Coffee Bay Disappointment

I don’t think I’ve ever used the words “coffee” and “disappointment” in the same sentence before, but alas, here we are.

I’ve come quite a distance to get to Coffee Bay — despite appearing relatively close on the map, it takes about five hours to get here from Cintsa, including a layover in Mthatha followed by catching a second Baz Bus. However I’ve been told by many people that this quiet spot along South Africa’s Wild Coast is a gem and worth the effort to get to. Images of Hole in the Wall have drawn me here, a towering rock formation just off the shore with a tunnel running through it. Gorgeous, right?

(image via)

But when I inquire at the front desk of Coffee Shack hostel, they inform me it takes most of the day to hike there and back. What?! Turns out that Hole in the Wall is about 10k away from the village of Coffee Bay (shame on me for not researching this sooner). There’s actually a Hole in the Wall backpackers in much closer proximity to the rock formation, but Baz Bus only goes to Coffee Bay. It appears to be a 17 minute drive away (though the roads here are not good; it might be more like 25 minutes) but the front desk at the hostel deters me from looking for a lift outside. The village of Coffee Bay is rather destitute so taxis are not an option and locals would likely try to rip me off.

The hostel offers a guided hike to Hole in the Wall on most days, but it takes most of the day to complete. If I want to hike it myself, I’d have to start around 6am to make it there and back in time to catch the Baz Bus departing in early afternoon. There is no Baz Bus the following day so my options are to stay one night and skip the hike entirely, or stay three nights and do the hike. Since I can’t justify padding my itinerary by two extra nights (and there isn’t much else to do here aside from surf), I decide to forfeit the hike. Bummer. In retrospect I’m kicking myself for not investigating this further — maybe I could have convinced someone to give me a lift? Or found other travelers to split the price? Or what if this so-called multi-hour hike actually takes me less time to complete? I’ll never know what could have been.

If you come to Coffee Bay I hope that your visit falls when there is a two-day break between scheduled buses so that you have one full day to enjoy the hike and scenery. Or if you surf, by all means stay longer — a couple in my dorm room is staying for a whole week to take lessons. They love it here.

Coffee Shack hostel is split into two parts — the main area and lodging sit on one side of this bay (amongst the greenery below) and the other block of rooms is where I’m standing taking this photo. Do you see a possible challenge?

Much like the tidal river in Cintsa, water fills this bay twice per day during high tide and crossing it becomes a wet endeavor depending on the time. I have to laugh when I arrive after dark towing my suitcase and realize I’ll be hiking up my pants and hoisting my bag. There’s not much water but it’s still an annoyance factor.

On the plus side, the dorms on this side are cute rondavels instead of standard rooms. And since the bar is all the way near reception this area is nice and quiet.

Coffee Bay is very small and there aren’t many dining options so the hostel offers a nightly group meal for a few dollars. Tonight it’s hamburgers with a vegetarian option and dessert. The food is good but the whole outdoor area become a hopping bar at night which isn’t really my thing. I make the wet walk back across the bay and turn in early.

The next morning I walk along the beach around 8am. It’s quiet, but I’m not alone — a local woman from the village has spotted me and comes over to sell her jewelry or scarves or keychains. There are more women behind her peddling their goods and I am the only target on the whole beach. I snap a few photos and head back to the hostel for breakfast.

Breakfast is great. Like most of the hostels here it’s not included in the price, but for a few extra bucks they whip up a nice meal.

Actually, let’s talk about prices for a minute — hostel dorm rooms cost $12 per night (which is typical throughout South Africa). Dinner at Coffee Shack is around $5 and breakfast is $3. Lattes are $2. So my entire stay here costs around $22.

And there’s a legit barista and espresso machine! Thank you, Coffee Bay, for living up to your name.