South Africa is a big country to travel in and there is so much to see in between all the big well known bits such as Cape Town, the Garden Route, Game Reserves and the Battlefields of Kwa-zulu Natal that when thinking of coming to visit, you should be sure allow time for the actual travelling part.
The Wild Coast is one of those places that doesn’t immediately pop into your mind as a first time traveller to the country. It doesn’t have any of the big name attractions that generally seduce visitors to Cape Town, Garden Route or on safari. But for me as a born and bred South African I feel it would be sacrilege to travel to South Africa and not visit The Wild Coast.
The Wild Coast is slightly out of the way from any major cities or Safari Parks, but if you have made it all the way down to travel in South Africa and have some extra time, you very well might want to consider travelling down to the coast lines of the Wild Coast.
As the Wild Coasts name might suggest, this rugged stretch of wild coastline has some of the most spectacular landscapes and wildest oceans in the country. The Wild Coast forms part of two former homelands during the South African apartheid days; Ciskei and Transkei. It lacked any economic government support and so it is still extremely rural. This is what which makes it so amazing to visit and travel through. It is mainly inhabited by the ‘Xhosa’ people. This is a unique South African world where women with painted faces and wrapped in blankets are gathered around outside fires cooking meals in large cast iron pots as the young adults round up the cows and sheep for the night. Suns set behind silhouettes of rolling hills and the thatched mud huts of the Wild Coast. Children are excited by visitors and wave enthusiastically as you travel past. The culture aside, the landscapes of green hills rolling down towards rough seas crashing against the rocky coastline is seriously inspiring for anyone travelling in South Africa. It truly is one of the most natural and untouched coastlines in South Africa.
Most accommodation options are fairly simple and have tried to keep in with the culture and feel of the Wild Coast. But in true South African style this doesn’t mean a lack in comfort and hospitality.
Bulungula Lodge is a prime example of accommodation where you will get a truly African experience. Everything will not happen on time, and everyone will not necessarily speak great English but this lodge, has been able to provide something incredibly real for anyone coming to the Wild Coast. From its location atop a hill above an untouched beach, to the accommodation in traditional mud huts, if you are interested in getting experiencing the traditions and lifestyles of the people who live in South Africa, Bulungula is a must.
