Eastern-Cape Travel Guide
Situated between the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, and bordered by the Orange River and Drakensberg Mountains in the north, the Eastern Cape's unspoiled coastline and vast hinterland offer a rare combination of beauty and solitude. It's rarely at the top of the list of holiday destinations, largely because so many of its attractions are off the beaten track, but for many this is the province's chief drawcard. It remains primarily a rural area, particularly with the post-apartheid incorporation of two large former Xhosa "bantustans," Ciskei and Transkei, and traditional ways of life still hold sway here. It is also one of the poorest provinces in South Africa: farming and the manufacture of automobiles provide the region's main source of income, but are unable to generate the sizeable growth needed to absorb the province's large numbers of unemployed.
That said, the Eastern Cape is an interesting place to visit. Some of the country's most powerful political figures, like Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela, were born here; and capital city Port Elizabeth was a crucial center of the anti-apartheid movement, with a notoriously deadly security police in close attendance. Today a number of good operators offer excellent township tours that provide an insight into Port Elizabeth's role in South African history, as well as an authentic introduction into traditional Xhosa rites and ceremonies.
Within easy striking distance of Port Elizabeth -- often the entry or end point of a Garden Route tour -- is the Addo Elephant National Park, the country's third-largest reserve. If this isn't wild enough (and with no major predators, Addo is rather tame), the nearby Shamwari and Kwandwe private game reserves offer a chance to stay in luxury and see the Big 5.
The Eastern Cape is also steeped in English-settler history (as opposed to the Dutch influence in the Western Cape), with Grahamstown offering some of the finest examples of English-settler architecture; today this university town is an important cultural and educational center, hosting the largest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
Moving north into the thirstlands of the Karoo, you will find vast, uninhabited plains with such atmospheric names as the Valley of Desolation, near Graaff-Reinet, the Eastern Cape's oldest settlement. If you like unpopulated spaces and picturesque architecture, this is a recommended detour, possibly on a self-drive tour between the Garden Route and Gauteng. But most visitors tend to stick to the coastal attractions, from surfing the perfect wave in Jeffrey's Bay to exploring the aptly named Wild Coast, where you'll find some of the coast's most unspoilt beaches.
