Coffee Bay Beach
A remote Wild Coast beach with cliffs, cattle on the sand, and the Hole in the Wall a walk away — the region's backpacker heart.
Trip Role
Ideal stay
Best for
Our take
It is raw, wild, and occasionally chaotic, but Coffee Bay remains the most authentic way to experience the untamed spirit of the Eastern Cape.
It is raw, wild, and occasionally chaotic, but Coffee Bay remains the most authentic way to experience the untamed spirit of the Eastern Cape.
- Trip Role
- Trip Anchor
- Ideal Stay
- 2-3 days
- Time Needed
- half day
- Best For
- surfers, hikers, and independent travelers
- Go If
- You are a surfer, a hiker, or someone who prefers a rustic, communal atmosphere over luxury resorts.
Why it's worth your time
Coffee Bay is the rugged, unpolished heart of the Wild Coast where the pace of life is dictated by the tides and local cattle. It is a place of dramatic cliffs and river mouths, defined by a laid-back, transient culture that feels worlds away from the manicured tourist hubs of the south.
What we love
The sight of local cattle wandering across the sand against a backdrop of crashing Indian Ocean surf.
What to know
The area is remote and lacks formal infrastructure; there are no professional lifeguards on duty, and currents can be unpredictable.
More beach in Eastern Cape
Boknes
A quiet Sunshine Coast beach at a river mouth near Kenton — uncrowded and warm, with a shipwreck on the shore.
Bushmans River Mouth
The estuary beach at Bushmans/Kenton — boating, swimming, and a river you can paddle up for kilometres.
Cannon Rocks
A long, empty Sunshine Coast beach near Addo's coast — dunes, a shipwreck, and almost no one.
Cintsa
A lagoon-and-sea beach half an hour from East London — the gentle gateway to the Wild Coast.
Gonubie Beach
East London's local beach — a long arc of warm sand with a boardwalk and a river-mouth swimming pool.
Gulu
A quiet beach south of East London — the local's answer to the city's busier strands.