Long Weekend Adventures

Over the long weekend in March I decided to take a little trip down the south coast. I am not normally a fan of the South as I have grown up on the North coast and have become somewhat biased but I was ready to explore that coast with new approach. I wasn’t expecting to land up 6 hours into the Transkei far away from anything that cried Kwazulu-natal. But sometimes spontaneity is necessary to reach the point where it just feels right.

We landed up in a little town called Coffee Bay which is 12 km’s away from the coastlines famous ‘Hole in the Wall’ and what a beeeutifuul place for spontaneity to have landed us. Phoning ahead we had booked ourselves into The Sugarloaf Backpackers (@CoffeeBaySA – Follow them on Twitter), which couldn’t have felt more like heaven.

Situated on the banks of the lagoon the rooms and campsite breathe in the tranquility of the ocean. I have always been a bit skeptical of backpackers as you never quite know who you will be sharing a room with but we managed to claim the last tent on the campsite, right on the water’s edge. For R100 a night and a little bit of pocket change for a meal, we were ready for sleepy-land, our trip couldn’t have started off better. So, after a few beers at the Sugarloaf’s Tokoloshe bar we were ready to get some rest for the following day’s exploration.


Coffee Bay is a great point break that cranks almost anytime of the year. With so many little bays to explore you are bound to find a wave to suit your level of surfing. For the seasonal type surfers there are surf lessons and board hire at the backpackers so you don’t feel left out while the Kelly Slater’s of the world carve away. P.S. If you are an avid surfer you will recognize Coffee Bay as one of the spots in the surf vid: ‘Drive Thru: South Africa’ where the likes of Donavon Frankenreiter, Benji Weatherly, Pat O'Connell to name a few, leave their mark on the Transkei shore line. 

So after a full day of hiking along the ocean cliffs, surfing our hearts out, swimming within the frame of Hole in the Wall (yes, it is possible when the tide is friendly enough not to wash you into the rocks), chasing goats, horses, cows and Mushroom sellers on the beach we hit the bar for one last Label.

To book contact: Brian on +27 (0)79 183 5274 or email bookings@sugarloafbackpackers.com or alternatively visit their website http://sugarloafbackpackers.com to book your weekend (or year) at this piece of paradise.