An Eastern Cape Tour will include the Eastern Cape Coast and Hinterland. Travellers who drive straight through the Eastern Cape from the Garden Route to Durban, hardly stopping along the way, miss out on a magical experience: this stretch of the coast and its frontier country has some of South Africa’s most inviting beaches, its most dramatic seascapes, its most spectacular scenery, its most fascinating cultural heritage.  Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown and East London are the major urban; the elephants of Addo National park and the unspoiltWildCoast centres beauty of the famed are arguably the main attractions, the smaller places do however, offer much to explore…

The main route east from St Francis Bay is the N2 highway which runs inland for most of the way, but the secondary roads, some of them graveled, lead down to the coast, and they are well worth exploring – many lead to charming, beach-fringed bays, secluded resorts and pretty little seaside hamlets.

Cape St Francis and Jeffreys Bay are legendary coastal resorts known as the surfers ‘paradise! Nearby Port St Francis is a working harbour worth a visit, the angling all along this coastline is hugely rewarding and so is the marine life.

Almost 100km east of Jeffrey’s Bay is Port Elizabeth, the regions, Industrial heart with a major sea port, airport and some of the country’s most spacious and safest swimming beaches.  Port Elizabeth has also been called the ‘Windy City” thanks to the offshore winds.

Addo Elephant Park is 72km north east of Port Elizabeth and supports more than 350 elephants – this park is one of South Africa’s most notable conservation success stories.

Grahamstown is a small university city situated almost halfway between Port Elizabeth and East London.  Apart from the towns numerous churches, its major claim to fame is in the role it plays as host to the annual National Festival of the Arts.

East London is South Africa’s river port and is the more convenient large town from which to begin your Wild Coast Tour.  The beaches are broad and there are some excellent offshore wrecks to explore.

The Wild Coast comprises thick indigenous forests, grassy hills that roll down to the beaches, secluded coves, estuaries teeming with fish and majestic waterfalls crashing over jagged rocky ledges into rivers and the sea.  Hiking is superb.

One of the few venues of sight-seeing note in Umtata is the restored Bhunga Building in Owen Street, which has been converted into the Nelson Mandela Museum.

Your Eastern Cape Tour will also include visits to the numerous nature reserves, marine sanctuaries, wildlife reserves and private game reserves.

Make sure you leave yourself enough time to explore this beautiful province rich in natural beauty and history.