October 2024

What is best for this road – a car or a boat?

Today is our last post about our weekend away at the lovely Mazeppa Bay. You will remember:

  • The challenging drive to Mazeppa Bay (read here)
  • Our 5-star accommodation next to the ocean (read here)
  • And a hiking trip with amazing views (read here)

Now we are going to take you with us on our return trip – on a different route than the one we came with. And it would be quite appropriate to say that we ended it as adventurous as we started the weekend.

We woke up to a stormy morning

It rained all night and as we loaded our luggage into the bakkie, Berto said that we could probably prepare for another challenging ride on the wet dirt road.

We decided not to go the same way we came, but instead to take the “main road” to Butterworth (now known as Gcuwa). The distance we have to cover is only 65km/40 miles, but according to our GPS it would take us more than 1½ hours to drive. And with a wet dirt road probably even longer.

Not only a wet road, but we also had to watch out for animals and pedestrians

It soon became clear that the “main road” was not in the best condition. There were so many potholes and with the constant rain throughout the night it was hard to see them. In addition to the potholes, the road was also washed away in places and we had to drive on the edge of the road quite a few times because we didn’t know how deep the mud pools were.

A few potholes and a giant mud puddle

We saw so many roaming animals – goats, cattle and pigs, as well as a lot of dogs. However, it turned out that they were quite “streetwise” because they would often walk next to the road or in the field. It did however force us to slow down as having to brake quickly in these wet conditions would not have been ideal.

Cattle in the field next to the road

We drove through several villages and often saw the traditional Xhosa huts for which this area is so known for.

Villages next to the road

I have to admit that it was reassuring to drive in our 4×4 vehicle on this road. Although most of the locals drive ordinary sedan cars here, it’s just easier with a vehicle that has high ground clearance.

What will it be – through the deep mud puddle in the road or over the ditch on the side of the road?

After driving for about an hour, we reached a high point from where we had amazing views over the hills. Even in the mist and rain it was picture perfect – I can only imagine how beautiful it must be on a sunny day.

Beautiful view over the hills of the old Transkei

Locals’ houses are seen everywhere

After mostly just light rain, it started to rain quite hard in the last 20km before we reached Butterworth.

A proper rain storm

We had now been on the road for more than two hours and after my two cups of tea before we started driving earlier this morning, I started looking for a toilet. With no toilets in sight, we luckily reached a long avenue of trees where there were no houses. Berto said the best I could do now was to find a tree.

It was actually such a beautiful place where we stopped, that I quickly took a few photos.

Beautiful stretch of road

Our white bakkie is getting some colour

During the last 10km it rained very hard and we drove through countless potholes. When we finally got onto the tarmac at Butterworth, we were delighted to see a petrol station with restaurants in front of us.

We didn’t need fuel, but rather a car wash

We love Steers’ chips and bought two packets and coffee. We were now on the N2 highway and 106km/65 miles from East London. Which, by the way, we covered faster than the 65km/40 miles from Mazeppa Bay to Butterworth!

Our favourite take away chips (fries)

So, what’s our take on Mazeppa Bay? The Wild Coast is an incredibly beautiful place – the pristine white beaches and green rolling hills are a hiker’s paradise. It’s true that the potholed roads are hard to navigate – you should definitely not be in a hurry if you drive along here, but you will be rewarded with stunning views and friendly smiles from the locals.

We would love to visit Mazeppa Bay again … and next time definitely longer than just a weekend.

Mazeppa Bay – where angels roam