Kei Mouth

Kei Mouth sits on the western bank of the Great Kei River where it meets the Indian Ocean, about 94 km east of East London on the coastal Wild Coast route. It falls within the Great Kei Local Municipality in the Amathole District. The town is a holiday village in the true sense: built around the beach, the river, and the small-town rhythms of fishing and walking. The population is small and the commercial infrastructure is minimal. What it has is a specific character that is harder to find further up the Wild Coast.

The defining feature is the Pont — the pontoon ferry across the Great Kei River. It is one of only three car-transporting pontoon ferries still operating in South Africa and runs 365 days a year, shutting only when conditions are genuinely dangerous. The ferry carries vehicles, passengers, and livestock. The trip itself takes a few minutes but sits in the memory for longer. On the northern bank is Morgan Bay, a companion village. The two are linked by the ferry and share the events and rhythms of the December holiday season.

Beaches stretch in both directions from the river mouth. The surf is consistent. There are ski-boat launch facilities, rock fishing spots, coastal hiking trails, horse riding, and a small game reserve just outside of town. Birding along the river mouth and the coastal forest is productive. The December season brings music events, craft markets, beach volleyball, and the general noise of a fully occupied coastal village. The rest of the year, Kei Mouth exhales.

The Wild Coast begins in earnest on the northern side of the Kei. Taking the ferry and riding or hiking north from Morgan Bay puts you into that landscape properly.