East London, South Africa's only river port, was originally established as a supply port to serve the military headquarters at King William's Town. The city's own waterfront development, Latimer's Landing, is situated on the banks of the Buffalo River. The East London Aquarium houses approximately 400 different species of marine and freshwater animals. The East London Museum depicts the natural environment and rich heritage of the region. Best known for the prehistoric coelacanth, the Museum also displays reconstructions of the extinct dodo of Mauritius,along with the only known dodo egg in the world.
East London lies along the banks of the Bufallo River. Wide stretches of unspoilt beaches and lagoons offer all delights of a traditional seaside holiday, while the city has a unique blend of old-world charm and modern hustle and bustle.
The many German names of local towns and villages in the area like Hamburg, Berlin and Stutterheim attest to the presence of Germans who arrived here in the 1850's. The prosperity of the region is built on the Motor Vehivle Industrie (If you buy a Mercedes in the UK it will come from East London). Museums of interest in East London are the Calgary Transport Museum displaying a collection of every type of wagon, including an authentic Roma caravan.
Kidd's Beach (to the south-west), is named after Charles Kidd, a former mayor of King William's Town. Very popular with anglers, boardsailors and surfers, it is renowned for its sandy beach and tidal pool. A great variety of fish can be caught off the rocks. In the same area, through hills covered with a considerable variety of bush, shallow valleys that are attractively wooded, one finds at the mouths of Igoda and Gulu rivers famous angling venues, fine stretches of beach and open areas to relax and be part of nature. Not far away, Cove Rock, Fullers Bay and Shelly Beach are all popular fishing spots.
Amatole East Coast Resorts
Northwards along the coast, the natural scenery becomes more land more like the Transkei Wild Coast. The unspoilt resorts areas of Sunrise-on-Sea, Rainbow Valley, Kwelera are excellent for fishing and picnics. In addition, Glen Eden, Yellow Sands and Cefane offer accommodation and camping sites.
Cintsa West/East is a complex of resorts overlooking Cintsa Bay and lagoon, where various water sports can be enjoyed all year round. A small coastal village, Haga-Haga, looks out at the sea from the foot of two hills. A spacious beach at the river mouth provides lively fishing and is a good area for collecting sea shells.
Morgan Bay, on the southern banks of the Incarha River, is just 7 km from the unspoilt Transkei Wild Coast region. There are splendid opportunities for walks along the beach and into the bordering sand dune forests.
Further west a nature reserve is situated at the mouth of two rivers, aptly known as Double Mouth. On the southern bank at the mouth of the Great Kei River, fringed by coastal forests, is the delightful resort town of Kei Mouth. There are facilities for bathing, water sports and fishing, while the town boasts shops, a post office, a library and a shell museum with specimens from the world over. A pontoon ferry transports you across the Kei River to the rest of the Wild Coast region.
King William's Town is the only place in South Africa where toy soldiers have been made. The town originated as a London Missionary station in 1826. The mission was destroyed during the Frontier War's but was finaly rebuilt in 1850. The Amathole Museum houses the 4th largest mammal collection in the world.
Adelaide on the banks of the Koonap River, was established as a military outpost during the Frontier Wars.Fort Post Retief is an excellent example of an old Settler Fort set up during the Frontier Wars. The Old Heritage Museum is one of the province's finest and a superb example of Settler architecture. The museum offers an excellent collection of silver, glass, porcelain and minor antiques.
Cradled at the foot of the Bedford mountain, this charming Settler village is fondly regarded as the ‘jewel’ of the Eastern Cape. Lying on the fringes of the Karoo Heartland and Frontier Country, Bedford is just a 2-hour drive from Port Elizabeth, East London and Graaf-Reinet and a mere 50 minutes from Grahamstown.
The Bedford district, rich in Settler History, consists of a mixture of vegetation varying from Acacia thorn and rolling grasslands to Karoo veld and mountain bushveld and includes a magnificent indigenous and ancient mountain forest near the town.
Cathcart was established as a military post in 1856 after the Eighth Frontier War. The Town Hall built in 1905 is an excellent example of art nouveau architecture. The original Acetylene gas lamps, now electrified, still stand in front of the building.
Alice is situated east of Fort Beaufort on the banks of the Tyume River. It was founded in 1824 as a mission station of the Glasgow Mission Society . The mission was abandoned during the Frontier Wars and was only reopened after Fort Hare was built. Alice is an important educational centre, home of the University of Fort Hare. Its most famous student was Nelson Mandela.
The historical town of Fort Beaufort dates back to 1822, with the establishment of a frontier post by Lt. Col Scott. The town was occupied by the British army until 1870. The town played a very prominent role in the Frontier wars between 1850 and 1853, and there are many relics still to be seen from this period. We have a most interesting museum displaying information about the town's rich historical legacy.
Historical sites to visit: Martello tower, now a national monument, was established in 1837. On the platform is a mounted cannon which pivots through 360 degrees, thought to be one of the only two in the world. The other is in Canada.
Fort Beaufort is a town in the Amatole District of South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, and has a population of 78,300. The town was established in 1837 and became a municipality in 1883. The town lies at the confluence of the Kat and Brak rivers between the Keiskamma and Great Fish rivers. Fort Beaufort serves as a mini-'dormitory' for academic staff and students of Fort Hare University, based in the nearby town of Alice, and is also close to sulphur springs.
Madonna and Child Waterfall Copyright: Familie Harbord
The village and holiday resort are magnificently sited on the slopes of the Amatole Mountains, overlooking the rivers and fertile plains of the Tyume Valley in a region dominated by three ridges said to resemble the bristles on a hog's back. There are also large tracts of indigenous forest, where the rich variety of birdlife includes parrot and Loerie. Rivers tumble prettily to the plain, creating a number of small but spectacular waterfalls such as Madonna and Child, Swallowtail and Kettle spout - where the water flows through a natural spout in the rocks and, in windy conditions, arches up in a feathery plume some 9 m high.
Walks and trails range from 3 km to 20 km and some of the routes - which include places of historic and natural interest - are marked with painted hogs. The hiking trail covers a 2 day walk. The locally produced guidebook is an essential investment for visitors, especially those interested in exploring this lovely area on foot.
