Practical tips to plan a trip to Coffee Bay
Coffee Bay is a beautiful and kind a hippie village at the East South African Wild Coast, that shouldn´t be missed in a trip to South Africa. You can find all about it in this other post.
Let´s talk about the practical tips for who wants to visit this chilled place.
You might also like:
GETTING THERE
Coffee Bay is situated at the Wild Coast, roughly half way from Port Elizabeth to Durban. To get there you have to go first to Mthatha (Umtata), and from there take a shuttle or a public transportation to your final destination.
You can go to Mthatha by bus, using either the public ones (such as Intercape and Grey Hound) or the practical hop-on hop-off Baz Bus, that crosses the country from coast to coast. Here at this post you can read more about the Baz Bus.
There are several shuttles that go from Mthatha to Coffee Bay – I recommend the Coffee Shack shuttle, it´s sharp on time and totally reliable. You can book it getting in touch with the hostel. It costs 70 rands and takes 1:30 to get there.
Bloggers Tip: the shuttles schedule is paired with the Baz Bus timetable, it´s perfect for combining both transportations.
If you are traveling in two or more people, it might be worth it to rent a car (then you won´t need to get the shuttle, or to depend on the buses schedules).
There´s also an airport in Mthatha, for domestic flights, you can also check on that option.
If you are already at the Wild Coast, you can also hike there, from the next villages (Lubanzi and Mdumbi) – it takes about 4h walking, from both of them.
Are you going to Coffee Bay? Here you can check all the accommodation options, from hostels to hotels and resorts. And if you book it through this link, you help to maintain this blog online, and you don´t have to pay anything for that.
There are some options of hostels in Coffee Bay, and there´s also a resort and a camping site, so it depends on what you´re looking for. I´d definitely recommend the Coffee Shack Backpackers – I spent 5 days there, and would have stayed longer if only I had the time.
The hostel has a great atmosphere, with a good structure, dorms and rooms that remind the village huts, very authentic.
It has a cool external area, with a big garden facing the sea, hammocks, comfy chairs, and tables for the meals.
They provide breakfast and dinner for inexpensive prices (very tasty food), but there´s also a self-catering kitchen. There´s a bar, with a pool table, where usually they play local drums or organize parties.
Coffee Shack’s staff is very cool, friendly and always willing to help. Btw, the hostel organizes good daily activities around the area, and also provide surfing lessons every day. All in all, it´s a great place to stay for a couple of days.
MOVING AROUND
Coffee Bay is not big, you can easily walk around pretty much everywhere. It´s surrounded by mountains, though, so prepare yourself for quite a hike.
There are also some local transportation, that don´t run very often. If you want a lift somewhere else, the best option is to book the hostel’s shuttle – you can, for instance, do a day hike to the Hole in the Wall, and get the shuttle back from there.
If you´ll be driving, go prepared to lots of dirty roads, not so easy to navigate (still doable).
SUPERMARKET
Coffee Bay is a small village, there aren´t any supermarkets around. You can find just small shops – if you´re planning to cook, don´t forget to go to the supermarket before getting there.
ATMs
There are no ATMs in Coffee Bay, so make sure you withdraw some money before going there (credit cards are accepted at the hostel).
EATING AND DRINKING
– Pizza: for eating a very good pizza, you can either go to Papardela Pizzaria or to Friends (a restaurant and hostel). Both serve very good pizzas!
– Coffee Shack Backpackers: that´s the place where I ate pretty much every day. They prepare very tasty and healthy meals, and the price is very good. You have to sign up for dinner before 5PM. Also, many people tag want to party and to make friends, also go to Coffee Shack for that.
How about you? Have you already been to Coffee Bay and have some cool tips about the city? Or do you plan to visit it and have some doubts? Share your ideas leaving a comment here!
If you like this post, please share it! Sharing is caring! =)
Planning your trip:
– Accommodation: you can book your accommodation here – hotels/hostels comparing and free booking cancel
———
The blogger stayed in Coffee Bay by invitation of Coffee Shack Backpackers. I’d like to thank again for the opportunity, and also make it clear that all the opinions present here are independent and personal.
