Tucked away from the bore of the well trodden path and see-sawing on the edge of secrecy sits a three point stretch on the East Coast of South Africa where the rural African countryside collides with the beachside sands. Dividing the rolling hills and the Atlantic Ocean are steep rocky cliff faces dropping into jungle-like shrubbery and fading into pebbled beach.
Here lies the Transkei, a small state negated for the Xhosan people during apartheid which has surprisingly managed to avoid the mass tourism disease and retain its welcoming vibe. The Transkei is home to the trio Port St Johns, Coffee Bay and Mpande which sit together quietly on the Wild Coast, enjoying simplicity, silence, and the rhythm of the waves.
Kept as a traveler’s secret and in a tourist's oblivion, the Transkei’s gem is Coffee Bay. Its degraded road of potholes and roaming animals prevents pompous sports cars and any preconceived notions of souring its natural beauty.
