What to pack
Your bags travel by vehicle, so weight is not the constraint it usually is — you only carry a daypack. Two things ruin a Wild Coast trek, and both are on this list: blisters and chafe.
Carry these every day
- Shoes you have already walked in. Blisters are enemy number one, and a new pair of boots is how you get them.
- More socks than you think. Two pairs a day — the second pair keeps beach sand off your skin, which is what actually causes the blisters.
- Vaseline or an anti-chafe balm. Enemy number two.
- A daypack for water and snacks.
- Water bottles or a hydration pack — at least 1.5 litres a day. Juice concentrate helps if you struggle to drink plain water.
- Snacks you will actually eat on a long day. Energy bars, biltong, whatever works for you.
- A swimming costume, carried rather than worn. Wet fabric plus walking equals chafe.
- A small towel for the beach stops.
- A light rain jacket, or a plastic poncho.
- A dry bag or ziplock for your phone.
- A cap or peak.
- A few blister plasters. We carry a full first aid kit, but your feet are your own.
For the cottages
- A towel and a swimming costume.
- A head-torch. Not every cottage has power.
- Casual clothes for the evenings. Hot days, cool nights.
- Mosquito repellent.
- About R200 in cash if you would like to buy crafts from the villages you walk through. Most of the vendors also take SnapScan — we set that up for them, so the money reaches them directly.
