Amadiba AreaThe Pondoland Wild Coast (Transkei) runs between the
Umtamvuna River (Port Edward) in the north and Port St.
Johns in the south ?? a distance of approximately 110km.
The coast is endowed with exceptional natural beauty and
clean seas. It falls within the Pondoland area of
endemism ?? one of seven areas in the world with unusually
high levels of biodiversity. A large number of rivers and
estuaries with spectacular gorges and deep-forested
ravines, rugged cliffs, sheltered beaches and lagoons
provide a great variety of landscapes along the seafront. | |
The grasslands and forest support a wide range of birds -
Knysna loeries, trumpeter hornbills and forest weavers can
be seen at the pools. Crowned crane and the imposing
ground hornbills (almost extinct in KwaZulu Natal) are
often encountered on the plains, and it is possible to come
close to these birds whilst on horseback. | |
In the winter months large schools of dolphins and whales
move close in-shore and sightings of dolphins surfing in
the waves are common. In June and July, the largest animal
migration in the world occurs when huge shoals of sardines
move north along the coast, followed by flocks of diving
gannets, dolphins, game fish and sharks. | |
The area also has a long history of association with
mankind. Archaeological evidence suggests that hunter-
gatherers were present throughout the region between 150
000 and 500 000 years ago. Caves in the deep sandstone
gorges and sea cliffs offered shelter to early human
dwellers. Numerous Iron Age and Stone Age sites, including
shell middens from early strandloper origin, can be seen
along the coast. The coast is littered with shipwrecks,
including that of the Sao Bento (1554) at the mouth of
the Msikaba River, the second oldest recorded wreck in
South Africa. The wreck of the Grosvenor (1782), with
its alleged cargo of gold, lies in the Lambasi Bay. | |
The Amadiba Tribal Area occupies the northernmost section
of the Wild Coast. It is a ruggedly beautiful territory
that lies between the Mzamba and the Mtentu Rivers,
extending 20km inland. An area of hills and waterfalls,
petrified forests and ancient archaeological sites, of
long white beaches and hungry rocks which gnaw at the
skeletons of ships. It is home to the AmaPondo - farming
people who ride the hills and valleys on their hardy
ponies, and who meet the twentieth century with their
traditions and culture intact. | |
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