Eastern Cape Provincial Article - South African Vacations

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earning the coast its name of Wild Coast. However, its inhabitants call it the “pearl” in the crown of the Eastern Cape. Former inhabitants include the ancient San and Khoi-Khoi, who hunted hippopotami in the area and left proof of their occupancy in the many rock paintings, the Nguni tribes from the north and European seafarers, who worked hard to make the coastline navigable and the land more accommodating, all left their indelible mark on the area. Notable landmarks of the region include the “Hole-in-the-Wall” near Coffee Bay; Umtata, an important centre of Xhosa culture and home of the new Nelson Mandela Museum; Mvezo, the birthplace of Nelson Mandela and Qunu where he grew up, now the site of the Nelson Mandela Youth and Heritage Centre and Community Museum. COFFEE BAY Many believe this seemingly untouched bay to be haunted by the ghosts of shipwrecked sailors after the treacherous Wild Coast proved to be their undoing. The town owes its name to a coffee-bearing ship that ran aground here and to the cask of coffee beans that washed ashore and quickly took root. Unfortunately none of the plants survived for long. The 1-km-long beach is littered with cowries and other exotic shells and is ideally suited for long walks, swimming and fishing. ADVENTURE AND SPORT Golf: Enjoy a game of golf on the windswept nine-hole course, set high above the cliffs that guard the bay’s northern shore. Shelling: Coffee Bay beach is renowned for its many shells found, especially at rocky points where they pile up in pockets at the low tide mark. Be on the look out for rare cowries. Water-sport: Swimming, fishing, board-sailing, spear-fishing and power-boating (on the Nenga River) are among the most popular outdoor activities at Coffee Bay. Surfing is another popular pastime, with the breakers off the bay’s southern point providing one of the few consistent surfing waves on the Wild Coast. Wild Coast Horse and Hiking Trail: An exciting development in the region is the establishment of the 280-km-long Wild Coast Horse and Hiking Trail, a Wild Coast Community Tourism initiative and collaborative project between coastal communities, local government and the Provincial Directorate of Environmental Affairs. The popular, old Wild Coast Hiking Trail has been regenerated and upgraded to maximise the participation of coastal communities in tourism activities along the trail. The Wild Coast Horse and - 137 -
Hiking Trail has five distinct sections: Amadiba Adventures, Pondoland Trails, Port St Johns-Coffee Bay Village Trails, Dwesa-Cwebe Trails and Mazeppa- Kei Trails. Amadiba Adventures operate in the northern 25 km of the Wild Coast and in the year 2000 won a Presidential Award for the best community- tourism project in South Africa. Pondoland Trails is a coastal camp trail with traditional village accommodation along an 85 -m stretch of the northern Pondoland Coast. Port St Johns-Coffee Bay Village Trails encompass a 100 km hiking trail along the coastal villages in the area. Dwesa-Cwebe Trails explore large tracts of indigenous forest, coastal grasslands, rivers and estuaries and other cultural and historical attractions in and around the two reserves. The Mazeppa-Kei Trails traverse the southern Wild Coast area. Most of the routes offer hiking and horseback-riding facilities and activities such as bird watching, canoeing, whale- and dolphin-watching, scuba-diving and mountain biking are possible. Each section of the route has its own distinct character and, where possible, offers opportunities to meet the local inhabitants and/or to observe or take part in other community- and culturalbased activities have been incorporated into the trails. FAUNA AND FLORA Eastern Cape Tourism Reserve: A stay at the Eastern Cape Tourism Reserve allows the visitor to appreciate the natural beauty of the rocky seashore, the vast beaches, the lagoon and the evergreen forest. The reserve lies between Coffee Bay and Port St Johns. The large bird- and wildlife population could not have found a lovelier home and visitors are guaranteed regular sightings. Fishermen can exercise their sport while they watch the dolphins and whales - 138 -
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Index CLIMATE......................
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WILD COAST REGION .................
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Edward in the east. Most of the bea
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However, the Eastern Cape is not ju
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CLIMATE - 9 - The migration of diff
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KOUGA ROUTE (SYMBOL: SHELL) The Kou
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The Sundays River Valley, home to t
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- 15 - THE ROUTE FROM GRAHAMSTOWN T
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REGIONS The Eastern Cape area was p
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CACADU (WESTERN/TSITSIKAMMA) REGION
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The Cacadu Region also encompasses
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Today, Port Elizabeth is regarded a
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Sailing and other water sport: Algo
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tours, weekend tours and visits to
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Oceanarium: If you missed seeing do
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Snake Park and Tropical House: Situ
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Donkin Reserve: The reserve is an o
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(“leivore”) to each property. T
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Darlington Dam: The dam is a popula
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HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE Anglican C
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ENTERTAINMENT AND SHOPPING Big Pine
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ows of Victorian, typical Karoo and
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FAUNA AND FLORA Van Ryneveld Pass D
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NATURAL WONDERS Spandau Kop: This i
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Khoisan hunter-gatherer in the Koug
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Grahamstown to Kenton on Sea. All t
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uildings in High Street are prime e
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CULTURAL/COMMUNITY TOURISM Kouga Cu
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Surfing: Jeffrey’s Bay is known a
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ADVENTURE AND SPORT Hiking, biking
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sculptures. The latter was made fam
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PATENSIE The name of the town is de
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ENTERTAINMENT AND SHOPPING Fish Riv
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cavalry should be produced here. Th
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one of the two Bosberg Hiking Trail
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activities, such as hiking routes,
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façade of the Old Drostdy. The Vol
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The primary economic activity of th
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in Smith Street that dates back to
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San rock art at Dinorbin: The farm
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Historic sites trail: Follow this 2
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ADVENTURE AND SPORT Golf: Enjoy a q
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found throughout the park, includin
Page 88 and 89: ARCHAEOLOGY AND PALAEONTOLOGY San R
Page 90 and 91: HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE Dutch Refo
Page 92 and 93: Lady Grey Dam and Nature Reserve: F
Page 94 and 95: Three characteristic aspects of San
Page 96 and 97: MOLTENO Established on the farm Onv
Page 98 and 99: ART AND CRAFTS JC Marshall Art Gall
Page 100 and 101: San Rock Art: There are several sup
Page 102 and 103: Mountain Range, 1 385 m above sea l
Page 104 and 105: ing water to areas as far afield as
Page 106 and 107: AMATOLE (CENTRAL) REGION Eastern Ca
Page 108 and 109: when Fort Hare was built there. The
Page 110 and 111: Glen Lynden Church: This church, bu
Page 112 and 113: nouveau-style decorations of the sh
Page 114 and 115: EAST LONDON (including Gonubie and
Page 116 and 117: ADVENTURE AND SPORT Beaches and res
Page 118 and 119: FAUNA AND FLORA Amalinda Nature Con
Page 120 and 121: John Gately House: This house was o
Page 122 and 123: Fort Beaufort Historical Museum: Th
Page 124 and 125: HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE Haga-Haga
Page 126 and 127: continue high up the mountain to si
Page 128 and 129: HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE Gaika’s
Page 130 and 131: as several shops and a library, ind
Page 132 and 133: Bass-fishing, sail-boating and boar
Page 134 and 135: Mountaineering: Scaling the high cl
Page 136 and 137: Water sport: Wriggleswade Dam offer
Page 140 and 141: frolic in the distance. A large sal
Page 142 and 143: ENTERTAINMENT AND SHOPPING Wild Coa
Page 144 and 145: LIBODE This town lies about 25 km e
Page 146 and 147: MATATIELE The town of Matatiele was
Page 148 and 149: green, indigenous forests, is the c
Page 150 and 151: on sale include handcrafted leather
Page 152 and 153: Luchaba Nature Reserve: This reserv
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Eastern Cape Provincial Article - South African Vacations

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