Attractions, Places of Interest & Popular Destinations
The second largest of South Africa's nine provinces, the diverse Eastern Cape Province is situated between the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal, and bordered by the Orange River and Drakensberg Mountains.
The Eastern Cape is an interesting place to visit. Some of the country's most powerful political figures, like Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela, were born here and the capital city, Port Elizabeth, was a crucial center of the anti-apartheid movement.
A number of very good tour operators offer excellent township tours that provide an insight into Port Elizabeth's role in South African history, as well as an introduction into traditional Xhosa rites and ceremonies.
Did you know? For hundreds of years, the Eastern Cape has been the ancestral stronghold of the Xhosa people and while in many ways it has become westernised, remnants of this tribal history remain in the people and some of the unspoilt areas of the province.
Top 10 Attractions
Eastern Cape Beaches
The Eastern Cape in South Africa boasts some of the world's best beaches and 800 km of unspoilt picturesque coastlines where blue oceans tumble o...
Hole In The Wall
The Hole in the Wall at Coffee Bay is a unique structure with a huge detached cliff that has a giant opening carved through its centre by the wav...
Nelson Mandela Museum
The Museum offers visitors an inspiring journey through the life of Nelson Mandela. Known affectionately as 'Madiba', he is loved and respected w...
Addo Elephant Park
Situated in a malaria free area the magnificently diverse Addo Elephant Park offers a wide variety of game viewing, outdoor adventure, accommodat...
Valley Of Desolation
The Valley of Desolation is a geological phenomenon; a sheer cliff face, declared a national monument that lies within the Camdeboo National Park...
Tsitsikamma National Park
The Tsitsikamma National Park is situated at the heart of the picturesque tourist region known as the Garden Route, found in the Southern Cape of...
Mountain Zebra National Park
The craggy heights of the Mountain Zebra National Park's Bankberg embrace rolling plains and deep valleys, and has become an entrancing preserve ...
Shamwari Game Reserve
Shamwari Game Reserve is the southernmost, Big Game, private reserve in Africa - Malaraia Free. This ultimate African adventure stretches along t...
Makana Botanical Gardens
The Makana Botanical Gardens, said to be the second oldest such gardens in South Africa and a national monument, lie adjacent to the Rhodes Unive...
Bird Island Marine Protected Area
Bird Island Marine Protected Area lies just off the coast of Port Elizabeth. It is a group of islands (Bird Island, Stag Island, Seal Island and ...
Destinations / Regions of the Eastern Cape
Port Elizabeth
Overnight? Accommodation in Port Elizabeth
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...
East London
Overnight? Accommodation in East London
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...
Sunshine Coast
Overnight? Accommodation in Sunshine Coast
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 yo...
Tsitsikamma
Overnight? Accommodation in Tsitsikamma
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".
Did you know? ...
Frontier Country
Overnight? Accommodation in Frontier Country
A hauntingly beautiful region, arguably the crucible of South African history, 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 ...
Greater Addo
Overnight? Accommodation in Greater Addo
Greater Addo is largely dominated by the Addo Elephant Park, the boundaries of which now extend right from the edge of Darlington Dam in the north to Colchester at the coast, incorporating the beautiful Sundays River Valley.
However, the regi...
Karoo Heartland
Overnight? Accommodation in Karoo Heartland
Often referred to as the ‘dry heart' of South Africa, the Karoo Heartland is but a portion of the Karoo set on the eastern periphery of the central plateau.
The Karoo, regarded in the past by many as something of a desolate, barren backwater ...
Baviaanskloof
Overnight? Accommodation in Baviaanskloof
Experience the rugged beauty of South Africa when you book overnight accommodation in Baviaanskloof for the whole family or as a romantic getaway for two. There is a gorge that lies in the valley, stretching for over 100 kilometres, between the...
Amatola
Overnight? Accommodation in Amatola
The Amatola region is one of the most beautiful and diverse in the Eastern Cape. The Amatolas stretch into the hinterland just north of Grahamstown and west of Stutterheim, their slopes covered in dense natural forests of white stinkwoods, yello...
Wild Coast
Overnight? Accommodation in Wild Coast
As its name suggests, the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape that extends between the Mtamvuna River in the north and the Great Kei River to the south, is an untamed wilderness.
The Wild Coast is an incredible, unassuming combination of breath-ta...
Eastern Cape Highlands
Overnight? Accommodation in Eastern Cape Highlands
Ukhahlamba, the Xhosa word meaning ‘barrier of spears', refers to the majestic portion of the Drakensberg that dominates the northern section of the Eastern Cape, forming a border with the Free State.
Did you know? Once you've booked your hot...
Additional Reading
Find accommodation in the Eastern Cape
South Africa Accommodation / Eastern Cape Accommodation
Sarili Private Villa
Sarili Lodge in the Shamwari Game Reserve is a luxury lodge exclusively for families. An environmentally friendly private African thatch designed...
Kwandwe Fort House
Warmth and comfort embodies the refined private spaces of the Fort House in Kwandwe Private Game Reserve. The private villa has been elegantly de...
Kwandwe Melton Manor
Kwandwe Melton Manor is a private space that inspires the sharing of meals, laughter and experiences around the farmhouse table. Grand views of t...
Kwandwe Uplands Homestead
The African wilderness of which childhood dreams are made is found at Kwandwe Uplands Homestead. An intimate private safari home imbued with old-...
Samara Manor House
Spanning 28,000 hectares of untouched wilderness, Samara Private Game Reserve offers an extraordinary malaria-free safari experience for wildlife...
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...
Long Hope Villa
Long Hope Villa is a beautifully restored exclusive safari villa, located in the Greater Addo Elephant National Park, on a private concession. Al...
Woodbury Manor
Woodbury Manor is an exclusive-use safari villa, offering luxurious accommodation within the famed Big 5 Amakhala Game Reserve. Tailored to meet ...
Kwandwe Ecca Lodge
Set in the heart of the Private Reserve in thick vegetation overlooking a dense valley, Ecca Lodge offers breathtaking views onto an escarpment o...