Travel Adviser : Port St Johns – for families, city runaways or backpackers?

HOW TO GET THERE

Port St Johns is in the Eastern Cape on the Wild Coast some 450 kilometres southwest
of Durban and 300-odd kilometres northeast of East London. It is very rundown,
but has some 42 accommodation establishments and various restaurants. Part of
its charm is that it remains rural; don’t expect to find a Woolies Food or Virgin
Active just around the corner.

The approach routes are tarred and fairly well maintained, yet there are still
plenty of potholes, pedestrians, wandering cattle and off-camber corners. Drive
with care and don’t attempt it at night.

From Durban take the N2 southwest to Port Shepstone, then the R61 to Port Edward.
Follow this road through Bizana, Flagstaff and Lusikisiki to Port St Johns.
From East London take the N2 northeast to Umtata, then take the R61 to Port
St Johns.

WHERE TO STAY

$ Jungle Monkey is a chilled backpackers’ lodge perched on a hill in town. It
has an amazing wooden deck with 360-degree views of beach, sea, hills and forest
– not a bad place for a lager. They also serve meals and the pub is pretty much
party central. Camping, communal dorms, double rooms and en suite log cabins
are available. Contact tel 047-564-1517, e-mail jmonkey@mweb.co.za
or visit http://www.junglemonkey.co.za.

$ to $$$ Cremorne Estate is a comfortable family resort about five kilometres
outside town on the banks of the Mzimvubu River. It offers a variety of accommodation
options: fully serviced camp and caravan sites; foursleeper fully-equipped wooden
self-catering cottages; two-sleeper cottages; log-cabin hotel rooms. Cremorne
also has an la carte restaurant and cosy bar with DStv. Contact tel
047 564 1110/3, e-mail info@cremorne.co.za
or visit http://www.cremorne.co.za.

For more information on places to stay in Port St Johns, see our Destinations
section on page 134, or contact the helpful local tourism offi ce on tel 047
564 1187 or e-mail tourismpsj@wildcoast.co.za.

FURTHER READING

Mkambati and the Wild Coast: South Africa and Pondoland’s Unique Heritage by
Div de Villiers and John Costello (Wilderness Safaris, R274).

THE VEHICLE

There’s plenty of PCP (people, cattle and potholes) factor on the Wild Coast
roads, so you need something solid and trustworthy. Getaway took the Hyundai
Tucson 2,0 CRDi AT from Durban to Port St Johns and back. The automatic gearbox
with sequential manual shift made cruising the undulating hills a breeze, while
the 82 kW of power with a torque of 245 Nm gave the confi dence to overtake
crab-walking taxis on the narrow roads. The automatic-lock 4×4 was perfect for
the pothole-ridden forest and dirt tracks, while the consumption of the diesel
engine kept us smiling. The CRDi Tucson costs R269 900. For more info or to
book a test drive, visit http://www.hyundai.co.za
or tel 011 372 0800.

JOINT VENTURE

Louis Fourie believes in experience by emersion into culture and that’s the
way he runs his tour company. “I started as a tour operator, introducing
international travellers to this part of the Wild Coast, widely known for its
natural beauty as well as the cultural traditions of the Pondo people. Even
today, there are still people living sustainably off the land, co-existing with
nature and with little exposure to non-Pondo people. “It is our desire
to initiate a programme which encompasses environmental conservation, educational
assistance, job creation and live skill enhancement,” added Louis. Contact
Joint Ventures on cell 083-268-5611 or e-mail jointventures@vodamail.co.za,
or web http://www.jointventures.co.za.