Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape –  “Naturally South Africa’s Best”

The Eastern Cape is a province of massive contrasts. It stretches from the snow-capped peaks of the Maluti mountain range in the north, to the coastal forests and white sand beaches in the south. In between the two is the stunning vastness of the Great Karoo. The Eastern Cape is the natural home of the Xhosa people whose culture is still prevalent in many areas. The province is largely rural but has two fair sized cities, the largest being Port Elizabeth, with East London coming a close second.

The well-know tourist track, the Garden Route, begins in the Eastern Cape not far from Port Elizabeth. The short stretch that the province can claim for itself is undoubtedly the route’s most drastically beautiful. It includes both the Tsitsikamma National Park and the spectacular Storms River Gorge. Tourism activities in the area have been developed according to strict environmental principals and include tree top canopy tours through the ancient yellow wood forest, and the world’s highest bungee jump, off the Bloukrans Bridge.

The Eastern Capes 800km of coastline begins in the Wild Coast region. The Wild Coast is the least developed part of the province and runs from the KwaZulu Natal border to the Kei River mouth, not far from East London. True to its name it is indeed wild, and is a haven for remote trails and unconstrained adventure. There are many examples here of traditional Xhosa living and some interesting opportunities to take part in their way of life. This coastline is also host to the Jeffery’s Bay, “home of the perfect wave”, which is widely revered in the surfing community. 

In the 18th century the British Cape Colony was expanding into what is now the Eastern Cape and the first official barrier between Europeans and the native Bantu people was formed. This started an era of intense conflict between the settlers and African tribes and nine successive frontier wars were fought here between 1778 and 1878. The central region of the Eastern Cape is scattered with old forts and monuments and many of the old towns have some beautiful examples of that period’s architecture. The Amatola Heritage Route gives a very balanced view of conflict in the area, right up to modern day South Africa.

Small, isolated towns, charming and often peculiar, are an interesting theme for alternative travel in the province. If you have time to spare and enjoy traveling to far flung areas the Eastern Cape has nurtured a number of these type of places. Well worth a visit are Hogsback, Nieu-Bethesda, and most definitely Rhodes. Not far from Rhodes, in the Drakensberg Region, is the Maluti mountain range and South Africa’s only ski resort, Tiffindelle.

The Eastern Cape authorities have gone to great lengths to reintroduce sustainable wildlife to the region. Game reserves such as Addo Elephant Park are at the forefront of such efforts and have created world-class reserves that rank amongst the best in the country. Addo is less than an hours drive from Port Elizabeth.

The attractions of the Eastern Cape are often only experienced by people who are on-route to somewhere else and for a long drew mainly domestic tourists. It is however rapidly defining itself as a destination to compete with the best.

Eastern Cape Tourism: 043 701 9600