The Transkei, now part of the Eastern Cape, was one of the old bantustans under Xhosa administration during apartheid. The region, where Nelson Mandela was born, has remained practically unspoiled. Those who venture here will discover its rugged coastline, where sandy beaches and cliffs run alongside primeval forests, and a hinterland of rolling hills where Xhosa cattle farmers take their herds to graze. The inhabitants of the Transkei are open and hospitable people who have kept alive many of their traditions.