Port Elizabeth Information
Port Elizabeth Information
Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape Province, known as the friendly city stretches for 16km along Algoa Bay and is one of the major seaports in South Africa. Port Elizabeth was founded in 1820 to house British Settlers and to strengthen the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. Today, together with Uitenhage and Despatch, it forms the Nelson Mandela Metro with a population of over 1.3 million and is the gateway to the Eastern Cape Region.
Port Elizabeth offers a diverse selection of attractions making it a superb value for money and perfect holiday destination. You will find historic heritage, cultural experiences, scenic nature trails with a vast array of vegetation types, and countless water sports. Algoa Bay’s breathtaking coastline with its protected beaches and warm waters makes it the perfect choice for water sports. To add to this, Port Elizabeth’s wonderful climate has been rated 4th best coastal city in the world for climate. The Bay offers numerous water sport activities throughout the year, especially wind surfing. It is well known by sailing enthusiasts and offers a stunning scuba diving experience with its amazing reefs, colourful coral species and wide variety of fish species.
Port Elizabeth has many historical attractions, one the most interesting being the Historic Donkin Heritage trail, which allows the visitor to follow in the footsteps of the 1820 Settlers on their journey of discovery and settlement. This 5 km trail visits 47 historical sites and architectural delights in the Old Hill area of central Port Elizabeth. Just 73 km from the city you will find the exclusive, private Shamwari Game Reserve which is home to the "Big Five" of Africa. The Addo Elephant Park is dedicated to the preservation of the Eastern Cape Elephant and the Cape Buffalo. There are other smaller reserves which are just as awe inspiring and will prove a memorable African experience.
Port Elizabeth offers tourists a large variety of accommodation from Luxury Hotels, Lodges, Bed & Breakfasts, and Guest Houses to self catering and camping.
Port Elizabeth offers the tourist a wide variety of cuisine from traditional African and South African dishes to European, Asian and Fusion and much more.
Climate
Temperatures are moderate all year round with rain scattered throughout the year. The summers between December and February are warm with a varied temperate humidity level. Winters between June and August are mild and pleasant, and it is significant that water sports are practiced year-round. The average mid day temperature ranges from 19.3”C to 25.2”C. More information on Port Elizabeth climate
Places of Interest
The Port Elizabeth Apple Express
The Apple Express Train travels to Assegaaibos and Patensie. The trips are to quaint getaways perfect for the whole family. There are various Day Trip packages and Weekend Trip packages available to choose from. The Train is also an ideal "Venue" to host guests for Corporate or Private functions. More information on Port Elizabeth Apple Express
Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve
This 450 hectare reserve lies 40 km from Port Elizabeth on the N2 to Cape Town. It is the best place near Port Elizabeth to see lowland fynbos with flowering Proteas and associated fynbos endemics. The rocky gorge is good for raptors and there is indigenous coastal forest in the gorge. Allow a morning's birding to cover all habitats, when you can expect to see 60 of the 170 regularly occurring species. More information on Port Elizabeth Wild Flower Reserve
Art in the Park
On the first Sunday of every month, St. George's Park, located along Park Drive, Central, hosts Art in the Park. This is an open-air exhibition of craft stalls and home-craft art, which is for sale. The first Sunday of the month from 9AM to 2PM. Visitors are invited to browse along the lawns of the park, leisurely viewing the items on display. There are now also various food stalls, which sell snacks, ice creams, cool-drinks and fast foods
Bayworld
One of the leading tourist attractions in Nelson Mandela Bay, Bayworld is unique in Southern Africa, embracing a natural and cultural history Museum combined with an Oceanarium and Snake Park. It is located in the heart of the Port Elizabeth beachfront and serves up a feast of entertainment to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The main activities of the Complex are research and education aimed at stimulating a greater awareness of the need for conservation of South Africa’s natural and cultural heritage. Research and education programmes focus on marine life, reptiles, maritime and local history. More information on Port Elizabeth Bayworld
The Boardwalk
The Boardwalk is located on the Port Elizabeth Beach front in the exclusive suburb of Summerstrand. It has four hotels, several dining bars, a 24 hour casino, stores, a cinema, an amphitheatre and childrens entertainment
Happy Valley
Happy Valley is situated on Port Elizabeth's main beachfront, a short distance from Humewood Beach, and displays a magical wonderland of sparkling lights and well known children's characters. Happy Valley is located in a natural valley, which has the Shark River running through it. During holiday seasons, the walk through garden with its landscaped lawns, shady trees, lily ponds and trickling water features, is lit up with magnificent displays of colourful lights and an assortment of popular characters such as Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan, Shrek and Harry Potter. In between visitors find leprechauns, three blind mice, Superman and a wide variety of others.
Seaview Game Park
This Park shelters various lion cubs of different ages. It is conveniently located near the city center. In this park you can find various other animals like giraffe, zebra, impala, monkeys, tigers and many others. More information on Port Elizabeth Seaview Game Park
Hobie Beach
Hobie Beach is the city’s most popular beach. Hobie is the top swimming and entertainment beach, complete with a pier, close proximity to an entertainment complex, a lifeguard clubhouse, public toilets, showers, swimming pools and even an esplanade.
Addo Elephant Park
Deep within the shadows of the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape lies the Addo Elephant National Park. Here, the evenings are punctuated by the strident howl of the black-backed jackal, and the francolin's call heralds each new dawn. Safe from relentless persecution in the past, the grey leviathans of the bush now roam in peace. The original Elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area - today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 450 elephants, Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo. And their Addo has only just begun. With plans to expand the 164 000 ha Addo National Elephant Park into a 360 000 ha mega-park. In addition, plans include the proposed proclamation of a 120 000 ha (296 500 acre) marine reserve that includes islands that are home to the world's largest breeding populations of Cape gannets and second largest breeding population of African penguins. More information on Addo Elephant Park
