Since the early migration of the Xhosa and Pondo tribes from the African interior to the east coast of South Africa, their livestock have been carving hillside trails. These incredibly rugged, yet perfectly manicured paths along the wild Pondoland Coast pay testament to this.
Mainly due to the political rollercoaster that the Transkei has undergone, combined with the huge logistical challenges that this area faces such as scant road infrastructure and river gorges that cut deep into the interior, the coastline has remained largely undiscovered. Only very few pioneers have ventured into this unexplored territory mostly through raw, self-supported missions.
Wild Child Africa who specialise in fully catered walking trails along this stretch of coastline, hereby present you with the Pondo Trail™ in an ULTRA and 3 DAY STAGE trail run format. The Ultra is 103km and will be run in a single stage, whereas the Coaster is 103km in legs of 36km, 34km and 33km.
Both formats are paired team events and all teams are to enter, run and finish together. No exceptions will be considered due to the technical nature of the trail and the numerous river crossings along the way. Choose wisely!
This unique coastline is too fragile to sustain high density tourism. Therefore, the Pondo Trail™ is an exclusive, high-end product with a low environmental impact that strives to educate the fortunate few who grace its shores. May they experience its inner beauty and endeavour to preserve its future.
Join our Wild Child Tribe to be the first to hear about our newest adventures
Wednesday 28th May
15:00 – Coaster Registration and room check in opens
18:00 – Race welcome and briefing
19:00 – Dinner
22:00 – Registration closes
Thursday 29th May
06:30 – Breakfast opens
08:15 – Shuttle transfer to start
09:00 – Race starts
13:00 – 16:30 – Arrival at Msikaba beach
13:00 – 16:30 – Lunch open and room check in
17:30 – Fines and awards around the fire
19:00 – Dinner
Friday 30th May – Coaster
06:30– Breakfast opens and bag drop
08:00– Day 2 Route briefing
08:30– Day 2 Start
12:30 – 16:30– Arrival at Mbotyi River Lodge
12:30 – 16:30 – Lunch open and room check-in
17:30 – Fines and awards around the fire
19:00 – Dinner
Friday 30th May – Ultra
14:00 – Access to Ultra Chill Zone
16:00 – Ultra Registration opens
18:00 – Dinner opens
20:00 – Late night snack
22:00 – Race start time (subject to change based on weather and sea conditions)
Saturday 31st May – Coaster
07:00 – Breakfast opens and bag drop
08:30 – Day 3 Route briefing
09:00 – Day 3 start
12:30 – 17:00 – Arrival at finish.
18:00 – PONDO Coaster awards ceremony
19:00 – Dinner
20:00 – Late – Tomorrowland in Pondoland party to watch the Ultra runners come home!!!
Saturday 31st May – Ultra
15:00 – 16-hour Ultra cut-off will be enforced at Mbotyi aid station (75km)
Sunday 1st June
07:00 – Breakfast all runners
08:30 – PONDO prize giving
09:30 – Transfers back to Port Edward and Durban
Note: There will be no early transfers. Please do not book flights before 5pm
Over the 4 nights (Port Edward, Msikaba and Mbotyi) you will be accommodated in a mixture of lodge and tented race village style accommodation. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included at all race venues. A cash bar facility will be available at all venues.
Compulsory Gear – Coaster – per runner Minimum 2L hydration capacity, Waterproof Layer, Smart Cell Phone and minimum 2500mAh power bank, Dry Bag for river crossings, Headlight and spare batteries. We HIGHLY recommend Coaster runners to carry at least one device per team, in the form of a GPS watch or hand-held GPS. We will be sending out GPX and FIT files for each day of the Coaster prior to your arrival in Port Edward. Compulsory gear – Ultra – per runner Minimum 2L hydration capacity, Waterproof Layer, Smart Cell Phone and minimum 6000mAh power bank, Dry Bag for river crossings, Headlight and 2 x sets spare batteries, Thermal Layer, Space Blanket, GPS and spare batteries or GPS watch and charging cable. A navigation device is compulsory for all Ultra athletes. We will be sending out GPX and FIT files for the full race prior to your arrival in Port Edward. There will be a gear drop available at the 75km Mbotyi Aid Station for Ultra Runners. (max 2kg per person)
Coaster runners
You will be gifted with an incredible race bag from Sealand. This is a 67L duffel and this is the bag that will be transported to the overnight stops each day. Our staff will make sure your bag is in your room / tent each night; however, it will be your duty to return your bag to the bag pound, within the communicated times each morning. Please ensure that all you bring (running gear, snacks, fairy wings etc) is able to fit inside your Sealand Duffel as this will be the only bag permitted to travel with us from Port Edward onwards. Please ensure only soft cases are brought from home to ensure they can fit inside your Sealand duffel when you re-pack in port Edward.
Ultra runners:
You’ll also be gifted an epic Sealand (67L) duffel bag that needs to accommodate everything you bring. Please ensure only soft cases are brought from home to ensure they can fit inside your Sealand duffel when you re-pack in Port Edward. Please make sure all your bags are tagged properly. You will be issued with bag tags. This includes your drop bag for Mbotyi. Please note, your drop bag is transported in a helicopter and CANNOT be more than 2kg per runner.
Wednesday 28th May 2025 – Coaster Runners:
14:00 – King Shaka Airport to Port Edward – R450
Friday 3oth May 2025 – Ultra Runners:
14:00 – King Shaka Airport to Port Edward – R450
Sunday 1st June 2025:
09:30 – (Finish back to Start) Mbotyi River Lodge, to Port Edward – included in package.
09:30 – Mbotyi River Lodge to King Shaka airport – R650 (Please don’t book flights before 17:00)
Note: There will be NO earlier transfers.
1 August 2024 – 31 October 2024 – 75%
1 November 2024 – 31 December 2024 – 50%
1 January 2025 – 28 Feb 2025 – 25%
1 March 2025 onwards – no refund
Please note: No entries will be carried over to the following year. If you cannot run, it is up to you to find a substitution.
Please contact the race director should you wish to do an entry substitution.
The first 70km follows a North to South route, predominantly along cattle paths. In many instances, there will be a high tide and low tide route and this is where you will need to use your initiative and navigational skill to negotiate the best and safest route. Between 70km and 93km, the trail enters the wild coastal forests and leads you slightly inland, before finally turning back north along the coast for the last 10km. Other than in the forest, where additional marking will be in place, our intention is to keep the route as natural and raw as possible so there are few marked sections along the way.
The markings on the first 70km will either be a safety measure or a pointer to a surprise, a challenge or a beautiful view point. For this first 70km, the key is to keep the sea on your left and identify a well-used path heading in a southerly direction as these will generally follow the path of least resistance and keep you on track. Always keep an eye on your GPS to make sure that your chosen cattle path is in fact leading you on the correct route.
Port Edward to Msikaba – 36km
(Aid Station – 25km – Mtentu)
A perfectly timed low tide just after the start time will enable you to stretch your legs along the first 18kms of hard sand and endless beaches till you reach Sikombe Point. From there a short inland section through the rural Pondo villages will bring you to the Aid Station at Mtentu Lodge. A river crossing will then take you into the Mkambathi Nature Reserve for the remainder of the day till you reach Msikaba on the southern boundary. The day offers incredible diversity in a mostly forgotten wilderness: grass plains with a large range of antelope, thick indigenous forests, crystal clear waterfalls and numerous shipwrecks on the coast.
Msikaba to Mbotyi – 34km
(Aid Station – 18km – Luphatana)
A fantastic stretch with the perfect mix of grasslands, undulating hills and desolate beaches will take you past the legendary Grosvenor shipwreck and onto the famous Wild Coast salt-water-shower and aid station at Luphatana. We then continue along the majestic Waterfall Bluff section past the spectacular Mlambomkulu Falls and Cathedral Rock view point before dropping down onto a long beach section before our finish at Mbotyi River Lodge.
Day 3 Mbotyi Loop – 34km
(Aid Station – 17km – Cabbage Patch)
From Mbotyi, we leave the coastal trail and head inland through incredible virgin forests, remote valleys and grassy headlands. These are some of the wildest areas left in Pondoland and runners will have a glimpse of a place that has remained unchanged for centuries. ‘Cabbage Patch’ aid station will be an absolute highlight before you embark on 8km of breath-taking trail along the Mzintlava River down to the idyllic Manteku beach. Now heading north, five pristine beaches and the notorious Shark’s Point lie between you and the finish line back the Mbotyi River Lodge.
All 3 days in one go!!!
Aid stations will be stocked with the usual water, coke, juice, fruit, potatoes, sweets and chocolates as well as Toots legendary home baked treats and other surprises along the way. Basic self-help medical kits will be available at these stations.
Ultra Aid Stations located at 25km, 41km, 70km, 86km, 93km.
We will have a medical team on standby during each day. All emergency procedures will be briefed in at race briefing. Please ensure you have all your compulsory equipment and know how to use it.
River safety:
There are numerous river crossings on the route. These rivers vary hugely from year to year, month to month and even daily, depending on rainfall, sea conditions and tides. Although canoes will be positioned at the large river crossing, all runners must be able to swim at least 50m unaided.
Note:
This is a team event. Teams must remain within eye contact of one another at all times. Teams must start, finish and stay together throughout the event. Should one teammate have to withdraw due to injury, the second teammate may continue, but MUST join another team and inform the race officials of this. Any runner finishing alone will be liable for disqualification subject to the race director’s decision.
Race bibs must be pinned on the front of your body and must be visible at all times.
A single stage team event from Port Edward into the remote wilderness of Pondoland, covering 103km of the wildest ‘Wild Coast’ in South Africa.
5,500.00 pp / 11,000.00 per team
A three-stage team event from Port Edward into the remote wilderness of Pondoland, covering 103km of the wildest ‘Wild Coast’ in South Africa.
14,950.00 pp / 29,900.00 per team
Our adventure starts in Port Edward if you choose the ocean safari transfer, or at Mtentu if you would rather travel by road. The day then offers incredible diversity in a mostly forgotten wilderness through the Mkambathi Nature Reserve; grass plains with a large range of antelope, a picnic lunch beneath a crystal-clear waterfall and finishing with sundowners overlooking the Msikaba estuary. Overnight at Msikaba Beach Camp. Distance +- 15km.
Optional – A boat transfer from Port Edward to Mtentu not only misses out a long and bumpy dirt road but allows for a phenomenal ocean safari to view dolphins, whales and the sardine migration in season. Highly recommended!
An early wakeup will coax you out of bed for a sunrise paddle up the Msikaba estuary for coffee and rusks before returning for breakfast at camp. The trail continues South from Msikaba to Luphatana past the site of the famous Grosvenor shipwreck, conveniently situated beside a protected beach, perfect for a lunchbreak and siesta. Champagne Mile and the famous Wild Coast salt-water-shower marks the end of the day’s walk and bring us to the rustic Luphatana Beach Camp where we will rest our heads for the night. Distance +- 18km.
This day is a mighty one! Filled with majestic landmarks and breath-taking viewpoints. Waterfall Bluff, Bessie’s Cave and Cathedral Rock are only a few of the highlights that can be looked forward to. Overnight at Mbotyi River Lodge. Distance +- 19km.
As in every good story, we save the best for last. The short stretch from Mbotyi to Manteku is the epitome of this beautiful coastline; boasting five secluded, Milkwood framed beaches, linked only by secret cattle paths. Manteku’s private beach and estuary offers the perfect end to your life-changing journey. Distance +- 10km.
DAY 5
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and return home sporting the glorious “Pondo Glow”
As in every good story, we save the best for last. The short stretch from Mbotyi to Manteku is the epitome of this beautiful coastline; boasting five secluded, Milkwood framed beaches, linked only by secret cattle paths. Manteku’s private beach and estuary offers the perfect end to your life-changing journey. Distance +- 10km.
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and return home sporting the glorious “Pondo Glow”
