Hiking the Amadiba trail in South Africa's Transkei region

A stunning walk along 25km of unspoiled beaches to find a gem that is the Mtenthu River.

Amadiba, means father, and is the base for the affectionate local term for Nelson Mandela - "Madiba". The Amadiba trails start at the South Coast Sun Casino and Resort on the border between the Eastern Cape and Kwa-Zulu Natal. and run South along the coastline all the way to Port St Johns. The route passes by some of the regions most spectacular sights, like the prehistoric 'Petrified forest' and the Mnyameni River and waterfall which runs year round and drops almost 80m into a stunning ravine. There is also a natural cave system by the falls which makes it easy to imagine it as (at least) a temporary home for nomadic tribes.

The hike is best started just as the sun is coming up, and if you can time your departure to coincide with high tide, you will give yourself some blessedly firm sand to walk on as the tide goes out. One of the best things about this hike is that there are fresh water springs all along the route, the first of which is only a few hundred meters along the beach just by the Petrified forest. Although I would never suggest leaving without water, you may not need to carry as many liters as you think.

I would say that the winter is the best time of year for the hike, in summer the heat would probably be too much for most. (There is little rain at this time of year so more of the rivers are 'blind' ending in a lagoon on the beach, and not actually flowing into the ocean.) As it is the driest time of year, the lower water table makes the river crossings fewer, a bit easier and much safer, wading rather than having to swim lessens the risk of being dragged out to sea. The river water is salty though so its good to have some 'wet' clothes for the river crossings and dry clothes for walking, salty clothes make for chafing which is not what you want on a 6-7 hour walk! 

You may think, 6-7 hrs to do 25kms is a joke, but the soft sand and the slope of the beach really take their toll, there are some rocky sections too, you can follow a path inland at these points but it is easy to take a wrong turn. "Well, just get to high ground so you can see the sea." I hear you say. Getting back onto the sand can be pretty tricky, there is a belt of pretty thick bush between the beach and the grassy plains that lie beyond. Those grassy plains can also be misleading, often hiding boggy glutenous mud beneath the picturesque, typically African slightly yellowed fronds almost flocking in the breeze.

Between the Sikhombe and Mtenthu rivers in the northern Transkei region of the Eastern Cape, you will find some of the friendliest people in the whole of South Africa. The little community of subsistence farmers are genuinely welcoming, helpful and happy, and with names like Sunny and Lager, you can understand why! The Khathegaduzwe store is the local hub selling a very minimal range of tinned fish, dried maize meal & dried kidney beans, flavoured soy mince, as well as sweets, biscuits, crisps and most importantly cold beer! The owner (Thulani) also offers the very useful service of keeping your fishing bait (and if your are lucky your catch) fresh in his freezer.

Thulani also owns a taxi, (this is more of a bus service  stopping for anyone along the way) so if you don't feel up for the walk back, you can have a truly African experience, being one of the 25 people crammed into his Toyota Hiace! After the interval to either push the taxi, or wait for a tractor to get your chauffeur transport out of the mud, you have to navigate the amazingly chaotic taxi rank in Mbizana to find the correct one of the hundreds of Hiace's to get you home again, all of which have names (rather than numbers) like Shosholoza (Steam train) or Lucky Beggar and Excuse Me!

Scenes like these make it a really worth while hike -