If you have followed along with on my adventures in South Africa you will know my views of Coffee Bay and my contrast of feelings with Cintsa. I thought it would be interesting to compare the two so you can choose which type of traveller you are, what you are interested in and help you make the right choice.
The reason I am having this debate or comparison is that I had a number conversations on the bus about each of these places.
Understandably it is hard to compare two different places as there will always be pro and cons for different areas in the country. But I will try to be objective as possible.
Coffee Bay – Coffee Shack
Coffee Bay
Located in an extremely rural part of the wild coast
Directly situated on the beach and in walking distance from the ocean
Party town in the middle of nowhere, where anything goes
Drugs are readily available at low prices if you are into that
Only a small selection of places to eat, but the food is amazing and usually organic
Budget style of accommodation with only a few more luxurious options
Plenty of activities to do including surfing, hole in the wall tour and cultural tours into the town
Volunteering opportunities available
I found the accommodation a little dirty
More of a rough and ready feel where you are on a deserted island – not many people on the beach
Cintsa – Buccaneers
Cinsta
Located on a hill a brief 8 minute walk to the beach
Adventure activities including surfing, kite surfing, stand up paddle boarding, game reserve drives
Volunteering opportunities available
Local tribe tours available
Free activity with free wine offered every night
The accommodation was extremely clean and tidy
More of a holiday beach feel with more people on the beach and loads of people in the water
Budget style accommodation but with a twist plus it caters for the backpackers every need
New private ensuite rooms are being built to cater for the traveller who wants more privacy.
Shells on the beach
These are my opinions and mine alone. I believe that Coffee Bay caters more for the young traveller who is just out of school and is looking to party and meeting new people.
Buccaneers has a more relaxed feel and I think caters for both the young traveller and the over 30′s traveller who wants to have some privacy during their stay.
However, (to sit on the fence even more!) I think either way you shouldn’t miss out on both of these destinations as they have their good points and always be up for any experience.
You really need to go to both if you are travelling through South Africa and I would be interested to hear if you have been to both and what you thought.
