MY EASTERN CAPE BUCKET LIST
Tuesday, 5th February 2019
Blogger, Anje Rautenbach of Going Somewhere Slowly, shares her 2019 Eastern Cape Bucket List.
We all have a list of things we yearn to see, experience and explore - call it a ‘living list’ or a ‘bucket list’, whatever floats your boat (or your canoe or cruise ship) – and the Eastern Cape has just has the right type of fuel to keep your wanderlust going if travel is on top of your list.
Visiting Nieu Bethesda’s Owl House, attending the National Art’s Festival, walking the suspension bridge in Tsitsikamma and seeing the Hole in the Wall in Coffee Bay are just a few of many Eastern Cape sights to tick off; and these places are so timeless that ticking it off twice, or thrice, is highly recommended.
But in the name of bucket lists, hopeful ‘one-day’ dreams, and a mind mapped out like a Pinterest board of Eastern Cape experiences, here are 9 things I wish to tick off (once, twice and thrice).
1. THE BEN 10 ECO CHALLENGE
No, the Ben 10 Eco Challenge has nothing to do with the cartoon character but it has everything to do with 10 high altitude gravel passes in the Eastern Cape Highlands, the highest being the Ben MacDhui Pass at 3001 metres. The Ben 10 Eco Challenge invites you to drive, ride, cycle, run or walk all ten passes within 7 days, while still taking the time to enjoy the natural beauty and local hospitality. Who knows, I might even let go of the actual challenge, do it over a longer period and stay awhile to explore towns such as like Lady Grey and Rhodes. Some of the other passes include, TTT (Tiffindell-Tenahead Traverse) at 2720m, Naudes Nek Pass (2581 m) and Carlisleshoekspruit Pass (2563 m).
Image: Mountain Passes South Africa
2. THE CHOKKA TRAIL
The Chokka Trail is a slackpacking trail in the area of Oyster Bay, St Francis Bay and Cape St Francis that takes slackpackers through picturesque fishing villages and a fynbos landscape, over pristine dunes and along a rugged coastline for a distance of 62 km over 4 days and 3 nights. And unlike other epic trails in the Eastern Cape such as the Otter Trail, this one allows you to sit back and relax after exploring on your feet the whole day with home cooked meals, hot showers and a comfy bed. And while dune walking (or rolling) is not exactly my top favourite activity, there is the added bonus that you only have to carry a daypack and of course, there is always the view to make up for it.
Image: The Chokka Trail
3. HOGSBACK WINTER CELEBRATION
Whatever the season, Hogsback is always ready to hand out and share its magic with visitors but during winter, to make things extra special, nature and its mythical creatures add a sprinkle of snow into the mix and the mountain village transforms into a winter wonderland. This weekend festival (usually around end of July), has a packed programme with fun activities such as a night meander in the forest, entertainment and music, stalls, and a dip in icy water (I’ll happily skip this one and be a spectator). I’m adding a good book, a warm drink and fire wood for the fireplace to my packing list should I find myself snowed in.
Image: Hogsback.com
4. THE GREAT FISH NATURE RESERVE
Relatively unexplored and often overlooked, the Great Fish Nature Reserve is situated in the Frontier region of the Eastern Cape, not too far from Grahamstown, and its sprawled out over a space of 45 000 hectares. The reserve is made up of the Andries Vosloo Kudu Reserve, Double Drift Nature Reserve and the Sam Knott Nature Reserve, and while it is home to a large number of game – including hippo – it also conserves the largest single tract of sub-tropical thicket in South Africa.
Image: visiteasterncape.co.za
5. SCHREINER KAROO WRITERS' FESTIVAL
Year after year I put it on my bucket list to make a date with Cradock and attend the Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival, but something always comes up. This year I am hopeful. And with the likes of Toast Coetzer and Chris Marais and Julienne Du Toit of Karoo Keepsakes, I am extra hopeful and ready to kick everything else off my calendar. The festival gives readers, writers and Karoo-enthusiasts the chance to experience Karoo hospitality, open microphone sessions, workshops and of course, the Karoo night sky. And adding an extra day or two to get my wildlife fix at Mountain Zebra National Park is inevitable.
Image: Schreiner Karoo Writers' Festival
6. NUKAKAMMA CANOE TRAIL
The Nukakamma Canoe Trail is a two day trail of paddling up the scenic Sundays River for about 3 to 5 hours, 13 km, before reaching your overnight hut where you can put your feet up and enjoy a sunset on the deck overlooking the river. You can either take your baggage along with you or get it transported to the hut, but the binoculars should definitely be close by as there are more than 200 bird species to be spotted in the area. Doesn’t this sound like a lekker weekend getaway with a few friends?
Image: Nukakamma Canoe Trail
7. FYNBOSHOEK CHEESE-MAKING WORKSHOP
While the opportunity to attend a cheese making demonstration at Fynboshoek definitely caught my attention, I think it is the cottage - decorated with wooden furniture and elegant countryside touches, complete with no electricity to really switch off and disconnect – that made me all starry-eyed for this unique Tsitsikamma experience. The 3-day cheese-making experience is led by multi award-winning cheesemaker and restaurateur, Alje van Deemter, and there is a restaurant on-site open for lunches (you need to make an appointment). Now this is a completely different side to the forest-adventure-hiking-and-water face of Tsitsikamma that we are all used to!
Image: Fynboshoek
8. ROAD TRIP FROM MORGAN BAY TO MKAMBETI
Dotted along the coast of the Eastern Cape, as you cross into the Wild Coast, you will find Morgan Bay, Trennery’s, Wavecrest, Mazeppa Bay, Kob Inn, Dwesa, Coffee Bay, Mdumbi, Hluleka, Slilaka, Port St Johns, Mbotyi and Mkambati (and then some more in between). And each dot is home to its own unique Transkei flavour of untouched nature, impressive rivers, adventures, cascading waterfalls, beach-going cows, local hospitality and a bit of an off-road drive. I’m putting “time” as a joint item on this bucket list entry; because of the distance and the unsurpassable scenery of the Wild Coast, this road trip – or rather this location – deserves at least two weeks of my time to take it all in, slowly.
Image: Morgan Bay Hotel
WHERE WILL YOU BE VISITING IN 2019?
EASTERN CAPE
KAROO HEARTLAND │AMATHOLE MOUNTAIN ESCAPE │KOUGA BAVIAANS
ROUTE 72 ON THE SUNSHINE COAST │TSITSIKAMMA │THE WILD COAST │ADDO
