How Much Does the Mtentu Ramble Cost? Price, Extras & What's Included

Short answer first, because that's what most people searching this actually want: the Mtentu Ramble is R4,700 per person for 2026 departures, and R5,200 per person for 2027. Four days, three nights, genuinely all-inclusive. Here's exactly what that buys you, what it doesn't, and what the optional extras cost.

The Short Answer

2026 departures: R4,700 per person. 2027 departures: R5,200 per person. That covers guiding, three nights' accommodation, every meal, all permits, the ferry crossing, and your return transfer on day four. If you're booking more than 30 days out, a 50% deposit secures your place and the balance is due 30 days before you walk.

What's included in the price

Nothing here is upsold to you later. Once you've paid, this is what's already covered:

• A professional local guide, born and raised on this coast
• Three nights' accommodation, one at a Pondoland homestead, two at the Hiking Shack
• Three meals a day, every day, cooked for you
• All permit fees for the trail and Mkambati Nature Reserve
• The ferry crossing over the Mtentu River
• Return transfer on day four, back to your vehicle
• All linen and bedding, at both the homestead and the Hiking Shack
• Selected drinks: coffee, tea, and other non-alcoholic beverages
• A branded cap, which people wear a lot more than they expect to

That is the entire package. There's no second tier, no add-on guiding fee, and no per-river-crossing charge. You pay once and everything on the trail itself is handled.

Hikers with backpacks crossing the 153-metre Mzamba suspension bridge, the inland route above a forested gorge, Wild Coast, South Africa

What's not included

A short list, and none of it is a surprise once you know it's coming:

• Alcoholic drinks and soft drinks beyond what's provided
• Personal snacks
• Guide tips, entirely at your discretion
• Parking at the Wild Coast Sun, a once-off R20
• The two optional extras below, if you choose to take them

That's genuinely the full list. For the wider picture of flights, transfers to the trailhead, and accommodation either side of the hike, see what to budget for a South Africa hiking holiday.

Optional extras

Two things sit outside the package price and are worth arranging in advance rather than discovering on the trail.

Luggage transfer, R200 per person, cash only. Hand your bag over at the Wild Coast Sun on the morning of day one, and it's driven round to meet you, so you walk with just a daypack. Most guests take this and call it the best two hundred rand they spent. One thing to know: the bag goes straight to the Hiking Shack, not the first night's homestay, so your daypack needs to cover two days of walking and one night in the village.

Porter, R250 per day, cash only, one week's notice. If you'd rather carry nothing at all, we can arrange a porter from the local community. You only need one for the first two days, since day three loops into Mkhambathi and back to the same beds, so the usual total is R500, not a per-day figure across the whole trail. Capped at 15 kg, must be a backpack rather than a suitcase, and one porter carries for one hiker only.

There's also a massage at the Pamper Shack after you finish, treatment list and prices on request, also cash only. See the full breakdown of optional extras for all three.

Both the luggage transfer and porter are settled in cash, handed to Kelly or the driver on the morning of the hike. Draw what you need in Port Edward; there are no ATMs beyond it.

Deposit, balance, and cancellation

For any booking made more than 30 days before arrival, a 50% deposit secures your booking, due within 48 hours of confirmation or the reservation may be released. The balance is due one month before you arrive. Payment is by EFT or bank transfer.

We run a no-refunds policy. Once your deposit or balance is paid, that money stays with us; there's no sliding scale of partial refunds. It's not us being difficult: filling a departure means turning away other people who wanted that date, and by the time you'd be cancelling we've already committed to guides, homestay families, food and transport on your behalf. Those costs don't come back to us either.

If you can no longer make it, you have two options:

• Find your own replacement. You're welcome to hand your spot to someone else, provided it's arranged before one month prior to the hike. Sourcing that person is on you; we don't do it for you.
• Genuinely serious circumstances, such as a medical certificate, are handled case by case rather than as a blanket policy. Notice of more than a month makes it far more likely we can find a workable solution.

Because there are no cash refunds, travel insurance covering multi-day hiking is a condition of booking, not a suggestion. It's the only way to recover your money if your plans fall through and you can't arrange a replacement yourself. Full terms are on our terms and conditions page.

Is R4,700 good value?

Broken down across four days and three nights, the 2026 price works out to roughly R1,175 a day, all-inclusive: guiding, food, a bed, permits, and transport, in one of the most remote and least commercialised stretches of coastline in the country. The 2027 rate works out to about R1,300 a day.

For context, that's not a discount trail. It's a guided, fully catered hike with a maximum small group size, private homestay accommodation on night one, and a professional local guide the whole way. What keeps the price down is simple: it's priced in rand, run by people from this coast, and it doesn't route through a large tour operator's margin.

How it compares to the Otter Trail

South Africa's other famous multi-day coastal hike, the Otter Trail, charges R2,097 per person for the permit alone, before you've bought five days of food, arranged a guide, or worked out how to carry it all yourself, since it's an unguided, self-catered trail. Add those up and the true cost of a fully supported Otter Trail experience lands well above the Mtentu Ramble's all-inclusive price, for a shorter, more heavily booked trail. We cover the full comparison in Mtentu Ramble vs the Otter Trail.

Rocky, forest-fringed cove on South Africa's Garden Route coastline, with turquoise waves breaking over sandstone rocks

FAQs

How much does the Mtentu Ramble cost in 2026?

R4,700 per person, all-inclusive of guiding, three nights' accommodation, all meals, permits, the ferry fee, and your return transfer.

How much does the Mtentu Ramble cost in 2027?

R5,200 per person, on the same all-inclusive basis as 2026.

Do I need to pay the full amount upfront?

No, provided you're booking more than 30 days before you arrive. In that case, a 50% deposit secures your booking, and the balance is due 30 days before you arrive.

What isn't included in the price?

Alcoholic and soft drinks beyond what's provided, personal snacks, guide tips, a once-off R20 for Wild Coast Sun parking, and the two optional extras: the R200 luggage transfer and the R250-a-day porter.

Can I pay by card?

No. Booking payments are by EFT or bank transfer. On the trail itself, the optional luggage transfer, porter, and massage are all cash only, since there are no card machines or ATMs beyond Port Edward.

Can I get a refund if I can't attend?

No. We run a no-refunds policy, so anything paid stays with us if you cancel. Your options are to find your own replacement to take your spot, arranged before one month prior to the hike, or to speak to us directly if the reason is genuinely serious, such as a medical certificate, which we handle case by case. This is exactly why travel insurance covering multi-day hiking is a condition of booking.

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Mtentu Ramble hiking group gathered beside the wreck of the Weolmi 303, a North Korean tuna trawler wrecked off Mkambati in 1964

That's the full price, with nothing held back for later. If it works for you, our upcoming dates are open now.

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