The town of Patensie in the Gamtoos Valley is surrounded by beautiful scenery. Rolling hills, distant mountains, citrus and vegetable farmland, valley thicket, guest farms and some of the friendliest people you will find anywhere.
As visitors approach the town of Hankey in the Gamtoos Valley from the east, they have to pass Vergaderingskop before entering town. This little koppie is the final resting place of Saartjie Baartman and worth a stop even if its just to enjoy a view of the surrounding valley.The town of Hankey was established in 1826 (four years after the founding of the mission station in 1822 under the guidence of Dr John Philip ) and is the Gamtoos Valley's oldest…
I finally got to visit Port St Johns on the northern Wild Coast. It wasn't a case of not wanting to do it before but rather one of never being in the area. My visit was very brief though as we were on our way to Durban and still had a few stops to make so my Port St Johns experience consisted of stops at the mouth of the Umzimvubu River and Second Beach. It was impossible to get the whole…
A panoramic view of Nature's Valley from one of the scenic view site on the trail to Salt River
A panoramic view of Nature's Valley and its surrounds from the top of The Point looking west
A panorama view of the Port Elizabeth beachfront seen from the Jester while cruising Algoa Bay
I took this panorama of Hobie Beach with the Boardwalk Hotel and Conference Centre in the background from the Jester the other day. Cruising on the Jester does give one a whole new angle to look at the Port Elizabeth beachfront from and you just realise again how beautiful our beachfront is.
After dark the Boardwalk Complex truly turns into a wonderland with all the lights lining the building and reflecting in the water of the lake.
What is the best viewpoint in Port Elizabeth? In my opinion its the view from the top of the Donkin Lighthouse. This is the view across the Donkin Reserve showing the King Edward Hotel, Grey Institute, Donkin Street Houses and some of the Route 67 art pieces, including the 65m high flagpole. To think of it, I should have taken a panorama towards the city centre side as well. Next time, I promise.
Most people travelling between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town either barrel down the Garden Route's N2 in eight hours or explore the area over a period of several days. Sadly very few people travel through the Langkloof along this beautiful section of Route 62, better known for the part running through the Klein Karoo. The Langkloof isn't a popular tourist destination, not because of a lack of beauty but rather because of its direct competition on the other side of the mountains. …