South Africa Guide
The Eastern Cape
The Wild Coast
The Wild Coast region is aptly named: this is one of South Africa's most unspoilt areas, a vast stretch of undulating hills, lush forest and spectacular beaches skirting a section of the Indian Ocean. Its undeveloped sandy beaches stretch for many kilometres, punctuated by rivers and several wonderful, reasonably priced hotels geared to family seaside holidays. The wildness goes beyond the landscape, for this is the former Transkei homeland, a desperately poor region that was disenfranchised during apartheid and turned into a dumping ground for Africans too old or too young for South African industry to make use of.
Few whites live in the Wild Coast region; nearly everyone is Xhosa, and those in rural areas live mostly in traditional rondavels dotting the landscape for as far as the eye can see. This neglect lives on in the negative image most white South Africans still have of the Transkei. Unless they have actually visited the area and come to appreciate it, most people have an exaggerated image of its dangers: legendary (and wildly overstated) tales of crime, hostile locals (quite untrue) and shocking roads (these are being upgraded).
The Wild Coast, unlike the Western Cape Garden Route, is not a stretch that you can easily tour by car. There has been an ongoing saga for years over a proposed toll highway between East London and Durban but this is some way off becoming a reality; for now there's no coastal road, and no direct route between one seaside resort and the next. Yet in this remoteness lies the region's charm. Resorts are isolated down long, winding gravel roads off the N2, which sticks to the high inland plateau. Choose one or two places, and stay put for a relaxing few days. Apart from Port St Johns, none of the places on the coast has a bank or ATM, so be sure to organize money in East London or Mthatha.
It's wise to book accommodation in advance: the Mthatha-based Wild Coast Reservations is useful if you are planning to stay in several places on your journey. Even better is the superbly well-informed and efficient Wild Coast Holiday Reservations ( 
043 743 6181, 
www.wildcoastholidays.co.za ), based in East London, which, apart from being able to arrange places to stay, is unsurpassed when it comes to organizing activities in the region, including hiking.