Surrounding Areas

The Gamtoos River Valley is one of my favorite areas and is found to the west of Port Elizabeth.Known as the food basket of the Eastern Cape, it is mainly a farming area producing citrus, potatoes and tobacco with all kinds of other fruit and vegetables also being grown. Its is a very scenic area with loads of potential as a top nature and agricultural tourism destination. All along the road accommodation can be found on various farms while there…

Cradock is situated about 280km north of Port Elizabeth. It is one of the chief centers of the wool industry of the Cape, and also produces beef, dairy, fruit, lucerne, and mohair. Close to the town visitor will find the Mountain Zebra National Park. The park plays a major role in the conservation of this highly endangered animal.Die Tuishuise in Cradock consist of 30 refurbished Karoo style cottages ideally located in Market Street. These unique houses have been restored to…

The charming village of Nieu Bethesda is set in the fertile valley of the Sneeuberg Mountains. It is so secluded that development took a back seat leaving a rare historical integrity. It has become a popular retreat for artists and because of its unique appeal, this is a place that no visitor should miss. The main attraction in the town is the Owl House.The house itself was inherited by a woman named Helen Martins after her parents had died.According to…

Over this last December summer holidays we camped for a week in the town of Cannon Rocks on the Sunshine Coast. It has endless beaches and doesn't get over crowded like the other coastal destinations in summer. I also had an absolute ball with my camera with sunsets over the sea and specially the shipwreck of a fishing boat. For more pics of Cannon Rocks see here. This coming December we will be back there for a week.

The town of Port Alfred is situated halfway (150km) between Port Elizabeth and East London in the heart of the Sunshine Coast. One of the town's most distinctive features is a beautiful marina with a number of luxurious houses facing onto the canals. Associated with the marina is a small boat harbour, providing mooring for a variety of vessels from luxury yachts and other pleasure craft, to sporting and commercial deep-sea fishing vessels. It is growing rapidly due to a…

The little village of Bathurst is situated about 50km from Grahamstown towards the coast. It also dates back to the 1820 British Settler days with many historic buildings with direct connections to the early years. Bathurst is the kind of village which, when discovered by the big city folk, would probably loose it charm but would also create employment for many unemployed local inhabitants. On the outskirts of town visitors will find The Big Pineapple, the biggest pineapple in the…

The town of Grahamstown, 120km east of Port Elizabeth, is situated in the middle of the Frontier Country. The area was the site of 9 frontier wars between the settlers and the Xhosa people over a period of a hundred years from the late 1700's. The town saw a lot of development from 1820 onwards after the arrival of the British Settlers and still have a very English feel to it. Grahamstown is referred to as the City of Saints…