This beautiful region offers the visitor a wide choice of holiday
attractions, with leisure options ranging from hiking through the lush
green valleys and mountains to surfing and sunbathing on its golden
beaches. The region bears a rich legacy of an area which saw the first
meetings of the British, Dutch, German and Xhosa people. As a landing
place of the 1820 Settlers, Port Elizabeth boasts some of the finest
architectural attractions in the country.
Attractions include
national parks and game reserves, South Africa's only traditional
healing village, Kaya Lendaba, bird-watching, air flips, canoeing,
various mountain-bike and horse-riding trails and organized outdoor
excursions. Tourists can visit various museums and memorials, go on the
Donkin Heritage Trail, take a ride on the famous Apple Express and
visit the Oceanarium.
Grahamstown is sometimes referred to as the City of Saints, because
of the more than 40 churches found in the town. The Standard Bank
National Arts Festival is held there annually. Other attractions
include various museums and historical buildings, the oldest post box
in South Africa, botanical gardens, the Cathedral of St Michael and St
George, nature reserves and hiking trails. Over 200 houses in
Graaff-Reinet have been restored to their original Victorian look and
have been proclaimed national monuments. The Old Library Museum houses
the Lex Bremner Fossil Collection of Karoo reptile fossils and a
collection of Khoe and San art reproductions. Urquhart House has a
popular genealogical research centre.
Addo Elephant National Park is situated only 72 km from Port Elizabeth. The park represents one of South Africa's major conservation stories. I the early days the elephants of the Eastern Cape were ruthlessly hunted for their ivory. By 1920 the great herds which once roamed the region had dwindled to only 11 survivors. Since proclamation of the park in 1931 the elephant population has grown to nearly 250. The Park also supports buffalo, white rhino, kudu and many other antelopes. A large waterhole near the chalets enables guests to watch game from the comfort of their verandas.
The Addo area is blessed with the world's leading safari lodges, where your every whim is fulfilled. You can enjoy stunning cuisine or cutting-edge spa treatments whilst Big Five sightings are orchestrated on your behalf by rangers tacking the bush from before dawn until after dusk. This area is malaria FREE.
The Alexandria coastline, between the mouths of the Sundays and Bushman’s Rivers, is a vast and lonely dune field of unmatched beauty and the start of the Alexandria Hiking Trail, which travels through the three ecosystems of the area – high forest, desert-like dunes and spectacular beaches.
The Alexandria area has an abundance of birds and wildlife and dolphins and whales are a regular occurrence. Originally known as Olifantshoek (Elephant’s corner) Alexandria lies half way between Cape Town and Durban and is the centre of the chicory industry today. The Alexandria Dune field is one of the largest active coastal dune fields in the world and is forms part of the Addo Elephant Park.
Just outside of Bathurst in Summerhill is the biggest pineapple in the world. You can climb up in the inside and view the area up to the coast from the top. This is part of an 1820 Settler farm, its 1825 barn now houses a rustic pub and acharming restaurant. The 'Pig and Whistle' a national monument is said to be the oldest pub in South Africa.
Surrounded by sand dunes and a natural habitat, the area of Colchester and Cannonville have been left unspoilt and undeveloped, save for the property boom in the area. There came no Port, no ships and no "modern town". Colchester now lies nestled between the beautiful sand dunes, the river and the unspoilt vegetation. These dunes are interestingly also very old. Estimated to be between 6000 and 10 000 years old, they rest upon even older dunes, now compacted and hard, dating back to perhaps 100 000 years. They represent times when the sea was much higher or much lower. It is they too that force the Sundays River to make a right-angled turn and flow south into Algoa Bay.
Grahamstown in the middle the Frontier Country is a vibrant mix of all the best that Africa has to offer. One of the premier tourist routes in the Eastern Cape, it has a turbulent past, with more forts than the rest of the country combined. Frontier Country is the historic heartland of the Eastern Cape and embodies the spirit of the many and varied cultures who met here and made their mark - Khoi, Xhosa, Boer and British. They brought with them a rich heritage that can still be seen in Grahamstown. The broad tree-lined streets and buildings of Grahamstown are the legacy of a time when this was the Cape's second city. Take time to walk through this historic centre and visit the Observatory Museum which houses one of only two Victorian Camera Obscura in the world - the other is in Bath, England - with a magical mirror that reflects the town onto a large circular table. Another interesting museum to visit is the Albany Museum. Grahamstown still feels like a strange English transplant. There are some fine churches and 19th-century buildings. The Grahamstown Region is one of the most diverse ecological regions in South Africa, with a variety of biomes that provide unspoilt and spectacular scenery. This malaria-free region is fast gaining local and international popularity for excellent game-viewing with a variety of private reserves which include the Big Five. Grahamstown boasts some of the finest schools, colleges, universities (Rhodes University) and educational institutions to be found in South Africa. Port Elizabeth 131km, East London 185km, Cape Town 873km, Durban 796km, Port Alfred 67km
Beach at Kenton on Sea Copyright: Pam Golding Properties
Kenton on Sea is situated between 2 tidal rivers - the Kariega and Bushmans Rivers. It has an unspoilt beachfront as a Nature Reserve borders the beach and covers the sanddunes that line the magnificent pristine beach between these rivers. The main beach next to Kariega River was voted best beach in South Africa in 2001. Small buck and other wild game live in this reserve and are spotted regularly. Because of this ideal situation, Kenton is also a birder’s paradise with the sea, rivers and nature reserve in close proximity.
Bushmans River is navigable for 33 kms and is safe for swimming and all water sports activities like boating and canoeing.
Port Alfred lies on the picturesque R72 coastal road, half way between Port Elizabeth and East London. This small place once has been a sleepy fishing village at the mouth of the Kowie river, which is navigable for some 28 kilometres upstream. Today Port Alfred boasts a huge yacht harbour. With man-made islands and canals a paradise especially for boat owners was created, who from here can go either to sea or up the river. The Kowie river is particularly popular with canoeists (Kowie Canoe Trail, 18 kilometers long).
And Port Alfred boasts an excellent golf course too, which belongs to the top ten in South Africa. The Kowie History Museum concentrates on the history of the town and the Albany District. In the museum is a card index of all 1820 settlers and their immediate descendants - much used by genealogical researchers.
