STRANDLOPER COAST – The Southern Gateway to the Wild CoastThe old river port of East London is the gateway to the
Wild Coast from the south. The town itself is a good
place to start exploring as it has a pleasant prospect,
several good beaches and an historical
significance quite out of proportion to its size. The
fulcrum of this aspect is the East London Museum, which
features
the most famous fish in the world – the coelacanth
(Latimeria chalumnae), thought to be extinct along with
the dinosaurs. What makes this fish so fabulous is the
school of thinking that holds this ugly piscine creature
our earliest ancestor. It is believed that this is what
we looked like before we pulled ourselves out of the
primeval ooze, walked upright and invented cell-phones. | |
From East London it is a short and pleasant trip to the
beginnings of the superb coastal resorts that make the
Wild Coast such a paradise for holiday-makers. This
stretch is called the Strandloper Coast because of the
many middens left behind by the 'strandloper' beachcomber
people who lived here hundreds of years ago as hunter-
gatherers. This 93-kilometre stretch can be walked as
part of the Strandloper Trail. Twenty rivers enter
the sea on this coast, creating bays, lagoons and quiet
river reaches where the only sound is the cry of the fish
eagle.
The first resort along this stretch is Gonubie, which is
officially still part of East London. It has become a
popular destination because of its wide range of water
sports, including some of the best scuba diving on this
coast.
The Kwelera Nature Reserve, the Gxulu Nature Reserve and
Cape Henderson Nature Reserve are strung along the coast.
They are popular with residents of East London who come
here to picnic and fish. The latter two are accessible
only on foot and form part of the
Strandloper Trail. |
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The coastal treasures continue with Haga Haga,
Morgan’s
Bay and Kei Mouth – all extremely popular resorts
from the
time that the farmers used to come on holiday in their ox-
wagons with the entire extended family. At Double Mouth,
a spur overlooking the mountains and the estuary provides
a breathtaking view. The Kei river is the official
boundary between the Eastern Cape and the Transkei. | |
It is possible to drive along the Strandloper Coast on the
Transkei side – all you need is a very reliable 4x4
and an
affinity for mud. Depending on the weatherm, the many
rivers will either be a friendly trickle that you can
walk across, or a raging torrent that will require a
detour far up the river to take your chances in the
flood. If you are in an ordinary car you will have to
access each resort individually from the
N2. | |
A little further up the coast is Cintsa, which is actually
two distinct places, Cintsa East and Cintsa West, divided
by a river. Cintsa East is rather upmarket, while Cintsa
West is definitely the more disreputable cousin with a
famous backpacker lodge - Buccaneers - renowned for its
laid-
back hospitality, surfing lessons and organised day trips
into unusual places. | |
Other excursions will take you to a traditional healer, a
visit to the battlefields of the great Frontier Wars, or a
stroll along an unspoilt beach to look at shells and
crabs. | |
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