Pondoland

#Pondoland Pondoland is located in the coastal part of the Eastern Cape province. It is situated in the former Pondo Kingdom and the traditional region of the Pondo people, one of the Xhosa speaking groups. Pondoland stretches between the Mthatha - and the Mtamvuna Rivers in the north along a coastal strip that is a maximum 50 km deep.

The Bushmen and Khoi Khoi people inhabited the region since ancient times in scattered nomadic groups. In the 16th century Pondo people settled in the area, the mountain grasslands were a good resource for their cattle.

The Silakal Coastal Reserve lies in a forested valley south of Port St Johns and stretches from Second Beach to Sugar loaf Rock. Trails lead through the evergreen forest and provide the opportunity to view a great variety of birds as well as a number of Zebra and antelopes.

The Nkambati Nature reserve is a 8,000 ha coastal reserve and consists mostly of open grassland dissected by perennial streams and flanked by the magnificent forested ravines of the Msikaba and Mtentu rivers. Grasslands cover a large portion of the reserve and support a fascinating and diverse flora. A large variety of herbivores are to be found here.