The Sunshine Coast Region, Eastern Cape
Sunshine Coast is an apt description of a coastal belt beset with countless little villages, each offering access to beaches, rivers, lagoons and hiking trails that stretches between the Tsitsikamma and East London in the Eastern Cape.
Did you know? Once you've booked your hotel or Sunshine Coast accommodation, explore the towns and destination pages below for info on the many beaches, attractions and things to do when you explore the Sunshine Coast.
As a destination the Sunshine Coast has had to do little to attract visitors. Its obviously glorious weather, the seaside-resorts of Kenton-on-Sea and Port Alfred - considered the heart of this stretch of coastline - St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis, Jeffreys Bay and their access to warm waters, water sports, eco-walks, friendly locals, sheltered coves, rock pools and nature reserves, makes its attraction blatantly obvious.
Add to this the inland malaria-free ‘Big Five' access on local game farms, and easy access to the Great Fish River, the Wild Coast and the Addo Elephant Park, and it is easy to understand why so many Capetonians head this way during their rather wet winters, and the rest of the country, as well as visitors to the Eastern Cape, make this their playground.
Did you know? As its name suggests the Sunshine Coast that stretches from the Tsitsikamma Mountains to East London is a series of coastal villages, rivers, lakes, lagoons and surfing and swimming beaches that gets the most sunshine in the country – 320 days out of 365.
A major reason for heading for the Sunshine Coast is that despite its obvious attraction, it remains largely unspoiled and, for the most part, uncommercialised. A number of places around the world are called the Sunshine Coast - Queensland in Australia, Bay of Plenty in New Zealand; even Essex in the UK - but none of them manage to retain the quintessential sun-drenched essence without losing any of their quaintness quite the way the Sunshine Coast in the Eastern Cape does.
Find accommodation on the Sunshine Coast
South Africa Accommodation / Eastern Cape Accommodation / Sunshine Coast Accommodation
The Homestead at Kariega
Located in the makaria-free Kariega Game Reserve, The Homestead is a private lodge which offers its' guests all the comfort, convenience and luxu...
Settlers Drift Lodge
Located in a remote and untouched part of the Kariega wilderness, Settlers Drift Lodge offers a unique tented safari combined with 5-star luxury....
Sandcastle Villa
Set amongst the natural beauty of the estate's fauna and flora, the awe-inspiring Sandcastle Villa was designed to imitate the land and boundless...
Kariega Ukhozi Lodge
Ukhozi Lodge in the Kariega Game Reserve captures the romance and intimacy of Africa. Nestled in the bush you will discover 10 superbly appointe...
Kariega River Lodge
River Lodge at Kariega Game Reserve is one-of-a-kind. Ten spacious, air conditioned and tastefully appointed thatched suites offer even the most ...
Kariega Main Lodge
A malaria-free, Big-5 family owned and operated private Game Reserve comprising nearly 10,000 hectares of pristine wilderness that spans across 5...
Sibuya Game Reserve
Sibuya is a magnificent malaria-free game reserve spanning the meandering Kariega River. A small number of luxury en-suite tents, professional gu...
Nautilus Place
Nautilus offers Cape St Francis accommodation in Cape St Francis Resort. The resort ticks all the boxes as a perfect beach holiday destination. A...
Destinations in the Sunshine Coast Region
Alexandria
Overnight? Alexandria accommodation
Alexandria lies en route to Bushman's River Mouth and Kenton-on-Sea just 50 kilometres from Port Alfred, roughly halfway between Durban and Cape Town. It is described as a friendly farming community that sustains itself from chicory, dairy and pineapple p...
Bathurst
Overnight? Bathurst accommodation
Bathurst is situated on the fringes of both the Sunshine Coast and Frontier Country, a half hour drive from Grahamstown or 10 minutes from Port Alfred.
Halfway between Port Elizabeth and East London, Bathurst is a short 10 minutes from Port Alfred, wi...
Blue Horizon Bay
Overnight? Blue Horizon Bay accommodation
The peaceful, little village of Blue Horizon Bay lies comfortably between Port Elizabeth and Jeffreys Bay, a seaside hamlet that offers beautiful sandy beaches, and scenery to match. Blue Horizon Bay lies almost precisely equidistant between Port Elizabet...
Boesmansriviermond
Overnight? Boesmansriviermond accommodation
Boesmansriviermond, or Bushman's River Mouth, lies just across the Bushman's River from Kenton-on-Sea.
It's less in demand than Kenton-on-Sea, but is no less pretty, with plenty of holiday homes spread along the banks of the second longest tidal river...
Cannon Rocks
Overnight? Cannon Rocks accommodation
Cannon Rocks is a little seaside village just south west of Kenton-on-Sea. To reach it you've got to make a detour off the N2, along Route 72, and then a road in amongst farmland.
Which brings one to its origins. Cannon Rocks is built on a little strip...
Cape St Francis
Overnight? Cape St Francis accommodation
The little village of Cape St Francis, just outside Humansdorp past St Francis Bay and Port St Francis, is all about its beautiful white, sandy beaches and historic Seal Point lighthouse, which has stood watch since the 1800s over these rocky shores.
M...
East London
Overnight? East London accommodation
A city that still manages to retain some of its old fashioned values blended with a dollop of laidback charm makes East London - the gateway to the wild coast and the sunshine coast and the only river port in South Africa - one of the most appealing citie...
Hamburg
Just south of the mouth of the Kieskamma River, the (very) small town of Hamburg lies on the coast between the popular coastal city of East London and the as popular beach resort town of Port Alfred. As such, Hamburg is often overlooked and passed by w...
Humansdorp
Overnight? Humansdorp accommodation
The peaceful village of Humansdorp has made it onto the map, so to speak, more as a gateway to the coastal villages of Jeffreys Bay and Cape St Francis (they are but 16 kilometres and 20 kilometres from the town respectively), than as a destination in its...
Jeffreys Bay
Overnight? Jeffreys Bay accommodation
Jeffreys Bay, or "J-Bay" as it is known to the locals, brings to mind surfing, sunshine and beautiful beaches - and you'd be right. Rated among the ten best surfing spots in the world, surfers from across the globe come to enjoy the rolling surf. Jeffreys...
Kariega
Overnight? Kariega accommodation
Located in pristine surroundings, the tranquillity and splendour of Kariega Game Reserve, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, is beyond doubt awesome. Sanctuary to abundant game and wildlife such as lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, hippo, giraffe, zebra, ...
Kasouga
Overnight? Kasouga accommodation
The little enclave of Kasouga lies not even 12 km east of Kenton-on-Sea, its remote beach stretching east into kilometres of sand dunes before reaching Port Alfred.
Kasouga, on the banks of the Kasouga River, is a declared Heriage Site. Part of it is s...
Kenton On Sea
Overnight? Kenton On Sea accommodation
Experience the quiet and tranquillity of the Eastern Cape when you plan your stay in Kenton on Sea, which is home to plenty of family-friendly, budget accommodation, just metres from the beaches. When you think of Kenton on Sea, you invoke a vision of bea...
Kidds Beach
Overnight? Kidds Beach accommodation
The little seaside village of Kidds Beach, just 30 kilometres from East London, lies on the rocky shore of the Indian Ocean, its beach an uninterrupted landscape of white sand and sea, and little else to interfere with its sheer beauty. Kidds Beach serves...
Kleinemonde
Overnight? Kleinemonde accommodation
Without sounding reminiscent of a tedious marketing spiel, Kleinemonde, just 20 kilometres or so from Port Alfred between Port Elizabeth and East London, is about miles of white sandy beach, intermittent sand dunes, serene tidal pools and peace and quiet....
Mgwalana
Mgwalana River Mouth is situated about 48 kilometres from Port Alfred; a small (but growing) coastal town on the Eastern Cape coastline that has always boasted fabulous surfing waves. Mgwalana River Mouth is a large beach that is secluded from the hustle ...
Mpekweni
The little seaside resort of Mpekweni lies between the equally small villages of Hamburg and Seafield, roughly 70 kilometres south of East London. But it's close enough to Port Alfred that people with holiday homes here refer to it as Port Alfred, as few ...
Oyster Bay
Overnight? Oyster Bay accommodation
Renowned for long stretches of sandy beach and a strong emphasis on nature Oyster Bay is a wonderful place to stay amidst woods, sand dunes, river deltas, wetlands, lagoons and roaming horses.
As its name indicates, Oyster Bay is also a stronghold of ...
Port Alfred
Overnight? Port Alfred accommodation
Port Alfred, with its stretches of sandy beach that extend for miles, lies on the banks of the Kowie River. Port Alfred was established by a group of English settlers in the early 1800s and, although now an active commercial and residential town, it has r...
Port Elizabeth
Overnight? Port Elizabeth accommodation
The Nelson Mandela Metro (including Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch) is the gateway to the Eastern Cape Region, its well-equipped airport and harbour linking South Africa with other national and international destinations. Known as the "Friendly Ci...
Sibuya
Overnight? Sibuya accommodation
Malaria Free and conveniently situated near Kenton on Sea on the Sunshine Coast, just 130 kms from Port Elizabeth is Sibuya Game Reserve. Based at the secluded Camp on the banks of the Kariega River, guests are a short boat trip from the river mouth and K...
St Francis Bay
Overnight? St Francis Bay accommodation
For the ultimate in a golfing holiday in South Africa, or a romantic getaway for two, staying in St Francis Bay is idyllic. Touted as the country's answer to ‘little Venice', St Francis Bay lies just 90 kilometres west of Port Elizabeth - a series of litt...
Sunrise On Sea
Sunrise-On-Sea is an idyllic little town that may be quiet and tucked away, but certainly has no shortage of natural beauty all around it. It is situated in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, an administrative area that comprises East London, Kin...
Thornhill
Overnight? Thornhill accommodation
The community of Thornhill is situated just outside Port Elizabeth, which is part of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan in the Eastern Cape. This is a small area, and many of those inhabiting it work in Port Elizabeth or Jeffrey's Bay, due to its being posit...
Tsitsikamma
Overnight? Tsitsikamma accommodation
The incredibly beautiful area of land that lies between the Tsitsikamma Mountains and the sea stretches west to the Bloukrans River and east to Eerste River, and is named after the San word that means ‘place of abundant water'. The area is like a treasure...
Winterstrand
Overnight? Winterstrand accommodation
Winterstrand is a small, quiet village along the coast of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, about 25 kilometres from East London. This is one of the ever-growing cities of the province, home to an enormous industrial sector and the only river por...