The Wild Coast Expedition

The journey begins with a scheduled flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. There we move out of the big aircraft and into small private two-seaters. If you are travelling alone, that means one plane. If there are two or three of you, we fly two or three planes at once. In the air you can see each other, and you can talk over headsets and radios. As you go, the colour of the water changes, and so does the landscape and the sense of what country you are in. Below you are the Indian Ocean, the Wild Coast and the villages of the Xhosa people. At some point it starts to feel as though you have flown into an entirely different country.

Once you land, the adventure begins, and we shape it around you. We might set off on horseback into the hills and make our way to a remote lodge. Or we might drive deeper into the Xhosa villages and see how the region works: the traditions, the rhythm, the daily life of it. After that you settle for a few days into a remote art lodge run by Lizania, her husband and their daughter Olivia. An unusual family who chose to live in near-total remoteness from civilisation. They are among the very few white people for tens of kilometres in any direction.

The Wild Coast is a place without hurry. In the evening you cook dinner over the fire, watch the ocean, and gradually fall into the rhythm of the region. Nothing here makes you want to rush. You can swim or surf in the warm Indian Ocean, rest on beaches that are almost empty, or simply sit and watch the waves. On some days we can make extra trips to explore hidden parts of the region. But the point here is the absence of a rigid plan. Our guide is always with you, ready to help you into whatever adventure appears along the way.