Our Top Five / Off-the-beaten-track / Eastern Cape >>

Here is our list of the best places on the Eastern Cape that most international tourists don’t go to. Yet. Indeed not very many international tourists other than backpackers make it into the Eastern Cape at all. Which is a shame because wonderful natural beauty, a great climate and historical circumstance have combined to make this a traveller’s paradise. In no particular order….

Cintsa (Wild Coast)

Cintsa is to be found not far from East London at the beginning of the Wild Coast. The legendary Buccaneer’s Backpackers has been attracting budget travellers for some time now, but more affluent visitors have been limited to South Africans in the know. The small town is actually split in two – East and West – with a remarkably long drive between them given the short walk along the beach across a small lagoon estuary. The wide, deserted beach stretches for miles to the north framed by the forested dunes on the left and powerful breakers on the right. Buccaneers has some decent, but basic, self-catering cottages but there are also some grand houses to be rented with fantastic views to the beach. Michela’s of Cintsa is one of our top dining venues in South Africa.

Morgan’s Bay (Wild Coast)

Morgan’s Bay is our selection from a number of seaside resorts along the Wild Coast. There’s a long quiet beach, great fishing and you can easily use it as a base to explore the Transkei to the north (although a 4X4 or rented quad bike is required for this). To the south of the main town there are dramatic cliffs where locals and tourists gather over gins and tonic to watch the sun go down. You can do a number of wilderness coastal hikes from here, including the popular five-day Strandloper Trail. Because it’s mainly frequented by South Africans with second homes, the accommodation options are limited, however the Morgan’s Bay Hotel fits the bill. A pretty building with great dining and a lively atmosphere right on the beach. We’ve heard great things about Mazeppa Bay and Hagga Hagga as well, but unfortunately we were only passing through.

Rhodes (Hinterland)

We’re not quite sure why we ever ended up here. It’s on a dirt track (fine for normal cars as long as it hasn’t been raining too much) to no-where other than a very short ski run that’s only open for a couple of months a year. We’re not even sure why we liked it quite so much. Perhaps it is that remoteness, or the faintly Alpine feel about the place - Rhodes certainly has charm. As a long-time haven for artists escaping a busier world, it has some small art galleries show-casing local artists' works and a couple of olde pubs, including a micro-brewery. Nestled under the mountains that climb up to Lesotho, there’s good fly fishing and excellent hiking all around. But if you’re making your way through to Lesotho, why would you pass up the opportunity to ski in Africa?

Hogsback (Hinterland)

Although JRR Tolkien left Hogsback when he was only five you can’t help but feel there is still something vaguely Hobbitish about the place. The locals appear to be of average height, but its highland micro-climate with tall pine forests feel very apart, very magical compared to the rest of the Eastern Cape. His influence still hangs heavy, with more establishments taking the inspiration for their names from the characters in his books than should be allowed in civilised society, but somehow this doesn’t take away from the charm. The views (the most impressive from the top of the dramatic cliffs) and hiking are astoundingly good. It boasts some great hotels and unquestionably the best home-made chicken pie in the world.

Msikaba (Wild Coast)

This is probably the most spectacular beach we’ve seen in South Africa. But it is also one of the least accessible, located at the north end of the Eastern Cape after a long drive through the Transkei, finishing with a 4X4 trail to Msikaba, where there’s a campsite and some basic accommodation options. The beach is simply superb – white sand, sparkling azure sea and massive sand dunes you can ski down in the nearby nature reserve. Even South Africans haven’t really discovered it. The Wild Coast Hike from here is one of the best in SA. Nearby Mboyti also has a great beach and a smart hotel, but we found the service sorely lacking.

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