The Wild Coast - 275km

Local legend has it that the Mpako River once formed a landlocked lagoon as its access to the sea was blocked by the cliff. When one of the ‘sea people’ fell in love with a beautiful girl living in a village on the edge of the lagoon, the girl’s father forbade her to see her lover. At high tide one night, the sea people came to the cliff and, with the help of a huge fish, rammed a hole through the centre of the cliff. As they swam into the lagoon they shouted and sang, causing the villagers to hide in fear. In the commotion the girl and her lover were reunited and disappeared into the sea. On certain nights, it is said, the singing and shouting of the sea people can still be heard.

COFFEE BAY

...is a well-known Wild Coast holiday resort nestling below grassy hills and coastal dunes at the mouths of the Nenga and Mbomvu rivers. The rocky coastline here is popular with rock and surf anglers, while sunbathers are attracted to the 1-km-long stretch of sheltered beach. Coffee Bay is said to owe its name to a cargo of coffee beans that was washed ashore after a ship ran aground nearby. Some of the beans were washed into the lagoon of the Nenga River where they took root and stuggled for many years to grow. The date and name of the ship are obscure, but it has been suggested that it could have been the Hercules, which was wrecked near the mouth of the Mtata River in 1852, or a vessel which ran aground in the bay in 1863.

MTATA RIVER MOUTH

...is typical of the magnificent coastal scenery of the Wild Coast. Here, a large sandbar forces the Mtata River into a narrow channel overlooked by a rocky outcrop with a profusion of tree euphorbias. On the river’s eastern bank, the rocky coastline gives way to a 2-km stretch of white sandy beach. Before setting off on this detour, motorists are advised to enquire about the condition of the track.