About
Protea Ridge
trust in experience
Protea Ridge (or Elityeni, as the homestead is often referred to in the local isiXhosa language), is situated 40-odd kilometers from the nearest town of Lusikisiki on the infamous and winding, undulating R61, at the end of a dusty, bumpy and one-way gravel road, which threads its way through numerous valleys until it finally ends at the village of Ndengane at the mouth of the breathtaking Msikaba River on SA’s Wild Coast! Unless you are travelling on foot along the Wild Coast, or by helicopter, bicycle, or horseback perhaps, it’s a one way in /one way out destination! A road that goes no-where else. The closest airports, King Shaka International and Mthatha Airport are a 5 and 3 hour drive away respectively and a shuttle service can be arranged in advance. 90 km away to the South, the brave and adventurous can land or depart at the small mountain top landing strip on the top of Mount Thesiger overlooking the historical village of Port Saint John. Even closer at just 5km away, is the grass runway established during the 2nd World War for anti-U-Boat submarine missions, now known as Mkweni Airstrip and maintained by Legendary “old Transkei” family, The Goss’s, who have their home nearby. Old “depth charge” pill boxes or concrete bunkers the only sign of this flat hilltop area’s past connections to WW2!
Roughly mid way between the closest coastal towns of Port Edward to the North and Port St Johns to the south lies Protea Ridge, a comfortable, community style, home-stay residence with the option of 2 side by side en-suite & self-catering cottages with huge shared verandah over-looking the village and Indian Ocean below. Rondawels and small bungalows with shared kitchen, dining and bathroom facilities in single and double rooms or a large, shared dormitory rondawel (thatch-roofed round hut) with single or bunk bed sleeping options. The large and comfortable “Main House” offers pre-arranged meals and a large dining area, complete with wood-fired oven, means freshly baked bread is always at hand. An interesting book and vast DVD collection along with puzzles and crafting “kits” allow for indoor entertainment on a rainy day! Depending on sleeping configurations, Protea Ridge can easily sleep 20 or more people. A dedicated “office and reception area” housing various fascinating cultural “inguni” items and comfortable seating, creates an additional reading room or mini-lounge. Clean borehole water pumped and stored in traditional concrete reservoirs supplies kitchens, bathrooms and garden taps whilst rain water is harvested from various rooftops for drinking.
This one of a kind “homestay” is situated on the hills above the Indian Ocean just a short, exhilarating hike past various streams & waterfalls, cycads and proteas, & just over a kilometer from the famous Msikaba Vulture Colony, habited by upwards of 200 resident breading Cape Vulture pairs. The entire area is surrounded by prehistoric gorges & escarpments, crystal clear mountain streams and numerous valleys accessible only by foot and one can be forgiven for thinking you’re walking through “Lord of the Rings” country! With its vast, natural rock gardens and various South African artists sculptures and art-works dotted around, Elityeni or Protea Ridge is a unique and one-of-a-kind destination on South Africa’s breathtaking Wild Coast.
Having these huge Cape Vultures, sometimes numbering 20-30, glide silently over the premises on their way back to their roost in the Msikaba Gorge is not an uncommon site. The abundance of water, along with the many indigenous trees and flowers planted at Protea Ridge have made it a bird-haven and numerous pairs of beautiful birds reside safely here. Gurneys “sugar-bird”, Mocking-Cliff chats, Rock Thrushes, Burchell’s Coucal (the rain bird), varieties of sun-birds, and seed-eaters are just some of the birds which reside here & are heard singing their tunes daily. Ground Hornbills are commonly spotted from the comfort of the Protea Ridge verandah’s as they strut past in search of lizards, frogs and snakes!
Set on its own unique escarpment, Protea Ridge overlooks the rural and friendly coastal hamlet of Ndengane, home of the local Pondo community. The owners of Protea Ridge have known many of the community members for most of their lives and in turn share a very open and integrated life with their Community. Fruit, vegetables and a variety of seafood and shellfish in season along with building materials, are traded throughout the year helping to contribute to our area’s “sustainability”. The “homestay” has been built entirely from local resources and many Kwandengane community members have contributed to the various stages of the building up of this unique accommodation set on the slopes overlooking this remarkable stretch of “untouched” Mpondopland. Community sleep-overs and meals can be arranged and evening “sundowners” in the local tavern make for a fun end to another incredible day spent on this remarkable stretch of Wild Coast. By prior arrangement, community “cultural” evenings with dancing and drumming can easily be arranged around the evening campfires at Protea Ridge.
Close by and just beyond the Msikaba “island” is the invisible wreck site of the 16th Century Portuguese shipwreck, the Sao Bento, the gravesite hidden beneath the waves, where the many 100’s of people perished in the 1560’s. A monument dedicated to the Sao Bento crew and slaves who perished here almost 500 years ago has been erected at Protea Ridge. Slightly further south, a short hike away, one stumbles upon the jiggered coastline which claimed the Grosvenor, an East Indiaman merchant ship in 1782!
https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/ship-sao-bento-st-benedict-wrecked-transkei-coast
The ocean, tiny lagoons and various small secluded beaches in the area, with their giant Milkwood Trees, growing out of the sand, are small enclaves of paradise and the Mskikaba Beach was just one of only two South African beaches that made it to the 2018 “worlds best beaches” list.
Literally dozens of waterfalls and cascades snake their way across the hills and valleys surrounding Protea Ridge and a walk during summer warm downpour is an unforgettable experience and truly a site to behold! You are in the heart of the Pondoland Centre of Endemism. Some plants and flowers found around here are only found here and nowhere else in the world.
Just across the Msikaba River, home to the unique miniature coconut palm trees otherwise only common to Brazil and the Mtentu River 10km to the North, lies the totally unspoiled Mkambathi Nature Reserve in all its incredible glory and a few Km’s to the South is Port Grosvenor and more mysterious shipwreck stories and what happened to the treasures and survivors that the ship carried cast onto these remote shores!
https://www.countrylife.co.za/travel/heritage/story-wreck-grosvenor
Come for a visit and feel free to “take your time” by foot, canoe, paraglider, bicycle, with your paintbrush or camera, or simply by yourself. Protea Ridge is the ideal place to base yourself, long term or short term, and the perfect springboard from where to explore this vast region and have the luxury of returning back to your warm and safe bed each night!
Regrettably, Protea Ridge does not accept any cash on the premises. Strictly card or EFT payments only please.
Let's start your journey!
Important Note
PLEASE BE AWARE
Municipal services do not reach far down into the rural areas. With this in mind please remember:
All water at Protea Ridge is either harvested during rainy days for drinking, or pumped from the borehole to the concrete reservoir for kitchens, bathrooms and showers. Please use water sparingly and considerately.
Littering is not tolerated at Protea Ridge. Use the bins provided.
Stow it, don’t throw it.
Protea Ridge is serviced by Eskom but only has limited generator power for emergencies and for keeping deep freezers cold. Always bring a torch as management has no control over the Eskom power supply. Candles and/or small solar lights are provided.
About
Protea Ridge
trust in experience
Protea Ridge (or Elityeni, as the homestead is often referred to in the local isiXhosa language), is situated 40-odd kilometers from the nearest town of Lusikisiki on the infamous and winding, undulating R61, at the end of a dusty, bumpy and one-way gravel road, which threads its way through numerous valleys until it finally ends at the village of Ndengane at the mouth of the breathtaking Msikaba River on SA’s Wild Coast! Unless you are travelling on foot along the Wild Coast, or by helicopter, bicycle, or horseback perhaps, it’s a one way in /one way out destination! A road that goes no-where else. The closest airports, King Shaka International and Mthatha Airport are a 5 and 3 hour drive away respectively and a shuttle service can be arranged in advance. 90 km away to the South, the brave and adventurous can land or depart at the small mountain top landing strip on the top of Mount Thesiger overlooking the historical village of Port Saint John. Even closer at just 5km away, is the grass runway established during the 2nd World War for anti-U-Boat submarine missions, now known as Mkweni Airstrip and maintained by Legendary “old Transkei” family, The Goss’s, who have their home nearby. Old “depth charge” pill boxes or concrete bunkers the only sign of this flat hilltop area’s past connections to WW2!
Roughly mid way between the closest coastal towns of Port Edward to the North and Port St Johns to the south lies Protea Ridge, a comfortable, community style, home-stay residence with the option of 2 side by side en-suite & self-catering cottages with huge shared verandah over-looking the village and Indian Ocean below. Rondawels and small bungalows with shared kitchen, dining and bathroom facilities in single and double rooms or a large, shared dormitory rondawel (thatch-roofed round hut) with single or bunk bed sleeping options. The large and comfortable “Main House” offers pre-arranged meals and a large dining area, complete with wood-fired oven, means freshly baked bread is always at hand. An interesting book and vast DVD collection along with puzzles and crafting “kits” allow for indoor entertainment on a rainy day! Depending on sleeping configurations, Protea Ridge can easily sleep 20 or more people. A dedicated “office and reception area” housing various fascinating cultural “inguni” items and comfortable seating, creates an additional reading room or mini-lounge. Clean borehole water pumped and stored in traditional concrete reservoirs supplies kitchens, bathrooms and garden taps whilst rain water is harvested from various rooftops for drinking.
This one of a kind “homestay” is situated on the hills above the Indian Ocean just a short, exhilarating hike past various streams & waterfalls, cycads and proteas, & just over a kilometer from the famous Msikaba Vulture Colony, habited by upwards of 200 resident breading Cape Vulture pairs. The entire area is surrounded by prehistoric gorges & escarpments, crystal clear mountain streams and numerous valleys accessible only by foot and one can be forgiven for thinking you’re walking through “Lord of the Rings” country! With its vast, natural rock gardens and various South African artists sculptures and art-works dotted around, Elityeni or Protea Ridge is a unique and one-of-a-kind destination on South Africa’s breathtaking Wild Coast.
Having these huge Cape Vultures, sometimes numbering 20-30, glide silently over the premises on their way back to their roost in the Msikaba Gorge is not an uncommon site. The abundance of water, along with the many indigenous trees and flowers planted at Protea Ridge have made it a bird-haven and numerous pairs of beautiful birds reside safely here. Gurneys “sugar-bird”, Mocking-Cliff chats, Rock Thrushes, Burchell’s Coucal (the rain bird), varieties of sun-birds, and seed-eaters are just some of the birds which reside here & are heard singing their tunes daily. Ground Hornbills are commonly spotted from the comfort of the Protea Ridge verandah’s as they strut past in search of lizards, frogs and snakes!
Set on its own unique escarpment, Protea Ridge overlooks the rural and friendly coastal hamlet of Ndengane, home of the local Pondo community. The owners of Protea Ridge have known many of the community members for most of their lives and in turn share a very open and integrated life with their Community. Fruit, vegetables and a variety of seafood and shellfish in season along with building materials, are traded throughout the year helping to contribute to our area’s “sustainability”. The “homestay” has been built entirely from local resources and many Kwandengane community members have contributed to the various stages of the building up of this unique accommodation set on the slopes overlooking this remarkable stretch of “untouched” Mpondopland. Community sleep-overs and meals can be arranged and evening “sundowners” in the local tavern make for a fun end to another incredible day spent on this remarkable stretch of Wild Coast. By prior arrangement, community “cultural” evenings with dancing and drumming can easily be arranged around the evening campfires at Protea Ridge.
Close by and just beyond the Msikaba “island” is the invisible wreck site of the 16th Century Portuguese shipwreck, the Sao Bento, the gravesite hidden beneath the waves, where the many 100’s of people perished in the 1560’s. A monument dedicated to the Sao Bento crew and slaves who perished here almost 500 years ago has been erected at Protea Ridge. Slightly further south, a short hike away, one stumbles upon the jiggered coastline which claimed the Grosvenor, an East Indiaman merchant ship in 1782!
https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/ship-sao-bento-st-benedict-wrecked-transkei-coast
The ocean, tiny lagoons and various small secluded beaches in the area, with their giant Milkwood Trees, growing out of the sand, are small enclaves of paradise and the Mskikaba Beach was just one of only two South African beaches that made it to the 2018 “worlds best beaches” list.
Literally dozens of waterfalls and cascades snake their way across the hills and valleys surrounding Protea Ridge and a walk during summer warm downpour is an unforgettable experience and truly a site to behold! You are in the heart of the Pondoland Centre of Endemism. Some plants and flowers found around here are only found here and nowhere else in the world.
Just across the Msikaba River, home to the unique miniature coconut palm trees otherwise only common to Brazil and the Mtentu River 10km to the North, lies the totally unspoiled Mkambathi Nature Reserve in all its incredible glory and a few Km’s to the South is Port Grosvenor and more mysterious shipwreck stories and what happened to the treasures and survivors that the ship carried cast onto these remote shores!
https://www.countrylife.co.za/travel/heritage/story-wreck-grosvenor
Come for a visit and feel free to “take your time” by foot, canoe, paraglider, bicycle, with your paintbrush or camera, or simply by yourself. Protea Ridge is the ideal place to base yourself, long term or short term, and the perfect springboard from where to explore this vast region and have the luxury of returning back to your warm and safe bed each night!
Regrettably, Protea Ridge does not accept any cash on the premises. Strictly card or EFT payments only please.
Let's start your journey!
Important Note
PLEASE BE AWARE
Municipal services do not reach far down into the rural areas. With this in mind please remember:
All water at Protea Ridge is either harvested during rainy days for drinking, or pumped from the borehole to the concrete reservoir for kitchens, bathrooms and showers. Please use water sparingly and considerately.
Littering is not tolerated at Protea Ridge. Use the bins provided.
Stow it, don’t throw it.
Protea Ridge is serviced by Eskom but only has limited generator power for emergencies and for keeping deep freezers cold. Always bring a torch as management has no control over the Eskom power supply. Candles and/or small solar lights are provided.