Coffee Bay travel guide

There are some very rough tracks further north from Qhorha Mouth to Coffee Bay which are only suitable for a 4WD. Instead you’ll need to go back to Dutywa on the N2, and 67 km towards Mthatha, take the right turn on to a tarred road and its 75 kilometres to Coffee Bay. At the mouth of the Nenga River, Coffee Bay is well known for its good surf, making it a major stop on many backpacker routes. Nevertheless, development has been low key and it remains a quiet and laid-back place. The name Coffee Bay comes from the coffee trees which grew here briefly in the 1860s after a ship ran aground with a cargo of coffee beans. The Hole In The Wall is a famous natural feature and well worth a visit. An enormous tunnel has been eroded by the sea through a cliff which lies just offshore. The local Xhosa call it izi Khaleni, which means ‘place of thunder’. At high tide the sound of the waves clapping can be heard throughout the valley. A small holiday resort has sprung up by the beach here.