Our round trip through South Africa continued. After visiting Johannesburg and the Drakensberg Mountains, we set off for Coffee Bay. Almost 10 hours and nearly 700 km later, we finally arrived. What a drive, what a route! As with the other routes, the landscapes changed again.

Coffee Bay South Africa – Off to the Wild Coast

The closer we got to the coast, the greener, but also the windier and rougher it became. It’s not for nothing that this area is also called the “Wild Coast.” And here, a completely different wind was blowing. Everything was gray, rainy, extremely windy, and uncomfortable. Not really our taste, but it didn’t bother us. We knew in advance that the South African spring wasn’t exactly a summer-like experience.

After an endless drive, we arrived exhausted in a veritable hippie hotspot. We booked four nights in advance, as the weekend was just around the corner, meaning we’d have to work for two full days. But now we wanted to enjoy the Wild Coast for a few days. Upon our arrival, we were somehow overwhelmed by everything; it was simply too much for us that day. We were probably just completely exhausted from the journey and could barely absorb anything. Our first impression of the accommodation wasn’t particularly great—we don’t even remember why. But the very next morning, the world looked completely different.

But why “Coffee Bay”?

In 1839, a ship carrying sacks of coffee beans ran aground in the bay. These sacks washed ashore, and eventually, small coffee bushes even grew along the coast. Today, however, you won’t find any coffee trees at Coffee Bay because the plants couldn’t survive in this saline soil.

The coolest hostel on the east coast

In retrospect, the Coffee Shack Hostel was once again a very good choice. Lots of young people from all over the world, especially from Germany. With each hostel, we noticed how many Germans were traveling here in South Africa. It’s also quite relaxing when you don’t have to speak English all the time. We slept in a small, cozy “hut” for the first two nights. This small round hut costs 400 Rand per night, or just under €25. For the other two nights, we had a small private room with a double bed (340 Rand = €22).

As we packed up our things and arrived at the bar, we saw “old friends” from the amphitheater. What a small world. Somehow, we kept seeing people we’d already met on the tour. But that’s how it is here. Most people travel from Cape Town to Johannesburg or vice versa. And so you often meet people again. Absolutely cool!

Our round hut at the Coffee Shack Hostel

We spent the first evening relaxing in front of the campfire with lots of great people. We talked about everything under the sun, laughed about senseless things, and just had a great time. A beer here, a beer there. An old embarrassing story here, a South African experience there. We’re always exchanging ideas about where the next cool spot is, which hostel we can recommend, or where we’ve already traveled. The usual among backpackers.

The Coffee Shack Hostel consists of several cabins, private rooms, and dorms (shared rooms). The prices are actually quite reasonable, depending on what you book. The coolest thing, though, is that if you stay four nights, you get the fifth night free. The bar serves delicious food at great prices. Beer, soft drinks, coffee, tea, and other drinks are also really cheap. A latte, for example, costs just under €1.70, and a Coke €0.90. That’s bearable, right? In addition, various tours are offered daily.

Coffee Shack Hostel – Surfing, Drumming & Chilling

Whether trekking, surfing, visiting a local village, playing African drums, or a beach day – you’ll never get bored here. And these tours are also really affordable. A surf session with wetsuit and board costs an incredible €3.50. Just imagine! €3.50!!!! All other tours are also priced between 70 and 100 Rand.

Whales and Dolphins in Coffee Bay

After the first night, we made ourselves comfortable outside the hut and unpacked our breakfast provisions. From here we had a beautiful view of the bay and the sea. The sun was shining, the sky was blue – a perfect morning. While Marco was still in the bathroom, I prepared breakfast. I looked at the sea and couldn’t believe my eyes.

I was completely distraught and shocked, couldn’t believe what I had seen out there in the sea. Had I just imagined it? It couldn’t be real – I was probably mistaken. I looked again and saw it again. I ran to Marco.

I grabbed Marco and pointed at the sea. Just at that moment, other dolphins came along, and we could see the animals’ dorsal fins. My goodness, how cool was that! You just want to have a leisurely breakfast in the sun, with absolutely no anticipation, and then dolphins swim by. AMAZING!

With this energy and anticipation, we headed straight up the small mountain in front of the hostel. We had a good feeling we could see many more animals there. So we hiked up the hill and were already totally impressed by the coastal landscape. The clouds gathered and the sun disappeared again and again. But that didn’t bother us. This view of the rugged coastline only made our day even sweeter.

The wind whipped around our ears, the waves crashed against the rocks with full force. We felt like we were standing somewhere in Ireland or Scotland. But no! We were just here in South Africa at Coffee Bay.

Coffee Bay in South Africa – Unforgettable Moments

Up on the hill, we looked out at the sea with great anticipation. We really wanted to see a whale. Before that happened, however, several groups of dolphins swam by. You could see them playing around. Again and again, they would grab a wave and “surf” it. Before the wave finally broke, the dolphins would jump out again in a high arc. The sight truly took our breath away.

I had never seen dolphins before in my life. Okay, maybe at a show in some aquarium or something. But that’s not comparable. Seeing animals where they actually live and live – THAT is awesome! How they move, how they communicate with each other, how they interact, and how these animals present themselves in their natural environment – THAT is truly a highlight.

I continued to look back at the sea. In the distance, I kept seeing high fountains of water. “Hey, I think I saw a whale! Well, at least those fountains. They’re not from dolphins, are they?” Unfortunately, we still don’t know what was in the water there. But we are certain that whales were there. Happy and speechless – that’s how you can describe our feelings at that moment. There we were, our first day on the coast, and then we saw dolphins straight away. WOW! Amazing!

Then we went back down the mountain past the rocks towards the hostel. The path wasn’t as easy as it might have looked. Luckily, the tide wasn’t high yet, otherwise we probably wouldn’t have been able to get over the rocks. But the scenery at Coffee Bay perfectly fits the “WILD COAST.” We’ve never seen a wilder place down there.

Afterwards, we sweetened this wonderful day with a surf session, complete with a surf instructor. Once a week, Coffee Sack hosts Beach Day, and that’s exactly the day we were there. Surfing, playing volleyball, eating sandwiches, and having a good time—exactly our thing. This event costs only 50 Rand (€3.50) including surfing equipment and instructor – crazy, right? I have no idea why everything is so incredibly cheap there, maybe it’s just their recipe for success.

In the evening, we sat around the campfire with many other backpackers and sipped our delicious Savanna Ciders. First dolphins for breakfast, then a super cool surf session and then a cozy round around the campfire – a perfect start to your trip on the Wild Coast.

• Location: Coffee Bay on the Wild Coast (Coffee Shack Backpackers*)
• Costs: Dorms from 10€, private rooms from 22€
• Activities: Surfing, hiking, cliff jumping, waterfall, local village, drumming and much more.
• Food: Super delicious food in the Shack (really cheap!) Breakfast, lunch & dinner great!
• Alternatively: Sugarloaf Backpackers, Friends Cafe & Guesthouse
• Recommendation: Surf lessons and hike to the “hole in the wall”

Book a cool tour through South Africa here or take excursions in the surrounding area. You’ll find a variety of offers at Get Your Guide.