The Wild Coast: South Africa
After wrapping up a working adventure in Lesotho, we hit the road for a month-long journey down the East Coast of South Africa. From the tropical waters of Sodwana Bay to the dramatic cliffs of Cape Town, the route was unforgettable—but no place captured our hearts quite like Coffee Bay.
Originally, we planned to stay for three days. We left two weeks later.
Tucked into the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape, Coffee Bay is rugged, raw, and rich in spirit. With rolling green hills, grazing cows on cliff edges, and the pounding Indian Ocean as a soundtrack, it’s a place that feels timeless. The region, once known as the Transkei during Apartheid, was designated a “homeland”—a nominally independent territory—and remains one of South Africa’s poorest and most rural areas. But what it lacks in modern infrastructure, it more than makes up for in soul.
This stretch of coast is the traditional home of the Xhosa people, and the birthplace of global icons like Nelson Mandela. The culture here is deeply rooted in community, tradition, and resilience. We spent our days hiking along windswept bluffs, exploring sea caves, watching surfers ride wild waves, and sharing stories with locals who welcomed us with warmth and curiosity.
There’s something magnetic about Coffee Bay. Maybe it’s the feeling of stepping back in time, or maybe it’s the way the landscape constantly shifts between serenity and power. Either way, it’s a place that stays with you long after you leave.
After our working adventure in Lesotho, we set out on a month long road trip down the East Coast of South Africa, starting in Sodwana Bay all the way to Cape town. The most memorable out of all the places we visited along the way was Coffee Bay. We were supposed to stay there for three days, and we ended up leaving two weeks later.Coffee Bay is a part of the Wild Coast, a section of the coast of the Eastern Cape, a province of South Africa. The region stretches from East London in the south to the border of KwaZulu-Natal in the north. It is the traditional home of the Xhosa people, and the birthplace of many prominent South Africans, including Nelson Mandela. During the former Apartheid regime, this region, also known as Transkei, was one of the so called "homelands" and officially politically and economically independent. It is still one of the poorest regions of South Africa. It is very rural with spectacular coastlines.