Wild Coast Holidays

Wonders of the Wild Coast - a unique family destination

Published: May 30, 2012 by Nicky Hoseck

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The Kobanqaba River on the Wild Coast

Meeting the needs of all the family

So your eldest daughter can think of nothing but horses, your husband’s dream holiday is combining a great golf experience with some deep-sea fishing, your younger daughter is at that age so simply wants to listen to tunes on her iPod while getting a tan that will make her schoolmates green with jealousy while your son wants to risk his life bungee jumping or wrestling with wild animals. And you? Well, being a mum means keeping the peace so you’ll probably turn a hand to all of the above and maybe, just maybe, squeeze in some valuable ‘you-time’ in the spa.

Activities and attractions on the Wild Coast

The problem is, where in the world can you go and ensure the perfect family holiday that meets all your family members’ needs?The Wild Coast of South Africa is a little-known area of incredible natural beauty, located in the malaria-free, self-proclaimed adventure province of the Eastern Cape. Within a 60km radius of East London, your family will discover everything their hearts’ desire – from some of the best beach riding in the world to pristine golf courses and incredible wildlife experiences.

There are a number of game reserves situated within spitting distance of East London, giving your family the opportunity to experience most of the Big Five either on horseback, by safari vehicle or by quad bike. Some reserves also offer elephant-back safaris and elephant interactions meaning your son can satisfy his desire for adventure while your daughter can experience a whole new horseback experience.

The Wild Coast of South Africa also has a number of small but beautifully appointed golf courses, some of which are located in wildlife areas, meaning your husband can practise his shots while enjoying stunning views of the coast and familiarising himself with some of Africa’s numerous antelope species.

The golden beaches of the Wild Coast are some of the most pristine in the world so, whether you wish to walk, swim, fish or simply soak up the sun, this is an ideal destination for the perfect family holiday. Situated on the eastern coast of South Africa, the seas of the Wild Coast are teeming with fish and there are a number of operators that will take you out to try your hand at deep-sea fishing and help you find the best locations for catching that dream fish.

In and around East London, the majority of game reserves and hotels are aimed specifically at providing the best family holiday. There are plenty of activities on offer, as well as in-house spa treatments at very reasonable rates. Whether it is a facial, a massage or a pedicure that makes you feel special and spoiled, you will find what you are looking for.

With so much to offer, the Wild Coast is a great destination to consider for a family holiday. Whether it is adventure, relaxation, sport or beach that appeals, the Wild Coast has something for everyone and ensures that you, as the family holiday planner, makes the right decision for every member of your family.

A sunset canter on Qolora beach

Source: Wild Coast Horse Trails

Wild Coast Horseback Safaris

• Wild Coast Horseback Safaris

More like a mad gallop!

Goodness! Cantering about on the Wild Coast was more like a stage coach ride the past few months :-)
Wow, we have had such a wonderful beginning to 2011.
14 trails in 20 weeks with over 50 riders experiencing horse riding along the Wild Coast - it has been awesome. Thank you everyone who has been with us, we have had a great time too!!

So you ask - what exactly have we been up to?

Its all been a bit of a blur actually;  one month has rolled into the next..............

At the beginning of April I took 10 days off to go to the SA International Endurance Challenge.  Ashley was riding the 120km and I was groom for Laura Seegers who rode for the SA Endurance team.  The Perseverance Endurance Horses are wonderful - ridden barefoot they are turning heads on the endurance circuit!  It was a great week of camping, horses and visiting friends.  Go to www.endurancehorse.co.za for the full results and more info on barefoot riding! Perseverance Endurance Horses on Facebook!

Our journey home was an endurance marathon in itself! 24 hours on the road.........Truck, horse trailers & back up vehicle.......
We were packed up and going shortly after 6am when the first vehicle issue happened.   The Masterson's horse box wheel fell off - fortunately this happened in the middle of town and no one or horses were hurt!  But this whole episode took ages to sort out and fix and we were on the road again shortly after 11am.   It was steady driving the rest of the day - I drove through Pretoria/Johannesburg for the first time!! Oh my, so glad I dont live up there - no wonder you guys are all so stressed?  We stopped and had a bite to eat just out side of Bloemfontein, unloaded the horses to stretch their legs and were on our way again.  There had been a lot of road works coming up with stops and go's so we decided to take a back road (thank goodness) to Graaf Rienet via Jaggersfontein.  Well about 50km out of the little Free State town horrific sounds engulfed us and my Mahindra ground to a hault....... it was after 8pm at night, in the middle of now where & raining. All I can say is thank God we had cell phone signal - and managed to stop the convoy of horse boxes and trucks to turn around and come and save us (Bob really is our hero).  And Lucy magically managed to get hold of a loan garage who would help us on a Saturday night...... so off we go to Jaggersfontein - The big truck towing the horse trailer and behind all that; me being towed !!!!
Well to cut a long story short, we had to leave my car, unpack all my camping equipment into the truck and set off again to Graaf Rienet.  Lucy & I kept Bob awake with "transparent questions" and chatter.... it will be a trip that non of us forget.

I set off the next day back home in a borrowed car with Ashley who had a few days off.

So now my Mahindra is stuck 600km away (6 weeks later its still there!)  Then to add to my woes, I used Clint's double cab to go get horse food in East London the following week - and it too broke down - no oil in the engine - (5 weeks later its still at a friends house!)  OK, so we are down to the Landi - guess what - 4 weeks later its still parked in the drive way with a broken wheel hub.....................and I have a hire bakkie which is costing the earth................. oh well, I am not quite sure what the lesson is here, but hell,  to say that I am not having any luck with vehicles at the moment is an understatement.  Maybe something will be fixed by the end of this week???? ??????????????PLEASE?????????
Enough of my car drama...

To top it all I am having a run of lame horses. Three full brothers Time Warp, Tassenburg & Tanu are all lame, Kingston is still not well, but seems to be improving all be it painfully slowly and now Top Deck is lame :-(

The over night trails have been hectically busy, 5 weeks back to back has been hard work (especially without vehicles!!) I just have to say thank you, thank you to Nicky and Amanda - well done - you are both awesome :-)  I am sure that Collin at Peas on Earth will be glad to have his beloved wife back!!

Harry Brouwer rode with us again over Easter together with his friends from Holland.  It was lovely to have Harry ride with again - this is the third time that he has been on trail with us.  And he always brings the most decadent Belgium chocolates for me - who could not love someone who does that :-)

Clint has been away most of the time during all of this - he has been taking clients out hunting & fishing - we are going to need some serious together time after all this - ha ha! (after he has got all the vehicles fixed!!)

Shunter is really training Tashbah hard for the next endurance ride.  I am down to one horse available who is registered Torstone Tambourine - a real sweaty or I could take Tara to do a 30km and see how she does :-)

So finally we have slowed down to a nice hack - time to catch up, fix, clean and prepare for the next great horse riding adventure.  We start to fill up with our Gap Year rides from the middle of June onwards.  - there are still a couple of places available in July/August - so if you have been thinking about riding with us, go to the web site Wild Coast Horseback Adventures fill in an enquiry form and we will find a space for you!

Our 7 night Wild Coast Horse Safari has turn out to be very popular and we have places available on most of the dates that are on the web site - more info on our horse safari

till next time
Happy riding.