There is ancient magic on the coast of the Eastern Cape – magic that causes waterfalls to fall directly into the sea; magic that calls the dolphins to frolic among the waves. There is magic that haunts the high cliffs of black rock; the strange landscapes; the spirits of water and forest and stone. There is magic too, in the old traditions of the people – the tall elegant ochre-clad women who sway down the dust roads with jars of water on their heads and the amakhweta boys with their clay-daubed white faces and reed dancing skirts. This is a land full of spirits – water spirits that dwell in rock pools; tree spirits in the thick forests that cling to the cliff-sides of sheer mountains; sea-spirits about which legends are told at the fabled Hole-in-the-Wall.

This coast is restless – there are angry waves and currents that clash and foam out beyond the shore and have given the Eastern Cape a shipwreck-strewn shoreline and a reputation as being the home of fractious sea gods. There is magic, too, in the names of places - some of them recalling the sigh of the wind or the rush of water, some of them reflecting the characters and the rambunctious history of this frontier.

 

Accommodation in the Eastern Cape

If you are longing to escape the monotony of the city and take a break from the tradition of a one-size-fits all lifestyle, the Eastern Cape is an ideal getaway region, offering two superb destinations, the Fish River Sun and the Wild Coast Sun.

The area around the Fish River Sun is steeped in history, with artefacts from the famous Camp Maitland (later Fort Albert); established by Cape governor Peregrine Maitland as his headquarters in 1846, still to be found in the grounds of the resort. The area’s involvement in the nine frontier wars is well documented. There are many sidelights and historical snippets surrounding the resort, and it is acknowledged that it occupies one of the richest ecologies on this coast.

Activities

You can choose to partake in some of these exciting activities in the Eastern Cape:

• Golf
• Spa treatments
• Fishing
• Scuba diving
• Canoeing
• Bird watching
• Nature trails, guided nature walks and night drives

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