremonies done by both Sangomas and the Zionist Christian Church.

 Apart from the coins, crockery, cannons and other relics to be discovered, divers can

also view the bounty of sea life here. It is also possible for visitors to participate in the

annual count of the Cape Parrot, a bird species that is endemic to the Eastern Cape.

4x4 trails are on offer for those who want to really get in touch with the rugged

landscape, while drumming, traditional ceremonies, taverns and museums offer 

cultural experiences suitable for a range of interests.

This part of the Eastern Cape played a significant role in the struggle for liberation

and many of the struggle heroes were schooled here. People such as Chris Hani,

Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Victoria and Griffiths Mxenge all originate from the

Eastern Cape, and many of them attended the Fort hare University. Qunu village is

the home of Nelson Mandela and a museum has been erected there in his honour.

Qunu

The Eastern Cape is the home and birthplace of one of South Africa's brightest sons,

and one of the world’s most respected leaders. Nelson Mandela was born at Mvezo

in the Eastern Cape. His umbilical cord is still buried in the area in line with Xhosa

tradition. When Rolihlahla's (Nelson Mandela's tribal name) father was persecuted

and unseated as Mvezo’s chief by an English magistrate, the Mandela family moved

and took refuge at Qunu.

Qunu is where Nelson Mandela has acknowledged he spent the happiest years of his

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youth, diligently doing his herd-boy duties, playing in the river and sailing down the

“Sliding Stone”. It is the place where the young Rolihlahla in colonial tradition was

named Nelson on his first day at school.

For more information, see http://eastern-cape.com/history.aspx.

Ten years to the day after his release on 11 February 1990, the Nelson Mandela

Museum opened its doors. Nelson Mandela insisted it was not just to be a static

collection and tribute to him, but a living memorial to his values and vision.

The Nelson Mandela Museum is more than a place; it is an experience that allows

visitors to follow the footprints of a man whose long walk to freedom began in the

foothills that rise from the banks of the Mbhashe River. His battle for liberation was

waged a long way from the rural landscape of his birth. It would take him from

studying law at the University of Fort Hare in Alice, to the mines in Johannesburg,

from the capital cities of the world and back to a prison cell on Robben Island before

he emerged from his long imprisonment, unbowed and victorious on a summer day in

February 1990.

The Eastern Cape is a malaria-free Big Five area. A common joke in the Transkei is

that in reality the ‘big five’ found there are goats, sheep, cows, pigs and donkeys

(give or take a dog or two), although it is the wild animals that attract travellers from

all over the world.

On the slopes of the Gcuwa (overgrown) valley and river lies the town of Butterworth.

This is the oldest town in the Transkei area. Originally a Wesleyan mission station

dating from 1827, it was destroyed by fire three times during the Frontier Wars using

the scorched earth battle method, and the mission had to be rebuilt from scratch.

The town became a municipality in 1904 and has since developed a large industrial

centre, with many natural wonders near-by, namely the spectacular waterfall on the

Gcuwa river at 90m high and the Bawa Falls on the Qolora River at nearly 100m

high.

The numerous wrecks along the dangerous storm swept Wild Coast are one of the

great attractions of the area. An example is, the Jacaranda, a Greek coaster, was

riding high after her load had been delivered, when her engines stopped. A windy

night in 1971 lifted the boat and wedged into a narrow crevice. The captain phoned

the owners but it was decided that it was not possible to get the boat out of the

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crevice where it appeared to have been purposefully berthed. A rope-ladder allowed

the captain and his wife and crew to abandon ship and remnants of her still remain

wedged in the rocks.

The Pool of Nongqawuse

The pool lies on the Gxara (the precipice) river, and was the site where the young

medium Nongqawuse would sit and meditate with her ancestral spirits. She claimed

that they spoke to her and promised her that if the Xhosa destroyed all their crops

and cattle as a show of faith, they would help defeat forever the enemies of the

Xhosa.

Most of the Gcaleka side of the Xhosa family followed these instructions and cattle

and crops were destroyed in a crazy killing spree. The Ngzika section did not find the

prediction convincing and luckily did not kill their cattle.

The sun rose as predicted but was not blood red and there were no cattle and

nothing left to eat. It is believed that about 25 000 people died of starvation though

both the Europeans and Ngzika people helped feed those who they could reach.

One of the most beautiful routes through the Wild Coast is the gravel road that lies

along the coast between Centane to Port St Johns, ending up in Lusikisiki. Many of 

the coastal resorts are reached from branch roads off this track. These gravel roads

are frequently difficult to traverse, especially after the rains and it would be wise to

stick to 4x4 vehicles when travelling into the wilder parts of the coast.

 At the trading station of Ncwanguba, a junction turns to the south-east bringing the

tourist to the Hole in the Wall. A huge cliff rises from the sea like a small island in the

mouth of the Mpako river. The pressure of breaking waves has caused a hole to

develop in the centre of the ‘island’. This is known to the local Africans as esiKhaleni

(the place of sound). As the large waves crash through the hole, a noise sounding

like a sudden roar results. During a storm this can be heard from quite far away.

The cave itself is dangerous and many shell hunters have met their death there when

caught by the rising tide.

Continuing straight from Ncwanguba, leads to Coffee Bay. No-one is sure how the

Bay got its name, although a local story tells of a shipwreck that carried coffee plants

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that were washed ashore. Some survived for at time but eventually they all died as

the terrain was not ideal for coffee plants.

Sardine Run

 An annual sardine migration, begins in the cool waters south of the continent where

they form into hundreds of shoals. These then run north east into the warmer Indian

Ocean and mass off the Wild Coast. This happens in May/June/July and has been

called one of the greatest shoals (play on shows) on earth.

 As one resident said, “It is a marine version of the migration in Masai Mara”. It

coincides with the Humpback whale season also moving north for calving in the

warmer waters. A variety of predators come out to play in anticipation of a great

feast. There are sharks, dolphins, gannets, cormorants, seals, orcas, albatross and

penguins some of which have followed the sardines for miles to this point.

For a scuba diver, there is nothing more exciting that to dive at this time. A highlight

of the dive would be a “bait ball” when the predators corral the sardines into a small

space and then dive in to feed off them. Viewing from a boat is just as exciting but

not quite the same adrenalin rush.

Coffee Bay is one of the most well-liked and popular resorts on the Wild Coast today.

There is a small village on a wonderful beach all within a ring of green hills. The

major pastimes of the people living there are having a lazy and peaceful time,

swimming, fishing, walking and riding. A well-situated golf course is available for the

more active of the visitors.

 Another resort, Port St Johns is spectacularly situated where the Mzimvubu River 

has cut through a high ridge creating two huge sandstone cliffs, known as The Gates

of St John, to reach the sea. Port St John’s is understood to be named after the saint

but no-one knows exactly why. It is not on any early maps although a Portuguese

ship the Saint John was wrecked in 1552 at the mouth of another river. The

population consists of extremely individual people who have chosen Port St John’s to

away from civilised society.