The South African Coast Line: A Miraculous Feat of the Terrains’ Enduring Spirit

Defiant against the relentless onslaught of two converging oceans. Colliding on the southernmost tip of the African continent. The diversity created by these primal forces is a thing of beauty. Best experience a couple hundred foot from above at no more than a hundred odd knots, “low & slow”.

Scenic coastal flights like this have to be one of my favourite past times. Regardless of time of year, the experience is always a treat. Starting on the east coast, mid-year departures should put you in place to witness the infamous sardine run.

“The greatest shoal on Earth,” where billions of sardines run North along the East Coast after spawning in the cool Agulhus waters. A spectacle unlike any other. Leaving the Sardines behind & continuing West, the first thing you’ll notice is the dissipation of development.

As you traverse the Transkei, city skylines are traded for rondavels. Traditional huts perched on high hills with Nguni cattle roaming the sandy beaches below. Highways are now cascading rivers running for the cliffs, falling free to their final destination of the Indian Ocean.

The 250km of Transkei coastline is arguably one of the best experiences you can have in an aircraft. Pods of whales & dolphins. Villagers herding cattle across cliffs. The Wild Coast is an enchanting place.

Next is the Port of Elizabeth which briefly brings us back to civilization, before whipping you around a peninsula & onto the Garden Route. Here the Karoo mountain range becomes a prominent feature all the way to the Cape.

Small towns nestled along the coast with lush lands & fertile forests footing the hills that form majestic mountain ranges. & to think, that’s not even the half of it. Flying along the South African coastline is definitely a journey worth taking.

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