Down to earth holidays

Description

In the north east coast of South Africa, and up into Mozambique, there are some of South Africa’s best beaches. If you’re visiting Kruger, KwaZulu Natal or other areas in the north or east of the country, this short beach holiday will be an excellent way to complete your holiday.

Kosi Bay is at the very top of KwaZulu Natal’s east coast (Maputaland), just below the Mozambique border. It is a World Heritage Site, and part of the Kosi Bay Coastal Reserve Forest. It is a beautiful and unspoilt area of four lakes, beaches, 3 swamp area, sand dunes, and at Kosi Mouth it even includes the world’s only coral reef situated inside an estuary. The diversity of bird life here is incredible, and the area between Kosi Mouth and Bhanga Nek (about 10 miles south) has the highest concentration of turtle nests in the world. For centuries it has been home to the Amatonga tribe who have a unique style of fishing using reed fish traps.  Enjoy a day or two exploring this incredible natural beauty spot.

Our accommodation at Kosi Bay is a rustic reed chalet camp which is a community-owned venture. It is not on the beach, but only about 10 minutes walk from a fabulous spot overlooking the beach. It is a basic but comfortable place. Each room has twin beds with linen and towels, and an en-suite bathroom with bucket shower and flush loo. Your camp staff are friendly and helpful, and you will be provided with good home-cooked food each day, such as BBQ’s on the camp fire, stews and of course, seafood. There is electricity from a small generator at night.

Whilst here you can go swimming, snorkelling, fishing, visit the traditional fish traps, try your hand at spear-fishing, or maybe visit a local school. It is a really fun place to enjoy for a couple of days, and in one of the most beautiful spots in South Africa.

We then drive you just over the Mozambique border (only about 25kms north), to what was rated as one of the best beaches in southern Africa in 2008. Your small resort has just 15 timber chalets about 10 metres from the beach. They have a covered verandah with chairs, two ¾ size beds (some have a king size double) with mozzy nets, overhead fan, safe, and an en-suite bathroom with hot shower.

Facilities include an open air restaurant, lounge and bar, a campfire on the deck each night, a swimming pool with loungers on the surrounding deck, and a PADI dive centre. It is a big diving spot here.

We’d recommend you include an excursion to Ponta Do Ouro while you’re here. It is a superb place to see dolphins and maybe even whales. If the dolphins seem calm, you may even be permitted to swim with them.

You can also go horse riding, fishing, sunset trips to a nearby lake, snorkel over shallow coral reefs, or, of course, just chill out on the fabulous beach!

NOTE: This KwaZulu Natal beach holiday can be combined with other trips in South Africa. See our list of holidays in the left-hand column for ideas. It is best combined with holidays in the east or north of the country.  

Detailed Itinerary

1. DAY 1: At Richard’s Bay you will collect and hire car and drive roughly 3½ hours north to Kosi Bay in Maputaland, the northern area of KwaZulu Natal. Settle into your reed chalet and your guide will orientate you to the gorgeous Kosi Bay area you’re in. Depending on the time you arrive, you may have time to do something else this afternoon, such as a swim or some canoeing or snorkelling. D
2. DAY 2: Today you have a full day to enjoy all that this area offers. Take walks, snorkel,visit the ancient fish traps, try your hand at spear-fishing, go canoeing, birdwatching, chill out on the beach …. FB
3. DAY 3: After breakfast you drive the short drive north to the Mozambique border. Once the red tape is sorted (you need a visa – about £15 payable locally in rand) you will be picked up by a 4x4 and continue on for less than 20kms to your resort. So, now you’re in a wooden chalet with the most gorgeous beach and the Indian Ocean right in front of you. Enjoy! B,D
4. DAYS 4-5: Relax, enjoy the beach or take some of the exciting excursions and activities you can do form here. Horse riding, diving, bird watching, dolphin boat trip to Ponta Ouro, sunset trip to a nearby lake … B,D
5. DAY 6: This morning you will be taken back to the South African border, pick up your car and drive back down to Richard’s Bay (about 4 hours) or Durban (about 5 hours) . B

Is it for you?

With a mixture of coastal and marine-orientated activities, and fabulous beaches to chill out on, this really is for anyone. It suits families (though not with very young children – 7yrs plus is about right) and also couples who want a more active beach holiday. The community camp is basic, so this is a no frills experience which won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. However the friendliness of the people and the experiences you’ll have here are memorable. If you prefer to have a driver for this trip instead of self-driving, we can arrange this for you (please ask).

Best times to go

The rainy season here is from about October to March (though the rainiest months tend to be January and February). This is also the hottest time, with average midday temperatures of about 29°c. From April to October it rains little and is cooler. For example in July the average midday temperature is about 23°c and 11°c at night. So this usually makes for pleasant days of sun then chilly nights. At Ponta Oura, bottlenose dolphins are around all year, whales from July-November, turtles from October to March, whale sharks from September to February.

Getting there

You will need to fly or drive to Richard’s Bay to begin this trip. It ends in Richard's Bay or Durban. From here you can continue with any onwards arrangements (which we’re happy to help with). You could for example consider the ‘slow travel’ method of getting back to Johannesburg – a comfortable overnight train from Durban.

Responsible Travel

How your holiday helps:
Kosi Bay: Our camp at Kosi Bay is a community-owned initiative backed by a local private organisation. The community is fully involved with the camp and benefit financially from the profits. Guides and other employees are sourced from the local community where possible, and training and support is given. Staff are also given the chance to get qualifications whilst working with the camp. Currently there are four permanent staff members, but local guides are also employed as needed, such as kayak guides.
Locally sourced goods and services are also important to the camp. For example most of the furniture and fittings for the camp were made locally. Visits to the local school or homesteads also bring money into the local community. The camp specifically backs the local school and crèche through infrastructure upgrades.

Carbon Offsetting :
For every client we take on holiday we plant 10 indigenous tree saplings. This is used as a poverty alleviation and biodiversity scheme as well as helping with carbon offsetting. Click for more details …

Giving to grassroots projects:
Our registered charity, The Tribes Foundation, is currently raising funds for a project in South Africa. The kindness of strangers can make a big difference, so if you’re a travel philanthropist considering donating to a worthwhile charity, please consider backing this excellent community project.

The Calabash Trust is a charity based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It works with poor communities based in the urban townships of Port Elizabeth. While the primary focus is nutrition and education, they also engage in job creation and skills training.

We will shortly have a page with photos of the school on www.the-tribes-foundation.org.

Shop ethically:
If you support buying fair trade, ethical and organic goods, please take a look at our online ethical shop for books, maps, travel gadgets, first aid kits etc before you travel. This is also a great place to find organic goodies and handmade crafts, many made in the countries and areas that we visit.

FOR MORE GENERAL DETAILS ABOUT OUR RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL PRINCIPLES, CLICK HERE.

Comments

Kruger really has everything in terms of wildlife. For me it's fascinating because it's never the same, and there are so many different types of terrain here, you can even look for specific animals in specific areas.
M Brewster, Tribes

Trip Code: SA13

Validity: 1-9-09 to 31-10-2010

Individual Trip Dates & Prices

2+ people can take this holiday on most days of the year, subject to availability. Please call us to check availability.

1 September 2009 to 31 October 2010 : from £695 pp.

• Prices are based on twin share, excluding flights.
• We can also arrange this trip for more than 2 people, so please ask for prices.
• Please ask about child rates (if available) and single supplements.
• Exchange rate fluctuations may affect these prices (see our Booking Conditions).

Duration: 6 days

Included
Accommodation based on twin share (FB at Kosi Bay and HB in Mozambique), self drive hire car, a guide whilst at Kosi Bay, activities at Kosi Bay (one or day per day: walks, fishing, fish trap visit, canoeing, snorkelling, school visit).

Not Included
Flights, tips, insurance, visas, items of a personal nature, meals not shown, drinks, optional activities (eg Ponta Ouro and other excursions in Mozambique), Mozambique visa and transit card (about £15 pp payable locally), optional car hire payments (please ask for details).