- Eastern Cape
- Amatola Coastal
- Chintsa (Cintsa) East
Chintsa (Cintsa) East, Amatola Coastal, Eastern Cape
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- Activities & Entertainment (1)
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Chintsa, formally Cintsa, is a coastal village in the Wild Coast region approximately 38 km north-east from East London and half way between Cape Town and Durban. The town is divided by the lagoon in to Chintsa East, to the north and Chintsa West, to the south. Chintsa East is the more developed of the two and most popular with tourists.
Chintsa is an unspoilt seaside paradise, often mistakenly regarded as part of the Wild Coast, and though it lies very close manages to fall just outside. It is perhaps the most pristine seaside village on this stretch South African coastline and the beauty of the surrounds is the reason, so many seek out this peaceful spot time and time again. To its residents and summer visitors it offers a tranquil setting surrounded by lush indigenous forest, a gorgeous 32 km stretch of white sandy beaches and amazing bird life.
A perfect holiday spot, Chintsa has no malaria and plenty of outdoor attractions close by, from trips to the Wild Coast, golfing in East London, game drives, surf school or just relaxing on the beach. The sea is relatively flat with small waves, ideal for children and rock fishing, another popular pastime of the small seaside village residents.
There are two resort areas catering to tourists and accommodation varies from popular seaside resorts, B&B’s, Guesthouses and self-catering chalets to caravanning and camping.
Places to Visit
Things to do and see
- Inkwenkwezi Game Reserve
- Chintsa Beach
- Glen Eden Beach
- Yellow Sands Beach
- Emerald Vale Brewery
- 3 Silos Mountain Bike Adventure Trails
- East London Golf Course
- Olivewood Golf Course
Climate
Chintsa receives approximately 626 mm of rain annually with the majority of its’ rainfall occurring during the summer months.
Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 16˚C and 27˚C.
Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between 09˚C and 20˚C.
Transport
There are daily flights into East London Airport, 51 km away via the N2. Car hire facilities are available at the Airport.
History
Once upon a time, Chintsa was in an area lightly populated by Xhosa-speaking Galeckas, this was so until British occupation forced them to seek refuge across the Kei River. This was later to become the Transkei Homeland during the National Party’s Apartheid era.
In true Settlers style, the tropical vegetation style made way for crop and dairy farming. In the 1930’s relatives of inland farmers managed to persuade them to build small beach huts in which they could later retire in and ironically what they built was identical to what their now Xhosa labourers had built previously.
1950 saw the National Party come into power and with it the growth of a displaced and socially broken nation emerged. Chintsa was no exception and “location” 16 was born. By the early 80’s there were only a few families living in the present day Chintsa Township. In the late 80’s the area saw holiday resorts becoming more and more popular which meant more housing was needed and in 1994 the new governments RDP program provided 84 houses for the original 84 applicants.
Today Chintsa has a laid-back atmosphere with low-cost accommodation and unspoilt white sand beaches in Chintsa East.