NEED TO KNOW

Slackpacking is minimalist hiking where you only need to carry what you need for the day's hike. A small backpack or hydration pack is all you need with enough space for 2 litres (Winter) and 3 litres (Summer) of hydration for the longer days. You need to have enough space in your pack for your trail lunch.

Your main luggage bag is moved between our overnight stays by vehicle back up support. This bag can be of any type or shape but please keep the size down to a medium size, roughly 60 to 70 litres. Laundry services are available at Vonnies @ R50 a load so you can get some items cleaned on day 3.

The accommodation availability is limited in the Pondo Wild Coast area. We strongly believe in supporting the Pondo community and try to use local hospitality where we can. The accommodation is simple and is a mix of guest cottages, wooden cabins, tented camps, chalets and a homestay (Wild Walk only) on your final night.

We do our best to cater for most needs, but please bear in mind catering in the Wild Coast is very challenging. We provide breakfast, a hiking lunch and snack pack as well as dinner each day. Should you wish for extra snacks or luxury items, please bring them along. You will need to provide your own lunch for the transfer to the start of the hike on day 1.

All accommodation has Eskom supply except for the homestay & Mtentu Lodge; electricity down here can be more intermittent than in the cities thanks to Eskom's great service. It is advisable to bring a Power Bank just in case you end up with a day of no electricity.

Call phone reception is intermittent on most days as getting closer to Port Edward the signal does become better. Please also note like anywhere else in South Africa power outages can affect signals. It is highly unlikely you will go more than 24hrs without signal but this can happen.

Some basic fitness is required as we do walk between 16km and 21km each day. There are a couple steep valleys which we climb, and we will walk for an average of 6-8 hours per day. Your guide will share many stories along the route about the Pondo people and their history as we stop to appreciate nature's little treasures. With regards to the Mountain bike tours – the level of fitness required for the Pondo ride is moderate (a tough 25 -30 km per day) and for the Wild Kei ride, a high level of fitness is required.

Once we begin the walk each day there is no access to the vehicle. We hike along the coastline, which is relatively untouched with very little vehicle access along the way.

We will run specific dates for family hikes with children under the age of 16. Please ensure you book on a family hike if you would like to bring your children. While there is no specific age limit, children must be fit and able to hike around 20km each day.

Absolutely! However, you may need to be flexible with your requested dates as this depends on the accommodation availability. We require a minimum of 14 people for your tour to remain a private group tour. We can also customise the tour to suit your needs.