The good, the bad and the ugly of the Wild Coast

The Wild Coast has always been one of those within reach yet just a tad too far away destinations for me.  Living in Port Elizabeth I have travelled down the Garden Route and through the western part of the Eastern Cape quite extensively, but the Great Kei River beyond East London was like a hurdle I just didn't get to cross that easily.  That was until I planned a short Wild Coast road trip as part of a journey to Durban.  After my…

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Wavecrest sunrise

The Wild Coast is literally just a couple of stone skips away from where I am based in Port Elizabeth, yet except for quick visits to Morgan Bay and Trennereys I've never explored it properly.  Some people even told me that those are situated on the Mild Coast and that I would have to venture further north to be able to properly say that I've been to the Wild Coast.  In May circumstances allowed me to spend a few days…

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Moonrise on the Wild Coast

I spent the most amazing three days exploring the Wild Coast recently and will still post all about it in the coming weeks.  Obviously there are lots of photos to share as well.  In the mean time here is one I took at Wavecrest on my first night of the moon rising over the river mouth at about 7pm.

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Exploring the Qolora River on the Wild Coast

If there is an area I'm definitely planning to get to know better then it's the Wild Coast.  Earlier in the year while on a roadtrip to Durban, I spent a night at Trennerys Hotel at the mouth of the Qolora River, not far north of the Great Kei River Mouth.  As I pulled in fairly latish in the afternoon, it meant that I had limited time to explore before sunset and had to make a choice between heading down…

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Crossing the Kei River by pont

Most South African travelers and road trippers have probably heard of the car pontoon at Malgas in the Overberg, but I wonder how many actually know that there is one across the Kei River in the Eastern Cape as well.  In years gone by the Great Kei River was the border between South Africa and the homeland of Transkei.  Today crossing over means leaving behind what you know and heading to a land of country side villages, friendly people, beautiful scenery, rugged…

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Cattle on the Wild Coast beaches

The Wild Coast was one of my last two unexplored Eastern Cape frontiers (the other one is the North Eastern Cape around Rhodes) and I got to do a trip through and explored for two days (more is needed as there is so much I need to go back to see) recently.  One of the things I hoped most to see were cows on the beach.  Yes, you heard me right.  Cows enjoying the sunshine and sand of the Wild Coast beaches. …

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Port St Johns’ Second Beach

Port St Johns. Scenic. Cultural. Rustic. Authentic. Rich experiences. Unspoiled beaches, Rugged coastline. Natural beauty. The backpackers' party town of the Wild Coast.  Port St Johns at the mouth of the Mzimvubu River really is an iconic town and covers all of that and more. Looking at the picture of Second Beach you could easily mistake it for a tropical island somewhere. One word of warning though.  If you want to swim at Second Beach, don't go too deep into the water.  The beach…

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Heron at dusk

Spending one night at Trennery's on the Wild Coast, I decided that I wanted to explore a bit.  Upstream from the Qolora River Mouth is a spot called The Gates and it was here that I caught this heron sitting on a branch at dusk. 

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Hello, I am Firefly and I’m a travel blogger

Sunrise on the Wild Coast near the mouth of the Qolora RiverHello, I am Firefly and I'm a travel blogger.  It's been 6 years since my first blog post. I have an absolute passion for travel and tourism and that is why I work in the tourism industry.  Not the other way around.  But being passionate about travel doesn't mean that I only work in the field, I also play in the field.  Having been a tourist guide and these days also…

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