Wild Coast Accommodation

Wild Coast accommodation tends to run rustic, but with all the amenities you will need for an epic hiking trip. Although we were in rural areas hiking between Bulungula Eco Lodge and Mdumbi, we had Wi-Fi, electricity, and hot water in the lodge, hostel, and Airbnb we stayed in during our trip.

Check out the best Wild Coast Accommodations you should consider for your own hiking (or getaway) adventure.

General tips for your Wild Coast Accommodation

First, some tips to get your Wild Coast accommodation:

• Don’t trust Google Maps! Follow the directions that the lodge gives you.
• If the weather is bad or if it recently rained, add another 1-2 hours to your travel time when driving. Be wary about driving yourself. Don’t drive at night and please take a 4×4 car. You should know how to use 4×4, have a spare tire, and know how to change it.
• Requesting rides is best done through your lodge. A private transfer will likely cost R1200 to R1400. Please consider that the drivers are coming 2+ hours just to pick you up so this is a reasonable price. Bring the full amount in cash for your drivers if you are requesting a private transfer. If you forget cash, get some at the Mthatha airport ATM.
• When heading back to Mthatha airport, your driver may suggest leaving an extra hour or so earlier than you think to account for the possibility of getting a flat tire on your way to the airport.

Cash and cards in the Wild Coast:

• Try to pay everything in advance and bring cash to cover food. Bulungula, Wild Lubanzi, and Mdumbi had card facilities but it was a 50/50 if they were going to work each time. We traveled with R4000 cash and used every single last rand between transfers, food payments, and extra lodge costs. We were able to use the credit card for some services. If not, we would have had to have another R2000 or so. You can do EFT in most cases as well.

Bulungula Eco Lodge

Nqileni Village

Recommended stay: 2 nights

Getting to Bulungula Eco Lodge is a journey. It is one of the most remote lodges along the Wild Coast. We decided to start our hiking trip from here and just spent one night. However, I wish we had stayed 2 because of the effort (4 hours in a car becuase of bad roads) it took to get to the lodge and because we didn’t have the time to take advantage of the community activities. Travel time from the airport usually takes 2.5 hours.

The lodge sits atop a hill overlooking two beaches. You’ll hear the waves crash at night as you sleep and the staff is very welcoming. I loved the colorful artwork in all the buildings.

Unfortunately, I don’t have many pictures for you because I fell into a river with my phone in my pocket and it died. These pictures are what I sent to my family’s WhatsApp group when we arrived.

About Bulungula Eco Lodge

Bulungula Eco Lodge is owned 100% by the community in Nqileni village.

As its name suggests, Bulungula is eco-friendly and prides itself on its sustainability efforts. They are numerous! Electricity is generated by solar, water is pumped from underground, and hot water is provided using “rocket” paraffin water heaters that you have to see for yourself.

Lodging options

There are four types of lodging options at Bulungula: Xhosa rondavels, private rooms, dorms, or the campground. I highly suggest the rondavels, which is what we stayed in.

Food

Besides ordering food and drink from the lodge, there is a small self-catering kitchen that you’ll have access to. There are a lot of veg options! Plan to bring all your groceries from Mthatha as you likely won’t find much in the village if you want to self-cater. We had the BEST cheese toast with Xhosa bread for our hiking lunch. The bread was amazing and grilled over the open flames. Incredible.

What to do at Bulungula Eco Lodge

There are many activities that support the community at Bulungula. Some favorites are Wednesday morning sunrise pancakes on the beach, drum lessons, fishing, tours, and more. Check out the activity board when you reach Bulungula to see what’s going on.

Check out the gorgeous beadwork made by the local mamas.

You can also hire a guide from Bulungula Eco Lodge to hike if you’d like. A local guide attempted to deter us from going on our own but that’s what we had planned for. He was convinced we would perish without him (we didn’t physically, but I did emotionally whereas Wilhelm thrived). If you plan to hike alone, YAY! Don’t be deterred by the speech. However, I have had great luck with tour guides in South Africa and so I’m sure we would have had a great time if we chose to hire him.

The Bulungula Incubator was founded by the same man who founded Bulungula. The incubator aims to end poverty in the area. There are educational, social, and health programs to support the community. Check with Bulungula about tours.

Bulungula Eco Lodge Tips

You can book through booking.com, through the website, or via WhatsApp. I had a very difficult time getting the lodge to message me back via WhatsApp, email, or answer my calls. Perhaps the internet connection was poor at the time. To overcome this issue, I booked directly through booking.com so that I was assured of a reservation. Additionally, I found that the communication was much more prompt via booking.com. However, the one time Wilhelm called them, they picked up immediately and responded to him easily on WhatsApp. I’m convinced I was blocked. Don’t let this hold you back from booking; I’m just saying that if you don’t get a response, try another way.

The Wild Lubanzi

Lubanzi Village

Recommended stay: 1 night if hiking, 3 nights if this is your only destination

Wild Lubanzi is a great Wild Coast accommodation option. It’s a popular destination and it’s easy to see why. We heard about Wild Lubanzi from a South African who said that this was his favorite area and lodge in the whole country.

Although I was feeling very deflated after falling into the Mncwasa River and trudging up the final hills to reach Lubanzi, I was thrilled when we arrived.

The quirky hobbit houses will appeal to any Lord of the Rings fan (me!) and the views over the coast are excellent.

About Wild Lubanzi

The communal lodge is filled with cozy spaces and upside-down trees. Look out for the 5 resident cats and 2 huge dogs that lounge with guests.

The vibe at Wild Lubanzi was like a hostel and we really enjoyed chatting with the other guests—we even hiked together with another couple to Coffee Bay.

Lodging options at Wild Lubanzi

There are several options for Wild Coast accommodation at Wild Lubanzi. The hobbit house and rondavel are the only units with an en-suite bathroom and shower. The flats, safari tent, a Bedouin tent, and dorm use the communal bathroom and shower facilities.

You can also choose to stay at the Ndawo Homestay, part of Wild Lubanzi, but run by the Ndawo family on the adjoining property.

When we visited in April 2022, a new “hobbit hotel” was under construction; keep an eye out for that.

Wild Lubanzi encourages longer stays and the Wi-Fi worked well for me (on Instagram) when there was electricity (as there was load-shedding when we visited)

Check out all the accommodation options here.

Food

All meals and drinks can be organized at Wild Lubanzi, including hiking sandwiches for the next day. There is also a communal, self-catering kitchen.

You’ll need to pre-order your meals so that the restaurant staff can prepare everything in advance. We chose a pizza each to eat after our arrival at Wild Lubanzi. For dinner, we had a veg burger and a Thai curry. Breakfast is a standard of eggs and toast (and some sausage for the non-veg folk).

What to do at Wild Lubanzi

We enjoyed cozying up in the communal area and reading a book after our long hike from Bulungula. However, there are plenty of things to do around the village in addition to lounging at the beach or hiking. Hike to a hilltop, Secret Beach, Hole in the Wall, or wander the village (full of hills!).

Wild Lubanzi is also a popular destination to watch the annual sardine run.

Check out all the things to do here.

Wild Lubanzi Tips

If you don’t want to start your hike at Bulungula, start here instead and stay 2 nights to begin your journey. The drive from the Mthatha airport will be around 2.5 hours.

For just one along the coast, Wild Lubanzi is the perfect choice if you want a moderate hike to Hole in the Wall. This was my favorite part of hiking the Wild Coast and you can easily do it as a day activity from the lodge.

Coffee Bay Wild Coast Accommodation

Recommended stay: 1 night

There are the most accommodations along the Wild Coast in Coffee Bay. Find one that suits you!

Sheep and Stars

The Sheep and Stars Airbnb is technically a little outside Coffee Bay in a village called Rini. It’s an easy 10-minute walk to Coffee Bay. I say easy, but we had to traverse a little river every time we left/arrived at the Airbnb because the extreme rains the week before created a river across the road.

I enjoyed staying in the cute blue rondoval and we heard from Jimmy at the Village Cafe that this was the best place to stay in Coffee Bay as well.

The bathroom and shower are in the main house. But there is electricity with a kettle and fridge inside the rondoval. Wi-Fi also reaches here. For the adventurous, there is a nice outdoor shower as well.

We had great communication with the hosts, up until I lost my phone in the river, and they were prepared for us even without me confirming the day before.

You can organize dinner with the hosts.

The Coffee Shack

The Coffee Shack is the most popular “party” destination on the Wild Coast from what I heard. However, I didn’t get the feeling when we walked around Coffee Bay. The Coffee Shack is right on the coast and has direct beach access. There are private rooms, dorms, and camping available.

Coram Deo Self Catering Seaview Cottages

While walking around Coffee Bay, the Coram Deo Self Catering Seaview Cottages caught my eye. It is perched on top of a hill with a beautiful view of the coast. Although we didn’t stay here, I would consider this if we were to return to Coffee Bay. It also looks perfect for longer stays, however, I’d check with the host about Wi-Fi and network coverage if needed.

What to do in Coffee Bay

Coffee Bay looks like it’s more alive on Google Maps than in real life when we visited in April 2022 (perhaps because it was Easter weekend…)

We had breakfast at the C-breeze Restaurant because it was the only place that was open, but they didn’t actually have breakfast options. We opted for a veggie burger and fish & chips.

Zak’s Seafood had amazing seafood and excellent service with a beach view. We spent three hours having different drinks and meals. The oysters are so fresh, delicious, and look like they just come straight out of the ocean! We also had garlic mussels and the crawfish platter. As you can see, we totally feasted here and it was the only thing we splurged on during our trip. You can either cross the Nenga River (at low tide) and walk along the beach to reach Zak’s or take the road route. We did one route each because by the time we left Zak’s the water level was too high for us and I was sick of getting wet.

Don’t miss the Village Cafe to see some local clothing creations, buy postcards, and check out the custom t-shirt printing business owned by Jimmy. Occasionally there are some vegan baked goods and pies available for sale.

Coffee Bay Tips

You can also hike from Coffee Bay to Hole in the Wall. I felt that hiking from the Wild Lubanzi side was more interesting than from Coffee Bay, so that’s what I would recommend.

Mdumbi Backpackers

Tshani Village

Recommended stay: 2 nights or more

Reaching Mdumbi Backpackers was one of the highlights of the trip, not just because it signified the end of our hiking but also because of how this lovely hostel came into view. At the last 600m during our hike, I lost all energy. Obviously, there was still a hill to climb from the beach and just as I left the thicket of the hill, Mdumbi was on the horizon.

The vibe is cool, the beach is perfect, and the food is great at Mdumbi Backpackers. Our stay at Mdumbi was the only day we had perfect weather. There’s something about this community that makes it really stand out along the Wild Coast.

There is good Wi-Fi in the communal spaces and we had 4G on MTN in our tent.

Lodging options at Mdumbi Backpackers

There are several different lodging options to suit couples, families, and friends: camping, dorms, safari tents, a private room, a family room, and a self-catering unit. There were at least two families with young children that we noticed when we stayed here.

We stayed in a cute tent with a thatched roof that was surprisingly large. It fit us, a full bed, and our backpacks. It even had electricity and a lamp!

There are communal bathrooms and showers (with hot water). I really liked the tiled showers.

Check out all the lodging options here.

Food  

There are a lot of breakfast and lunch options to order as well as delicious homemade kombucha and a family-style dinner (with a veg and non-veg option). If you bring your own groceries, you can also use the self-catering kitchen.

What to do at Mdumbi Backpackers

This is the best beach I’ve visited in South Africa. Super clean and relatively warm with friendly cows as your beach buddies.

Don’t miss Roots Reggae Cafe for breakfast or lunch in the village. We had great eggs, toast, and coffee here. Plus, your mood will pick up (or at least mine did because I was feeling dead from hiking) just by being in the colorful area.

Buy some beers from the local shebeen. With a cat as the manager, you know this shebeen must be doing well. You can’t purchase alcohol at Mdumbi Backpackers so head to the shebeen for a Lion.

Spend time at the viewpoints. Head to the bench overlooking the coast, or visit the tower in Mdumbi

Read about all the Mdumbi Backpacker activities here.

Mdumbi Backpackers Tip:

Although there are other hostels in the village, Mdumbi Backpackers is the best Wild Coast accommodation here because it’s the furthest away from the village shebeen, which is known to play loud music. We heard of some cases of visitors moving to Mdumbi Backpackers (because the music was too loud).

What do you think of these Wild Coast accommodation options? Let me know if you have any questions!