| Morgan Bay | |
| Native Name: | af: Morganbaai |
| Image Caption: | Morgan Bay |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Eastern Cape#South Africa#Africa |
| Coordinates: | -32.704°N 28.336°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Eastern Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Amathole |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Great Kei |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 1.36 |
| Population Total: | 321 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 47.5% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 0.6% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.6% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 47.2% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 4.1% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Xhosa |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 47.9% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 40.7% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 9.5% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 1.9% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 5292 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | n/a |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
Morgan Bay is a village in Amathole District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
The holiday village of Morgan Bay was given its current name in 1822. It was named after A.F. Morgan, the master of the Barracouta, a survey ship of the Royal Navy. The ship was part of an expedition under Captain William Fitzwilliam Owen, sent out by the British Admiralty to survey the coast from Maputo to the mouth of the Keiskamma River. The nearby Bead Beach (Treasure Beach) at the Double Mouth Nature Reserve is the site of a 16th-century Portuguese shipwreck.[2]
Morgan Bay is a popular holiday destination due to its picturesque setting, mile-long beach, estuary, sea cliffs and location at the southern end of the Wild Coast.
The 1.6km (01miles) sandy beach is patrolled by lifeguards during the festive season and is ideal for ball games such as cricket, rugby and tennis. A set of touch rugby and cricket tournaments are held between Christmas and New Year every year. The dunes are good for sandboarding and the beach is also popular with joggers and walkers. [3]
The shallow Inchara river estuary, which hosts numerous water birds, is ideal for swimming and water sports like canoeing, board sailing and standup paddle boarding.
The Morgan Bay cliffs are popular with hikers and offer excellent vantage points for watching the sunrise or enjoying a sundowner with friends. The Morgan Bay cliffs is the largest sea cliff climbing location in South Africa with over 600 climbing routes and several bouldering problems. [4]
The Morganville Motorcycle Museum which is located just 7km (04miles) from town, houses over 650 motorcycles, a Convair 880 passenger jet, several London buses and many other collectables. Owned and run by the former Eastern Cape Finance MEC, Billy Nel, the museum is opened to the public on the occasional open-day, which he holds for local charities, as well visiting motorcycle clubs during rallies. [5] [6]
Other activities in Morgan Bay include bird watching, hiking, mountain biking, township tours, fishing, surfing, game drives and horse riding.
The Cape Morgan Nature Reserve is a coastal forest reserve found between the Morgan Bay estuary and the Cwili estuary. The Strandloper Hiking Trail begins at the visitor centre found on the reserve.[7]