EASTERN CAPE

The Eastern Cape bordered by the Western Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Lesotho, the Indian Ocean and the Free State and boasts as the second largest province in South Africa.

The Eastern Cape plays a very important role in the history of South Africa, and in the capital city, Port Elisabeth, there is a lot to find out about the important figures that were born in this area, such as Nelson Mandela and many more.

TOPOGRAPHY

The Eastern Cape has a large coastline on the Indian Ocean. The interior has rolling grasslands, although a large section in the North Western part of the province is sparsely vegetated. This section is known as the Great Karroo. In the Southern part of the province, there is extensive forestation and mountains. Quite a number of mountain ranges runs through the province. There are several large rivers flowing through the Eastern Cape, namely the Great Fish river, the Keiskamma river and the Kei river.

GEOGRAPHICS

The coastal areas receives much rainfall, but inland it is dry with chronic drought problems. Rain mostly falls during the warm months between October and April. Average temperatures ranges from 27°C in the summer to about 20°C in the winter. The minimum temperatures ranges from 18°C in the summer to about 8°C in the winter.

LAYOUT

The Eastern Cape has two main big cities, namely Port Elizabeth and East London. The province has a diversity of both poor and rich people, the poor commonly found in the squatter camps around the cities, and the rich in areas such as Cape St Francis, and in certain areas of the main cities. Both main cities, East London and Port Elisabeth are coastal cities with long golden beaches. Port Elisabeth is also known as the friendly city, due to the friendliness of its inhabitants.

The Eastern Cape is an agricultural region, which produces a large amount of the countries’ Maize, Sorghum and Citrus Fruits. There are also many cattle and sheep farms around, more found in the Great Karroo.

SURROUNDINGS

Surrounding the main cities, there are many beautiful attractions, such as the ADDO Elephant park, Port Elisabeth, East London, The Sunshine Coast, The Wild Coast, The Karoo Heartland, Frontier Country, Tsitsikamma Region and the Northern Region. These are all must visits while you are in the province.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

A Jacket or two might be needed when going down to the coastal areas, as the see breeze can get a bit chilly from time to time. Having adequate sunscreen when going down to the beach is essential as the African sun can cause bad burning on the skin, even skin cancer.

AIRPORTS

There are several airports where one can land in the Eastern Cape. George airport is a very small airport which only has certain national flights in and out. Port Elisabeth has a larger airport where also only national flights fly in and land. In East London, about two hours drive away, there is also a National airport where one can land if a visit to this province is on the charts!

ATTRACTIONS

While in this province, there are several must sees, such as the Nelson Mandela Museumwhere you can learn more about where this amazing man grew up. The museum brings out who the true Nelson Mandela is.

The Addo Elephant park is an elephant haven, where Elephants are being protected against extinction from existence. The reserve was originally established to protect the last remaining 11 elephants, and today, boasts with over 300 elephants.

The Hole in The Wall is a rock formation with a big hole in the centre. It is a very dear site to the Xhosa people which brings out some of their tragic history.

The Tsitsikamma National Park streatches for about 80kms and is filled with marine reserves, accommodation sites, and indigenous forrest.

The Shamwari Private Game Reserve is the southernmost biggest game reserve in Africa.

If you are in the area during June-July, make sure you get to visit the Grahamstown National Arts Festival where you can see the best of South Africa’s culture.