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- A highlight for anybody travelling around Port Elizabeth is South Africa’s only Big Seven game reserve, the Addo Elephant Park. This experience promises a close-up encounter with the largest land mammal, the elephant. You may also get to see the rest of the Big Five – lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino, with an added bonus of their sea friends, the whale and the Great White Shark.
- A recent addition to the Addo Elephant Park is the Woody Cape area, spanning kilometres of coastal reserve, where Southern Right and Humpback whales migrate to breed. Addo is 20km from Port Elizabeth on the N2 towards Grahamstown, a fun student town with a penchant for the arts.
- Around Grahamstown there are at least four Big Five reserves that offer daily viewing by arrangement. The most renowned is Shamwari, where the likes of Brad Pitt and Tiger Woods have spent holidays. You can also enquire at Pumba, Kariega or Kwandwe about their day trip specials. All parks are malaria free.
- In the opposite direction, on the N2 towards Cape Town, is South Africa’s surfers’ paradise: Jeffreys Bay. This quaint coastal town is home to Bruce’s Beauties, a world-renowned surfing break that attracts the top international wave riders. Spend some time browsing through the factory shops of the local surfing, clothing and accessories manufacturers.
- A little further down the road is Cape St Francis, a favourite among the boating and jet skiing fraternity, thanks to its protected canals. St Francis is also home to a spectacular bungee jump off the Blaauwkranz River Bridge. It is the highest in South Africa at 216m, and many rate it as one of the best – as you plunge into the Bloukrans River gorge, sheer cliffs fly past you. Exhilarating!
- Two other coastal towns worth a visit are Kenton-on-Sea and Bushman’s River, east of Port Elizabeth on the R72. These unpretentious holiday towns boast spectacular picnic spots at the mouths of the Bushmans and Kariega Rivers. Alternatively, if you’d rather someone else cook for you, the Sandbar floating restaurant offers the best squid in the area, while Stanleys provides the best view of the meandering Kariega gorge. Both restaurants are open seven days a week.
Heading in from Cape Town or Johannesburg? Check them out before moving on.
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