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I welcomed 2008 drumming around a campfire in the jungle along the Wildcoast of Africa. The burning driftwood crackled and sent sparks shooting into the star filled sky as we beat on drums made of wood and goat hide. Large palm fronds blanketed the forest canopy and we could hear the sound of the waves crashing in the Indian Ocean.I went to the Wildcoast to backpack with one of my best Peace Corps buddies, Casey. The two of us had planned the trip for months, and were looking forward to getting out of Lesotho and camping along the ocean. We were hoping to get away from all the crowds… but plans changed as soon as we arrived to the coast.
We arrived to Amapondo backpackers in Port St. Johns on the 29th with our huge backpacks in tow. We were excited to get a few tips on the route, pick up a trail & tide map and eat a big dinner before we hit the sand. We had heard stories of muggings and that there were potential dangers involved but we had weighed our options and talked to other volunteers that had hiked the trail and thought we’d be fine. We are both strong independent women with many miles of trail experience so we were confident we would have a safe trip. .JPG)
When we got to Amapondo we talked to a few more people and got a lot of warnings and heard stories of recent incidents. We also realized that no one else was hiking the trail either and that was a good hint that it might not be too safe. We took a stroll along the beach and again weighed our options. We could go – and risk it, hire a guide (very expensive on a Peace Corps Budget). Two white women walking alone by the coast through the jungle in Africa… Long story short we decided to not hit the trail. Amapondo was great and found a spot for us to pitch our tent for the duration of our vacation. It wasn’t exactly backpacking, but the vibe at Amapondo was chill and the staff were amazing. Our tent was pitched below the jungle on a ledge overlooking the ocean and we spent several days hiking and exploring the jungle and ocean. One of the guides at Amapondo; Albert guided us on several free hikes around the area.
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I spent some quality time walking along the beach, squishing the white sand between my toes, feeling the salt spray on my face. There is a history of storms, jagged cliffs shipwrecks and treasure along the wild coast. In my first few hours of walking along the coast, I found a shark tooth. I spent hours walking along the rocks staring into tide pools. I’d sit on the edge and watch the anemones and fish as crabs scurried around my feet. I also found several beautiful shells along the beach to decorate my grass hut with.
We also experienced a S.African tradition. On New Years day 10,000 + people came to that beach. It’s “the thing to do” to celebrate the New Year. It’s so crazy though. Overnight the beach went from a quiet peaceful place to thousands of people. We walked down to the beach – just to see and be there. There were thousands and thousands of people and I think we may have been the only white women on the whole beach. In additional to all the people, there was a herd of cattle chilling on the sand next to ocean – who knows where they came from, it was interesting. We didn’t spend too much time, way too many people and too many drunk men.
We spent most of the New Years day in the jungle, hiking to a waterfall, jumping.JPG)
off the waterfall and swimming in the fresh, clean pool of cold water. The hike is about a ‘arduous” mile so there were only a few people there and when we arrived there were some S.African “hippie types” camped out in the jungle with their drums, a tambourine and a long wooden flute thing. They drummed and played music while we swam and sat on the rocks, watching the huge butterflies and dragonflies swim in the sky. I felt like I was in a completely different world, but I also felt like I was seeing a part of Africa that I had imagined Africa to be like. Drums, Jungles, Waterfalls, Monkeys, Vines, and more… It was amazing – a news years memory that I will never forget.
Casey and I are planning to go back and hike the Wildcoast, but will probably hire a guide. It’s really expensive on a Peace Corps budget, but in US dollars it’ll only cost about $100 total for 5 nights of accommodation (in huts in villages), all our food and guide fee’s. $100 US dollars is over a months worth of living expenses though. We also won’t hike the trail during the holiday season; we’ll come back when there is less people and less chance of crime.
It was an interesting experience and amazing break from Lesotho. I was so glad to see the ocean and the jungle and look forwarding to returning one day.
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When we got to Amapondo we talked to a few more people and got a lot of warnings and heard stories of recent incidents. We also realized that no one else was hiking the trail either and that was a good hint that it might not be too safe. We took a stroll along the beach and again weighed our options. We could go – and risk it, hire a guide (very expensive on a Peace Corps Budget). Two white women walking alone by the coast through the jungle in Africa… Long story short we decided to not hit the trail. Amapondo was great and found a spot for us to pitch our tent for the duration of our vacation. It wasn’t exactly backpacking, but the vibe at Amapondo was chill and the staff were amazing. Our tent was pitched below the jungle on a ledge overlooking the ocean and we spent several days hiking and exploring the jungle and ocean. One of the guides at Amapondo; Albert guided us on several free hikes around the area.
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I spent some quality time walking along the beach, squishing the white sand between my toes, feeling the salt spray on my face. There is a history of storms, jagged cliffs shipwrecks and treasure along the wild coast. In my first few hours of walking along the coast, I found a shark tooth. I spent hours walking along the rocks staring into tide pools. I’d sit on the edge and watch the anemones and fish as crabs scurried around my feet. I also found several beautiful shells along the beach to decorate my grass hut with.We also experienced a S.African tradition. On New Years day 10,000 + people came to that beach. It’s “the thing to do” to celebrate the New Year. It’s so crazy though. Overnight the beach went from a quiet peaceful place to thousands of people. We walked down to the beach – just to see and be there. There were thousands and thousands of people and I think we may have been the only white women on the whole beach. In additional to all the people, there was a herd of cattle chilling on the sand next to ocean – who knows where they came from, it was interesting. We didn’t spend too much time, way too many people and too many drunk men.
We spent most of the New Years day in the jungle, hiking to a waterfall, jumping
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off the waterfall and swimming in the fresh, clean pool of cold water. The hike is about a ‘arduous” mile so there were only a few people there and when we arrived there were some S.African “hippie types” camped out in the jungle with their drums, a tambourine and a long wooden flute thing. They drummed and played music while we swam and sat on the rocks, watching the huge butterflies and dragonflies swim in the sky. I felt like I was in a completely different world, but I also felt like I was seeing a part of Africa that I had imagined Africa to be like. Drums, Jungles, Waterfalls, Monkeys, Vines, and more… It was amazing – a news years memory that I will never forget.Casey and I are planning to go back and hike the Wildcoast, but will probably hire a guide. It’s really expensive on a Peace Corps budget, but in US dollars it’ll only cost about $100 total for 5 nights of accommodation (in huts in villages), all our food and guide fee’s. $100 US dollars is over a months worth of living expenses though. We also won’t hike the trail during the holiday season; we’ll come back when there is less people and less chance of crime.
It was an interesting experience and amazing break from Lesotho. I was so glad to see the ocean and the jungle and look forwarding to returning one day.
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