Reliving this trip through my blog has been the best part of returning home. There’s just something very special about the Wild Coast of South Africa that makes an imprint on your soul and leaves you missing it’s wildness and simplicity.
This hike exposes the best qualities of the Wild Coast which cannot be seen or experienced on a car ride over the potholed dirt roads of the province.
Started in the NE corner of the map and made our way down the coast
Day 3 - Mpande to Lucingweni Village
This was probably my favourite day of the 5 day hike.
We had gotten into a rhythm of going to bed between 8-9pm and waking up with the sunrise at 5am. This particular morning I was awake at 4.45am and ready to get a star on the day. I hadn’t slept well but that seemed to be the norm when sleeping in a new bed every night.
I got up and took in the morning sunrise before the rest of our group woke up. It was glorious… the mornings are warm and humid in Summer but still my favourite part of the day. This entire coastline has the best sunrises, while back at home in the Western Cape, on the Cape Peninsula we love our late evening sunsets. I’ve found that the sunrise or sunset seem to determine my day, either rising early or going to bed late.
The Wild coast wakes you up early!
The early morning outline of the coast ahead of us
The hike was going to be a long one, so we were up at 5am, had a breakfast of slap pap and Xhosa bread at 5.30am and started walking at 6am.
They local village dogs decided to follow us on our walk which the guides assured us was normal and that the dogs would eventually turn around and go home to the village.
On we went along our first coastal walk on the rocks, and onto our first long beach of the day. I had treated a couple blisters and applied blister plasters so when we got to a small river crossing I was loathe to take off my shoes and disturb the good work I had done to protect my feet. Charlie came to the rescue and easily carried a few of us ladies across the river. Hooraaaaay!!! Dry feet for the win!
Next we marched up a hill on a muddy dirt road through sparse huts. And then eventually went down the other side to another long beach which would be the first swim of the day at only 6.30am.
Once again I was t going to remove my shoes this time. A couple of us decided to keep walking and headed up a big hill that would take us inland through the villages for a couple hours. The morning heat was a killer and to our surprise our little doggie friends were still following us!
Once at the top of the hill we turned onto a single track that lead through meadows and low trees that were the only bits of shade in a steep valley.
We seemed to climb hill after hill, naming them as we went. On day 1 we had climbed the well known Heart Break Hill with Heart Break Village at the top. Today we decided to name the hills Heart attack hill, Heart Bipass Hill and then Double Heart Bipass Hill!
At the top of the last hill (for the morning) we stopped at a lonely picnic table for a snack and some rehydration. Most of our hikers by now had found some sort of stick or pile of they hadn’t brought their trekking poles along. The muddy and steep paths called for extra help and most of us had succumbed to the pole and were grateful.
From this point on the hill between the farmlands of the local Xhosa people we got back on the path and made our way downhill towards a very long beach.
The local herds of cows were enjoying their spot in the sun until our furry friends decided to create chaos and tried to herd the cows. Luckily the dogs started to respond to our whistles and calls to leave the cows alone. The dogs probably understand Xhosa and took a little more encouragement using tone in English rather than words. The one word they responded to was “Hamba!” Which means stop/no!
First get down the beach we made another river crossing. Mama dog quickly decided to make a swim for it, but her 8 month old pup was a little more nervous and didn’t want to get into the rushing water. This was the point of no return when we decided to carry the pup over. We knew that we would have to take care of of them from now on because they weren’t going to be able to cross the river Sazinge River again.
By the end of the beach we put on our shoes (yes I had given my feet a break and walked barefoot on the beach 🏝) and continued on the rough rocks. A little further around the point the path again cut up onto the hillside and after a while we cut into lush tropical vegetation.
This was good news because we were heading downhill again and the views were incredible. Down we went until we suddenly stepped out of the trees and onto a soft white beach. We had passed through a part of the Hluleka Nature reserve and now found ourselves on the pristine Hluleka Beach. There wasn’t even a question that this was definitely our lunch spot for the day.
Tom lead us across toward the middle of the beach where a beautiful picnic area waited for us, with palm trees and shade.
We swam and splashed and rested for an hour enjoying this amazing spot in the world that very few would get to experience.
Gabi
Refuelled and feeling cooler we packed up and, wearing walking sandals, followed Tom through the lower grass garden and onto the driveway of the Hluleka Reserve.
We marched up the dirt road for about a kilometre or three before we reached the official entrance of the reserve where we were allowed to pass through and waited for any stragglers to catchup.
Then on we went towards our next village which would be our home for the night. The area is called KuXutidwele and our little homestead village was called Lucingweni Village.
We arrived to a fence enclosed homestead with 2 rondawels, one bigger than the other, and 2 rectangular buildings with a shed at the back.
We were welcomed with Xhosa bread and butter and tea or coffee. There was a mad dash to find a bed (the teens always got in first) and I found that waiting a little sometimes resulted in a better bed! We had worked out early on that the snorers had to sleep together so that the non-snorers could get some shut-eye. I found a matress on the floor with a pillow and quilt and was quite happy to stay there with no snorers.
Tea and a rusk later and I was feeling human.
We had been spoilt in our previous accommodation with running water, a toilet and a shower. This time we were given a very adequate donkey shower in its own little building big enough for one person.
The lovely owners of the establishment would bring hot water to fill the bucket which was hoisted overhead and hiking on a rusty nail. The buckets was cleverly fitted with a tap and shower head, so all you had to do was open the tap and enjoy a quick warm shower until the water ran out.
A word of mouth cue formed and all afternoon warm water was being carried to the shower as we all slowly got clean.
The loo was another story. Ever heard of a Long Drop? Well we had two well established and well used long drop toilets at the far end of the property. A long drop is a deep hole dug into the ground with a small structure and toilet placed over it. So there is no running water at all, just a big hole below your perched bottom. The art of holding your breath comes in handy but eventually you succumb to the need to breathe and take in the full glory of what you know is sitting down below in the earth 🤢.
We spent the rest of the late afternoon playing cards in the small dining room of the Rectangle building with lime green walls, drinking tea and beers from the local shabeen (bush bar) or spaza shop. Tom was very obliging and made sure everyone was well watered.
The weather had changed and rained and the indoors was welcome.
Around 4pm we were treated to the local choir and dancers who had come to entertain us while there was a break in the rain. We all gathered outside on the grass to encourage them and they danced and sang for about the length of four songs before we took up a quick collection for them.
The littlest guy was particularly adamant about the way he wanted to dance and he made quite an impression on us.
All afternoon dinner had been cooking in the kitchen attached to the dining room and at the back in the shed with the large cast iron pots. We called them Potjie Pots here in South Africa and soon dinner was served.
Dinner consisted of chicken stew, thick pap (porridge), cooked spinach, beetroot and roasted potatoes. Quite a spread for a village meal. (And Xhosa bread of course!) We all ate and loved every bite. The teenage boys amongst us devoured anything left over and went out for a quick soccer game with the neighbourhood kids.
When evening came we turned in and our fur friends stayed outside for the night.
Our route for Day 3 from Mpande to Lucingweni Vilage and our stats
I hope you’re enjoying this rural coastal journey with me as we make our way from Port St Johns to Coffee Bay on the Wild Coast of South Africa.
Watch this space for 2 more beautiful days of adventuring along the coast.
