Coffee Bay is a tiny village tucked away on the Wild Coast of South Africa. Most of the travelers here come to participate in surf lessons and relax by the beach. The town itself has a few accommodation spots and a few places to eat. Other than that, it’s located right int he middle of Xhosa village. As far as beach scenery, it’s hard to beat Coffee Bay. I was excited to spend three nights here.
Cofee Bay Vibes
During the day, most people are either doing a day activity or out surfing. You know I was down at the beach as much as possible. Unfortunately, a storm was on its way that ruined one of the days for weather. Regardless, I absolutely loved the atmosphere of the hostel. Every night everyone came together for dinner and after would be up playing games and other party activities. I made quite a few friends here that I stayed in contact with.
Outside the hostel is a different story. Coffee Bay has an infamous reputation for being quite the party scene so the locals want to cash in on it too. Walking outside of my hostel meant getting shaken down almost constantly. Everyone wants to sell handmade jewelry or drugs. Also, the locals here could become quite violent. I would often see local kids throwing rocks at dogs or younger adults being really aggressive with the drug business. I got chewed out for not wanting a guy’s shrooms or weed. So just be prepared for that.
Hole in the Wall Hike
Hole in the Wall is exactly as it’s named. It’s a hole in the wall archway that was created by the waves constantly crashing into the large sandstone rock. It holds special value to the local Xhosa people who call it esiKhaleni, which means ‘the place of sound’. When the water has rough conditions you can hear the sound of the waves slapping the inside of the arch.
My Swiss friend and I decided we wanted to spend a day hiking from our hostel to the Hole in the Wall. We also gathered a few more people for company. Unfortunately, we picked probably the hottest day to do it on top of 100% humidity. It was a brutal but beautiful walk. The walk had very little shade and we walked along the edge of the mountains while the sea roared below us. At the end, we had a nice lunch and swam for about an hour. Luckily we had a ride back to our hostel.