The Wild Coast

The "Wild Coast" is the rugged, remote, unpopulated stretch of South African coastline between East London and Port Edward. This stretch of some 280 km of cliff faces, perfect beaches and rich tidal estuaries is situated between the Mtamvuna River in the north, and the Great Kei River in the south. Inland, to the west, lie the Stormberg and Drakensberg mountain ranges, which reach an altitude of 2400 meters, descending with great ridges to the Indian Ocean in the east. You could be pony trekking with Mkulu Kei horse trails on our ponies and horses an awesome riding adventure.

On the Wild Coast the sun shines day after day, month after month on this beautiful and extensive tract of undulating pastoral country studded with whitewashed, thatched rondavel huts, making for hours of undisturbed horse riding whether riding on the beach or inland.

Climate

Moving southwards from the Spice Islands, the Agulhas current of the Indian Ocean creates a sub-tropical fantasyland of flora and fauna from different climates all flourishing side by side like nowhere else in Southern Africa.

The climate along the coast is nearly always warm to hot, with humidity levels rising from December to March. Inland, the climate is temperate with warm summers and mild winters. Soft gently falling rain occurs (up to 1000 mm a year), which can affect river crossings but there is no Bilharzia or Malaria.

The mean daily, daily maximum, daily minimum and mean annual temperatures for East London are illustrated in the graph, which shows data over a twenty-year period. It indicates that the coastal zone has a more equitable range of temperatures with relatively mild summers and winters. The cooling and warming effects of the sea in both summer and winter generally influences the coastal zone.

Take advantage of our mild winters when booking your Safari horseback trail holiday in South Africa

The day temperatures are not too hot nor too cold. The sea temperatures are only a few degrees colder in winter than in summer, with very little wind and less chance of rain. The cold fronts moving across from Cape Town drop the temperature and can bring rain, however they pass within a day or two. The river crossings are more predictable in winter, we only have to consider the tides and not the extra rainwater influencing the size of rivers which can cause flash floods. If we experience a localised cloud bust valleys between the hills can instantly turn into rivers making their way to the sea. This can be dramatic to watch, however they quickly normalize when the rain stops. The big river crossings catchment area can extend inland as far as 200kms, heavy rain inland can come down river as a wall of water several hours later and take days to normalise. During our winter months this is less likely to happen, making our winters an ideal time to explore the Wild Coast on your safari horse trail.

The flora rejoices in a vast array of indigenous coastal forest, prehistoric Cycads, tree orchids, Kiepersol, Sneezewood and Yellowwood trees. Lush vegetation with plentiful water, forest and fruit trees provides a beautiful environment for over 250 species of birds. Inland, coastal and sea birds rub shoulders and compete for sky space. Above it all, the regal Fish Eagle can be heard to shriek his haunting cry. This is a bird watchers’ paradise!

It is a truly exhilarating experience to horse ride through the sub-tropical African bush on the lookout for the returning but still shy wildlife - quietly following the spoor - the way it was 300 years ago. This is the time to shoot by camera. Duiker, Wildebeest, Bushbuck, Steenbok, Grysbok, Bontebok, Kudu, Bush pig, Lynx, Jackal, Porcupine, Ant bear, giant Monitor lizards, Cape Otter, Vervet Monkeys, Baboon and many other. Seeing Dolphins and (in the winter months) Southern Right whales playing in the ocean is a bonus.

Underneath the attractive makeup is a mean and demanding territory. Berg winds, drought periods, interspersed with floods, ensure that only the hardiest vegetation survives. The grasslands are sourveld, sweetveld or a mixed grassveld. Sweetveld is composed of grasses palatable to livestock throughout the year, whereas sourveld, although containing many of the same grasses, is only palatable in spring and early summer.

Making farming even more difficult; of the 32 species of known ticks in Africa this area has 28 and many other “gogga” (insects) many carrying diseases often deadly to the livestock. Some naturally occur here, others were transported by the introduction of game, like the Zebra who are believed to be carriers of the deadly African Horse Sickness. However there is no Bilharzia or Malaria in the area.

The Transkei homeland was in days gone by regarded as a "hot spot", due to safety and security, an area to avoid, which is no longer the case. The Eastern Cape is the forgotten province that has an advantage, in that the area has not developed, but we have forgotten to market ourselves. To many, the perception is it is still an unsafe area! This cannot be further than the truth. Mkulu Kei Horse Trails have been in operation since 1998, we have ridden through the most rural villages, visited local homes, and had the honour of being invited to a circumcision party, a huge honour especially as we had women in our party. The only real form of employment in this area is tourism and the local people are friendly and courteous. Riding through the Old Transkei is as safe as riding a horse.

Waves

Wave action has a major influence on the physical nature of the coastline. It erodes cliffs, sand dunes and beaches, forms rocky gullies and pools and transports sand and rocks on to the shore, often moving large quantities of sand affecting our route and making each horse trail an individual eco adventure. No two trails are ever the same.