March 2024

On the edge of the Inchara Lagoon

After our first camp of the year at Areena Riverside Resort (read here), we couldn’t wait to go to the next camping destination!

Last year we stayed for a weekend in the luxurious Morgan Bay Hotel (read here and here) and we immediately fell in love with this beach village with its long white beaches. The camp site at Morgan Bay Caravan Park belongs to the hotel and after walking through the park last year, we knew we wanted to camp here. And we weren’t disappointed – we had a great camping weekend!

Time to camp at Morgan Bay

Where is Morgan Bay:

Morgan Bay is less than an hour’s drive from East London and located on South Africa’s beautiful Wild Coast. And although the camp site sits right on the edge of the Inchara Lagoon, it’s also just a short walk to the stunning beaches.

Our first fire with views of the Inchara Lagoon and the sea just beyond

After pitching our tent, we made our first fire. It was now a good time to open that bottle of Moscato that we bought at Boplaas Winery in Calitzdorp on Route 62 after enjoying a wine tasting there in January (read here).

Moscato all the way from Calitzdorp in the Little Karoo

After Berto made Portuguese espetada on the fire, we sat outside until late listening to the crashing of the waves on the other side of the lagoon. (Portuguese espetada was our ‘Dish of the Week #19’ – read here).

Portuguese espetada on the fire

We woke up early on a lovely windless morning. The lagoon lay before us like a mirror with only a single kayak paddler gliding slowly past us. We quietly sat on our camp chairs and watched the golden sunrise – Morgan Bay has the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen!

Early morning view from our tent

Kayak paddler on the Inchara Lagoon

Morgan Bay sunrises are the best

A light wind made ripples on the lagoon, but it quickly died down again. That was the perfect time to go for a walk on the beach.

Ripples on the lagoon

Camp sites on the edge of the lagoon

Time to go for a beach walk

Morgan Bay Caravan Park as seen from the sea

The beach was still shrouded in a light cloud of fog

However, the fog quickly lifted and we walked on the beach in sunshine. The wind had been blowing strong the night before and it was interesting to see how that affected the beach. Sometimes you don’t have to look miles ahead, because the gems are right at your feet.

A small pebble on its own pile of sand

The wind formed mini sand pyramids on the beach

Crab on a rock

Tiny crab in the sand

Beach at Morgan Bay

Back at our camp site, Berto made us French toast for breakfast (this was our ‘Dish of the Week #18’ – read here). While I quickly washed the dishes, Berto went to cool off in the lagoon.

French toast with crispy bacon & caramelised banana

Berto cooling off in the Inchara Lagoon

On our previous visit to Morgan Bay last year, we wanted to walk to the Cape Morgan Lighthouse, but because Berto was still recovering from his unexpected illness, we didn’t want to walk that far. Today, however, we were persuaded to walk up to the lighthouse.

The first part of the walk is on the beach, then one has to climb over a few rocks before walking along a narrow path on the edge of the sea. The last 10 minutes is a very steep climb through the indigenous forest to the lighthouse.

Looking back at the beach and rocky section of the hike

Following the narrow pathway

There were several small flowers on the trail

Cape Morgan Lighthouse on the hill

Working our way through the dense and high trees

The Cape Morgan Lighthouse is fully automatic and was built in 1964. It is one of only 3 lighthouses along the Wild Coast. Unfortunately, it is fenced off and we could only look at the lighthouse from a distance.

Cape Morgan Lighthouse

View of the ocean from the lighthouse

On our way back, we saw more flowers

Heading back to the beach over the rocks

Back on the soft white beach

Just before we left the beach, a group of horse riders came from the front. We’ve read before about the popularity of the Wild Coast Horse Riding Adventures in Morgan Bay and that it offers spectacular views.

Horse riders on the beach at Morgan Bay

After our intense walk to the lighthouse, we were ready to enjoy lunch. We didn’t feel like preparing anything ourselves and walked over to the hotel’s restaurant, The Deck.

View from The Deck restaurant

Berto ordered a cold beer, while I enjoyed a delicious Passion Apple cocktail. My Black Rock Salad (prawns, shrimp, linefish and craB sticks) and Berto’s The Fab pizza (with feta, avo and bacon) were just what we needed after our energetic morning.

Cold drinks after our hike

Lunch was super delicious

I just have to, before I end this post, show a few pictures of the ablution facilities at the campsite. When the bathroom looks like the one at a hotel, you know you’re camping in style.

Super clean and modern ablution facilities

Ablution facilities at Morgan Bay Caravan Park

In the late afternoon we went for a walk through the park. Although there were quite a few campers, we never felt like it was crowded or very busy. There is also a bowling green adjacent to the park which is very popular with the locals.

Colourful boat

Morgan Bay’s bowling green

Dinner was again around the fire. Berto made a Tuscan Chicken ‘potjie’ with, among other things, fresh spinach – it was the perfect meal to end our camping weekend at Morgan Bay.

Tuscan chicken ‘potjie’ and red wine

The next morning it was cloudy, but not cold and the humidity was very high. That was a clear sign of an approaching thunderstorm and we just made a quick breakfast before packing up to make sure we’re ahead of the storm.

The calm before the storm

Quick breakfast

We really enjoyed our camping weekend at Morgan Bay Caravan Park. On the contrary, it was almost as nice as staying in their luxury hotel!

Panoramic view from our camp site at Morgan Bay Caravan Park