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Discover
Other characters that used to walk along the busy high street or visit the
hotels and saloons, included famous author Sir James Percy FitzPatrick and
his equally famous dog, Jock of the Bushveld; Alec ‘Wheelbarrow’ Patterson,
who discovered the gold here, but who later became a familiar sight pushing
all his earthly belongings on a wheelbarrow while aimlessly wandering around
the village and surrounding hills, possibly looking for new discoveries; Matthias
Mockett ‘The Bosun’, who had sailed the seven seas before settling here and
was affectionately known for his big sense of humour; Florrie, the Golden
Dane, who was expert at arm wrestling the miners and said they were all her
‘sweethearts’, but that none owned her; Cockney Liz who auctioned herself off
to the highest bidder each night; or one Walter Scott, who committed suicide
or was lynched after murdering his friend Roy Spencer, and who was buried
here. His grave can still be seen: it is the only grave not facing the rising sun, and
its headstone simply reads ‘Robber’s Grave’.
The town lies on the Mpumalanga Panorama Route. Among its other attractions
are a Prospectors’ Hiking Trail, a mountain bike trail at Crystal Springs, a 5-hour
interactive tour of the village, as well as many nearby attractions like God’s
Window, the Lowveld, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, and the spectacular Blyde
River Canyon. It also hosts an annual gold panning competition in September.
Pilgrim’s Rest was declared a National Monument and a provincial heritage site,
and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in the Cultural
category in 2004.
Contact: Royal Hotel Tel +27 (0)13 768 1044 or Email royal@rhpilgrims.co.za;
Pilgrim’s Rest Tourism Information Centre Tel +27 (0)13 768 1060.
the sea surges with great force; Nguni cattle resting on the rocks and beaches;
and quaint hotels and resorts set on river banks or within forests that cover the
dunes, usually far apart and pretty isolated.
You could make some inland detours along the way to take in some of the
forests, nature reserves and spectacles such as the fabulous Magwa Falls. Many
of the operator-offered hiking tours include visits to cultural and educational
attractions, traditional villages, museums, historical places, resorts and more.
Apart from the small hotels and resorts, there are buzzing backpackers’ lodges
all along the coast in some of the most beautiful surroundings too.
A number of hiking trail tour operators are active along this coast, offering a
variety of hiking trails to choose from. For instance, there is the 5-day Wild
Coast Meander that takes you from Kob Inn to Morgan’s Bay. On the way you
will pass Mazeppa Bay where a suspension bridge connects the mainland to
an island that is a favourite fishing spot for locals. Local guides and porters are
available to assist you, while nights are spent in small hotels along the way.
A more challenging, but very popular hike is the 5-day Wild Coast Hiking Trail
from Port St Johns to Coffee Bay. Hikers overnight in local villages where they
will experience hospitality second to none. It is one of the most beautiful and
unspoilt trails starting at Port St Johns at the mouth of the Mzimvubu River. It
takes you past Second Beach, the Silaka Wildlife Reserve, the beautiful Mngazi
River mouth, several more river mouths and estuaries including Hluleka and
Mdumbi, and on to Coffee Bay.
Wild Coast hikes…bonding with
spectacular nature
It is truly a wild coast…magnificently wild, pristine and beautiful. Its shoreline,
cliffs, hills, beaches, estuaries, high dunes, waterfalls, wide rivers, forests,
and even the way of life of the locals, have remained largely untouched for
centuries. And it’s all waiting there just for you: just put on your hiking boots,
grab a backpack and bottle of water, and off you go on one of those life
experiences never to be forgotten. There are a large number of lovely hiking
trails to choose from, plus enchanting little hotels and lodges tucked away in
the unspoilt wild.
Many of the best and most rewarding hiking trails in South Africa are to be
found along the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape, a 300km stretch of coastline
that many will tell you is one of the most beautiful in the world. Although
villages and traditional homes are dotted across the surrounding landscape,
as well as the occasional holiday resort or hotel, you won’t find many people
crowding your hike. For most of the time it will be just you, your companions
and nature. The Wild Coast stretches south from Port Edward on the KwaZulu-
Natal border to Cintsa, just north of East London.
The landscape is one of dramatic beauty ranging from jagged cliffs, to gently
rolling grass-covered hills, indigenous forests, forest-covered dunes, rocky
bays, miles of golden beaches and mangrove swamps in sheltered estuaries.
Wide river mouths open into the sea at regular intervals. Along the way you will
find magnificent sites such as a high waterfall plunging directly into the sea; a
large, grass-covered rock in the sea with a giant hole in its base through which
32 |ISSUE 6|www.mzanzitravel.co.za | MZANZI TRAVEL
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