Coffee Bay

Coffee Bay is the easiest place to experience the Wild Coast without a long hike: a small village where a river meets the sea between grassy headlands, with a handful of backpacker lodges that have made it a fixture on the overland route. The name is usually explained by a shipwreck that spilled coffee beans on the beach, which is a good story that nobody has documented. The walk everyone does is south along the cliffs to Hole in the Wall, about nine kilometres over the headlands, where a detached cliff has a large opening the swell surges through - the Xhosa name is esiKhaleni, the place of sound, for the noise it makes. Local guides walk it with visitors, which is both safer and the way the money reaches the village. Cattle wander the road in, potholes are severe, and the drive from the N2 takes far longer than the distance suggests.

History

One explanation is that the town was named Coffee Bay in 1893, after a wrecked ship lost a cargo of coffee beans near the coast; the name is also linked to coffee trees said to have grown from the scattered beans (Wikipedia, Coffee Bay).

What's there

• Hole in the Wall - a detached cliff with a sea-cut opening, nine kilometres down the coast.
• The hill walk - the cliff-top route between the two, best done with a local guide.
• The backpacker village - a small lodging cluster where the river meets the sea.
• The coffee story - a wreck legend behind the name that nobody has proven.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Two days. Avoid driving the spur road after dark.

Before you go

The road in is potholed with livestock on it and takes about two hours from the N2. Facilities are basic and ATMs unreliable - bring cash. Rip currents at the river mouth are dangerous. Walk with a guide rather than alone, both for route-finding and for local relations.

Nearby

Hole in the Wall is along the coast; Mthatha is the nearest town of any size.

Key facts