An Endless Paradise

Port Edward – Wild Coast

Towards the southernmost tip of the Paradise of the Zulu Kingdom, you’ll find the Umtamvuna River which flows through Port Edward – where water sports abound! At the Pont, you can hire boats and equipment to go wakeboarding, water skiing, jet skiing, canoeing, stand-up paddling, or take a sunset river cruise.

Also found along the iconic Umtamvuna River is the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve, with magnificent hiking and mountain biking trails starting at the Umtamvuna Gorge viewing deck through to the Umtamvuna Bridge. These include the more sedate 4.7-kilometre Green Route, the moderate 20-kilometre Blue Route, and 24.6-kilometre Black Route.

You could also combine hiking with a beach experience with the 38-kilometre Beach-to-Beach Adventure Hike. Start the journey at Port Edward Beach where the São João Portuguese Monument commemorates those who died in the famous shipwreck in 1552. You cross Trafalgar and Marina beaches before finishing at Ramsgate Beach – all of which hold Blue Flag status.

Port Edward is also the site of the world’s smallest desert, the Red Desert, which extends just 200m in diameter, beneath which many archaeological treasures have been found to position it as a national heritage site.

And if you’re the type of person who needs a quality cuppa to start the day, then head on over to Beaver Creek Coffee Estate where you can sip freshly-roasted coffee grown right on the farm. Partake in a tour of the farm to learn more about the agricultural processes behind the scenes, or grab a bike and get some exercise on the 2.5-kilometre Espresso Route, the 8.5-kilometre Stoney Creek Route, or the child-friendly 400-metre Chocochino Route.

This region is also the gateway to the untamed Wild Coast, whose rocky shores and green cliffs make for spectacular seaside hikes. A great place to explore is the Petrified Forest which has hikes through trees deposited by the river millions of years ago. A guide will also be able to show you the Mzamba fossils, a series of marine fossil beds exposed along the prominent reefs near the Mzamba River.