Port Elizabeth
Featured Tour:
Port Elizabeth is the country's second-oldest city. It has the charm of a small town yet offers the stylish Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World on the beachfront and a 40km expanse of magnificent, unspoiled golden beaches. Our visits here include a tour of the 'real city' of Port Elizabeth – or ‘PE’ -. Run by the fair-trade accredited Calabash Tours, the tour takes us on a journey through the history of PE including original 19th Century English settlement homes and a community-run school for the children as well as the local township pub, called a 'shebeen'. We also share with the locals an evening of traditional music and dance.
A mere 40km north of the city centre lies Addo National Park, home to more than 450 elephants. From our campsite located within the park, we take game drives in search of resident wildlife such as elephant, black rhino, Cape buffalo and various species of antelopes, including eland, kudu and hartebeest. PE is also considered the start/end of the famous Garden Route – the stunning coastal drive between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth which encompasses some of South Africa's most beautiful beaches, mountains, and rivers. With a mild climate all year round and endless activities including hiking at Knysna, exploring the beach resort of Plettenberg Bay, swimming in the Indian Ocean and more, it is one of the most popular spots in the country.
Not far out of Port Elizabeth, our tours along this coastal route hit the dramatic Tsitsikamma National Park. This covers over 80 kilometres of rugged coastline with spectacular sea views and striking landscapes. Departing from the mouth of the Storms River we hike the beginning of the world famous Otter Trail, following the rugged, rocky shoreline of the coast. One of the most impressive features of the park are the ancient giant trees that tower above the land to form an evergreen ‘roof’. You can choose to take a guided treetop walk in the forest canopy or if you are after more of an adrenaline fix, you can choose from a plethora of activities to get the blood pumping - from abseiling and flying fox swings to the highest commercial bungy jump in the world.
Further along the coast we take a breathtaking drive over the Swartberg Mountains to visit the Cango Caves. These vast limestone chambers, filled with stalactites, stalagmites and helictites, are truly a natural underground wonderland. For those with a keen sense of adventure there is the option to delve deeper into the cave complex via Jacob's Ladder - but be warned, this section requires you to crawl along narrow tunnels that are at times only 45 centimetres wide and involves over 400 stairs, so it's definitely not for the faint-hearted! Remaining inland our tours then head to Oudtshoorn, home to 97% of the world's ostrich population. Here we have the opportunity to get up-close and personal to these curious creatures. The most daring amongst us may even want to try their hand at riding an ostrich!
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