MZANZI ISSUE 16

Summer Travel
main port of the city and the newer deep-water port of Coega
some 20 kilometres north of the city.
The city is also a gateway to the scenic Eastern Cape province
to its east and the world-renowned Garden Route to the west,
and it is sometimes referred to as the “friendly city” or the
“water sport capital of Africa”. Nelson Mandela Bay is also
recognised as both the Mohair and Bottelnose Dolphin Capital
of the World and is home to the largest breeding colony of
the African Penguin. It boasts no less than 5 biomes within
its city limits.
Port Elizabeth or the greater Nelson Mandela Bay Metro is
the only city that can also boast the Big 7 (elephant, buffalo,
rhino, lion, leopard, southern right whale and great white shark)
within its municipal boundaries, all within 45 minutes of the
city centre. The city is also the gateway to more than a million
hectares of malaria-free game reserves of the Eastern Cape,
including the famous Addo Elephant National Park as well as
numerous private reserves, all offering the ‘big five” experience.
Situated along the warm Indian Ocean, along its more than
40Km of coastline the city boasts a multitude of beaches,
including many Blue Flag beaches. Some of the better-known
beaches are Hobie Beach, Summerstrand, Humewood,
Bluewater Beach, Noordhoek and Sardinia Bay Beach. A short
distance away are also Marina Martinique, as well as Jeffreys
Bay and Cape St Francis, both popular holiday resort towns
and world-renowned surfing sites.
With its warm, dry summers and mild winter temperatures this
beautiful stretch of coastline boasts a perfect combination of
warm water, protected beaches and invigorating sea breezes.
It is a true water sports paradise and is home to some of the
best sailing conditions, first-rate scuba diving with colourful
coral species, beautiful reefs and shipwrecks, near perfect
conditions for windsurfing, angling, snorkelling, kitesurfing,
fly-fishing and canoeing, and of course surfing. Boat operators
offer trips to experience the seals, whales, dolphins and even
ragged-tooth sharks of the area.
Visitors are also drawn by the city’s many fine remaining
examples of its early architecture, from the Victorian styles,
to art nouveau, art deco and later additions. The biggest
number of art deco buildings in South Africa is to be found in
the city centre of Port Elizabeth! Other attractions include the
Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment Complex in Summerstrand,
cinema complexes, numerous sophisticated shopping malls,
restaurants to suit any palate, a vibrant nightlife as well as
annual and seasonal festivals and events. A selection of
exciting social, historical and traditional township tours are
also offered.
Apart from being the gateway to the the Western Region of
the Eastern Cape province, Port Elizabeth also gives access
to the Sunshine Coast, Frontier Country, Sundays River Valley,
Kouga, Tsitsikamma Forest, Garden Route as well as the Karoo
Heartland Routes and Route 62.
• For more information: Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism tel
+27 (0) 41 582 2575 or +27 (0) 41 582 2573, email info@
nmbt.co.za or website www.nmbt.co.za.
East London
From Port Elizabeth, take the R72 coastal highway north to
East London, our fourth coastal ‘city in the sun’, the second
biggest city of the Eastern Cape, and the gateway to the
fabulous Wild Coast. East London together with Mdantsane,
Bisho and King William’s Town, make up the Buffalo City
Metropolitan Municipality. Like its neighbour, Port Elizabeth,
one of the biggest industrial employers here is the automotive
industry. As of the 2011 census, East London had a population
of over 267,000 with over 755,000 people in the greater
metropolitan area.
An 1820 British Settler, John Bailie, surveyed the Buffalo River
mouth and founded the town in 1836, naming it Port Rex. As
it expanded around its harbour, it was later renamed London
in honour of the capital city of Great Britain, hence the name
East London. The city expanded around its harbour on the
Buffalo River, which is South Africa’s only river port and the
seventh largest harbour in the country. The port is also home
to one of South Africa’s largest grain elevators. Major exports
here are cars, grain and wool.
The city with its fort, Fort Glamorgan which was built on the
West Bank in 1847 as one of a series of frontier forts, played an
important role in the frontier wars with the Xhosa. East London
served as a supply port to service the military headquarters
at nearby King William’s Town, about 50 kilometres away.
Today East London is a pulsating city and popular destination
for tourists and holidaymakers. The city is home to several
museums, including the Steve Biko Centre and the Calgary
Transport Museum, and also boasts some fine art galleries
and an aquarium. The city is also well-known for the older
architectural examples from the colonial era that have been
preserved, among them the Cuthberts Building, Fort Murray,
the headquarters of the Buffalo Volunteer Rifles, the Lock
Street Jail, the City Hall on Oxford Street, and more.
There are a number of game and nature reserves close to the
city while the Bridle Drift Dam is popular with water sports
enthusiasts. East London is also a city of rivers, with most of
the city falling between the Buffalo River on the southwestern
side, and the Gonubie River on the north-eastern side, with
the Nahoon River slicing through the centre. Sought-after
residential areas line the rivers, which are also popular for
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