What to Pack for Hiking the Wild Coast

After our 5-night self-hiking adventure, here is my suggestion of what to pack for hiking the Wild Coast. You should plan to bring just a few items of clothing, snacks, and vital electronics.

Clothing tips

Quick-drying clothes will save you space and keep you warm/dry after going through rivers. Don’t worry about smelling fresh; it’s better to carry less.

If you’re feeling like you can do with less, remove one pair of pants and one shirt from my suggestions below. Because of the cloudy weather, when we were hiking in April 2022, I ended up needing a third pair of leggings and extra shirts; after hiking through rivers, our clothes didn’t dry. Plus, I didn’t want to put on cold and wet clothes first thing in the morning. That said, our hikes usually started with going straight into our river so. It just depends on how sensitive you are.

I made the mistake of bringing a ribbed cotton dress and it got soaked the first day of our hike and only dried on the last day. It really made a difference to the weight of our backpack. Lightweight items only!

What to Pack for Hiking: Gals Pals

• 2 pairs of hiking pants/shorts (wear 1, pack 1).
• 1 sports bra (the one you wear on the plane)
• Three hiking shirts: long sleeve merino shirt (best for hot and cold weather and no sunscreen required), a half zip long sleeve shirt (good for layering or just to wear with a sports bra), and a button-up UV shirt (also good for laying or to wear open if it’s hot). I don’t like to hike without long sleeves because the sun always attacks me. If you’re good with short sleeves or sleeveless, bring 2 of those and just 1 long sleeve shirt.
• Rain jacket/windbreaker
• Warm/fleece jacket
• Sleepwear: I brought an extra pair of warmer leggings to sleep in. A sleepshirt would have been easier to carry but I was cold at night.
• Easy dry undies (because your bottom will get wet every day. Alternatively, wear swimsuit bottoms).
• 1 swimsuit. I hiked in my bikini between Wild Lubanzi to Coffee Bay and then onward to Mdumbi.

What to Pack for Hiking: For the Guys

• 3 shorts
• 3 shirts (1 long sleeve, 2 sports shirts)
• Undies
• Rain jacket
• Warm/fleece jacket

Shoes

You should bring a very secure sandal that has ankle support and a good grip. For women, try to get something like a caged sandal. Look for something like this K-way or this Keen for men. I later bought this sandal from Decathlon and it’s been great but I haven’t tested it out in the intense mud of the Wild Coast. It worked well hiking in Gabon and Sao Tome though!

I brought hiking sandals and a pair of rain boots. Both were good at different times of the hike, but neither was effective for hiking through the river and up muddy hillsides. The main issue with my sandals was, that once it got muddy, my foot slipped within the shoe significantly. That’s why I recommend the above options.

I don’t recommend bringing or wearing intense hiking boots because at the river crossings you will soon get irritated with taking your shoes on and off and eventually just hike straight through. Remember, the river crossings mean you are up to your waist or more in water. Wilhelm wore his running shoes, and they were soaked every single day as he wore them in the river. His shoes (and my rainboots) didn’t dry until we reached Joburg.

You also don’t want to cross rivers barefoot because some of the rocks are sharp. Wilhelm scrapped his food and we had to get antibiotic cream for it.

Other items

• Headlamp: the lodges we stayed in had electricity in the common spaces and our huts but going between the spaces, it was pretty dark so I was glad for the headlamp.
• Phone chargers
• Power bank: We barely used the power bank because all the lodges had electricity enough to charge phones in the common areas or even in our own huts.
• Small, microfiber towel. The lodges didn’t provide towels.
• I brought binoculars but didn’t use them at all. In the end, I wish I didn’t bring them. If you’re hiking in June/July during the sardine run, they may be worth it.
• Put all your electronics in a waterproof bag or a large stasher bag.
• Bring something that you can use as a floatation device to get your stuff across like a deflated yoga ball if you’re going to be late to the river crossings.

Snacks

We brought several snacks with us because we weren’t sure of the availability of small shops and I tend to get hangry. Our lodges (except at Coffee Bay) offered hiking sandwiches if pre-ordered. I went to The Refillery in Linden to purchase several different kinds of nuts and dried fruit for our hike. I put these in stasher bags.

Backpack essentials

I bought two dry bags for this trip. One was 20 liters and the other was six liters. If you’re just buying one for your own clothing items, I suggest purchasing a 20-liter bag. I bought mine from Sportsman Warehouse in Joburg.

I also find that using a water bladder is very convenient so that you don’t need to take out your water bottle during a hike. Mine is 2 liters and since it wasn’t hot when we hiked, that was good enough for two people hiking 14km. If you drink a lot of water or it’s hot, I suggest at least 1.5 liters per person.

A 25-liter backpack is sufficient for a Wild Coast hiking trip. Everything will fit and will handle the weight. I have a 25-liter backpack from REI in the US that will magically fit everything in. However, rather than the size of the bag, it’s really your ability to carry the weight for a sustained 14 kilometers each day. Make sure your backpack has a rain cover. If you’re looking to purchase a new backpack, I like having a chest strap and waist strap to help with the weight while you’re hiking.

I suggest packing your bag a day before and then trying it out around your house. Just to be sure that it doesn’t create any strain on your shoulders. Try to be as light as possible. I definitely overpacked but ended up needing a lot of the clothing because so much of my things got wet on our first day.

Got questions about what to pack for hiking the Wild Coast? Lemme know in the comments!