Hiking
Pondo Trail 2025
Contributed by Benji Hartman
South Africa
An account of a flawed attempt at South Africa’s famous Pondo Trail Expedition (Gone Wrong)
Theoretically, the Pondo Trail is a four-night, five-day hike through South Africa’s stunning East Coast Pondo Land, put on by Wild Child Adventures. I say theoretically, as it is always at the behest of Mother Nature, as we found out during our attempt in February 2025.
After a transfer from King Shaka Airport, we arrived at a hotel in Port Edward in the early evening for a mission briefing and an introduction to our guide. It was at this point that the heavens opened, and they would not close for a number of days. The Pondo Trail adventure normally begins with an ocean transfer in a dinghy across the bay, followed by an ocean swim to the starting point of the hike. However, the rain and high swells meant the skipper called off our transfer, and we instead attempted to drive to the starting point. Frustratingly close to said starting point, we encountered an overflowing bridge, and despite much stick-poking and napkin maths about flow rate and depth, we eventually watched the remnants of someone’s house wash straight over the bridge. This caused sense to prevail, and we decided to loop back around and drive to Camp Three, Mboyti River Lodge. A real disappointment, as Camps One and Two are said to be a set of stunning beach bungalows.
On the morning of Day Two, the rain finally subsided, and we set off backwards from Camp Three in an attempt to cover as much of the original route as possible. This was our first taste of the real Pondo experience, and it was spectacular. A mix of the greenest rolling hills, jagged coastlines, river crossings and stretches of beach, we really found our stride. We looped back to Mboyti River Lodge, arriving in the late evening by torchlight.
Day Three was our only day that we got the proper Pondo experience, as we hiked roughly 19 km from Camp Three to the final camp. The hike itself was challenging but stunning, culminating in a swim across a lagoon to the most enthusiastic of welcomes, usually reserved for exhausted groups who have completed the entire route by this point. We did feel slightly fraudulent; however, a few drinks later, we forgot and partied with the guides and staff late into the morning.
On our final day, we did a loop from the final camp to visit the stunning Mhlambokhulu Falls, the world’s highest river-to-sea waterfall (I think). It is hard to convey the sound or scale of this place, but it was beyond epic. After poking around the waterfall and having lunch, we returned to the final camp and were once again greeted as though we had just completed the whole thing again. We were not complaining.
The final day is a long journey back to King Shaka by bus (or helicopter, if you are feeling flush). I finished Pondo with mixed feelings. I was incredibly grateful for the experience and the chance to see what, in my opinion, must be one of our country’s most beautiful landscapes. However, I was irritated that the genuine challenge element had been taken from us. Maybe a future SimboNation trip could rectify these feelings.
What separates the Pondo experience, in my mind, from other similar hiking expeditions is the mix of genuinely challenging and long hikes, topping out at 19 km on Day Three, with the luxurious service encountered in between. After hours of hiking, climbing, river crossings, etc., you will walk around a corner to find the staff have set up lunch, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Steak, boerie, chops, salads and cold beers are a daily lunchtime ritual throughout.
The camps themselves are also the best of bush luxury. Every evening, you are greeted at the camps by friendly staff welcoming you with a song and what can only be described as buckets of G&Ts. Your quarters have proper beds with real linen, your bags will have been brought to your room, unpacked, and any necessary washing done. And, most importantly, hot showers.
Every dinner was exceptional, and the booze is all included and flows as such. The guides are incredibly competent, not only at leading you through the route but also in the retelling of local stories and myths, facilitating drinking games each evening, introducing you to interesting locals and their customs, and generally bringing the group together to create an experience that feels unique and unformulaic.
