A little piece of Heaven

Mpande - Transkei - WildCoast - South-Africa

About a 4 hr drive South from Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, you will find yourself in WildCoast of South-Africa, also known as the Transkei. The roads are narrow, and very dangerous at times.
This rural area has an abundance of beauty, on land and in the ocean.which is alive with sea-life, here the ocean get really deep close to shore, which allows for pods of whales to come right up to the shoreline.

Dolphins swim up and down the coast in huge pods, just north of the WildCoast lies the Dolphin Coast, yet there are more here on the WildCoast.

A friend of mine owns another little #hideaway on the #Beach near where the Sinangwana river mouth breaks into the ocean. He has been there for a couple years now and works closely with the local community.

Sinangwana river - Next to the Kraal

Traditional Xhosa Huts - Guest accommodation at The Kraal.

This place is also a true paradise, it is however way off the beaten track down a 20km dirt road, and you need to bring whatever you will be using with you. Local cuisine can be ordered from one of his neighbors, that cook for guests, otherwise everyone prepares their own meals. There is a traditional bread and a pizza oven available for baking some bread or pizza while you are here.

Every morning the local fisherman will come past selling their catch of the day to guests, or they will go trade it for whatever they need from others in the community. Some of the locals will also try and sell you some of their homegrown Transkei weed, they also make some nice bubblehash which is sold in balls about the size of a golf ball for around $20 or R300 South-African Rands. Over all the people are friendly and always have smiles on their faces, even though this is one of the poorest areas in South-Africa, with the least development.

This area truly is a fishermans paradise... with large catches being the norm of the day.

Crayfish are also in abundance down all down the rocky shoreline, and one could pick up a crayfish from the local fisherman for around $2 to $3 each.

The Kraal has its own veg garden, that guests are allowed to eat from, as long as you put some work into the garden.

Every time I've gone there, I tend to stay an extra week, the peacefulness of the area engulfs you, and the body just goes into relax mode. Usually end up sleeping the first couple days. The sunrises are more amazing every day spent there.

Tourists from all over the world come here, to walk the beaches from Port, Saint Johns to Hole in the Wall, and some end up staying a night or more at The Kraal as it sits neatly on the path down the coast.

I could sit on the Stoep for hours everyday and just watch the ocean, Dolphins, Cormorants, Whales, Turtles, and an abundance of Bird-life just pass you by, as you watch the waves break in the foreground.

The "Stoep", or Veranda as its known outside South-Africa.

Ocean View from the Stoep

The Kraal is totally self sustainable, having been built to work with nature, from the bio gas toilets through to the ground water tanks and gutters to catch any rainfall, as this is a dry area at times. Also, there are no municipal water supply, and their power is all produced via solar panels.

The dunnys all face the ocean, allowing you to enjoy the view...

Ground gutters to allow waterflow into the groundwater tanks, for later use.

The Kraal supports local schools in the area, and sometimes guests jump in, some end up staying a month or two longer, just to help the community in the area.

Providing much-needed desks.

A Guest who became a football coach for a couple weeks.

Sunset over the village..

Well this was just a quick view into one of the many amazing places I will be showing you as we go along. Hope you enjoyed it, and if you ever make a turn in South-Africa, I would highly recommend the WildCoast - Transkei

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, looking forward to your comments below.