The Amathole Mountain includes Nkonkobe Municipality and it towers over the lush landscape of this route, valleys and forests adding the rustic charm and mystique. Amathole is a Xhosa name and it means “the calves of the Drakensberg” referring to the larger mountain range to the North of East of the District. It also indicates how close to nature the people of the district live, having for centuries brought their cattle to graze at the foothills of the Amatholes. This route starts from King Williams Town to Bedford and into Hogsback village. It meanders onward to the historical town of Alice where South Africa’ first black president Nelson Mandela and other notable African leaders, received their education at Fort Hare University. 

The village of Hogsback is tucked away in the Amathole Mountain and on a clear day across the awesome Tyhume Valley, you can identify all three of the mountain slopes that resemble a hog’s back. Try out the walking trails and find yourself enveloped by the beauty of nature. While walking on the trail you can see the magnificent waterfalls, such as Madonna and Child and Swallow Trail. With a very cold winter and regular snowfall, Hogsback gardens still reflects early settlers.

 In Fort Beaufort, the Martello tower made the town on of the most successful military forts of its time. A military museum gives you a glance into the lifestyle during the Frontier Wars.