Eastern Cape
Addo, malaria-free private reserves, the Wild Coast, and Port Elizabeth as a useful hub.
Trip Role
Ideal stay
Best for
Our take
The best malaria-free safari in the country, plus a coastline most international visitors never reach.
The best malaria-free safari in the country, plus a coastline most international visitors never reach.
- Trip Role
- Base
- Ideal Stay
- 4–7 days
- Best For
- Malaria-free safari, families, wild coast
Where to go here
Chintsa
A laid-back Wild Coast beach village north of East London — lagoon, backpacker lodges, and the soft entry to the Wild Coast.
Coffee Bay
A barefoot Wild Coast village — Hole in the Wall, cliffs, and the most backpacker-famous stretch of the Eastern Cape coast.
East London
South Africa's only river port, with long Indian Ocean beaches, an aquarium, and the gateway to the Wild Coast to the north.
Gqeberha
The Friendly City — a coastal Eastern Cape hub with beaches, ocean safari, and the gateway to Addo and the Garden Route's eastern end.
Graaff-Reinet
The 'gem of the Karoo' — a Cape Dutch town entirely surrounded by the Camdeboo National Park and the Valley of Desolation.
Hogsback
A forested Amatola mountain village — mist, waterfalls, and the supposed inspiration for Tolkien's Middle-earth.
Humansdorp
Farming town on the Garden Route's edge, gateway to the St Francis Bay coast and Cape St Francis.
Jeffreys Bay
South Africa's surf town — the world-famous right-hand point break at Supertubes and a laid-back beach culture.
Kenton-on-Sea
A holiday village between two rivers on the Sunshine Coast — beaches, Kariega Game Reserve upriver, and a family base.
Nieu Bethesda
A tiny Karoo village with an owl house, no petrol station, and an atmosphere you can't fake.
Port St Johns
A jungle-clad Wild Coast village at the Umzimvubu river mouth — dramatic, decaying, and the Sardine Run base.
St Francis Bay
A white-walled canal-and-beach village near Jeffreys Bay — surf, a canal estate, and a calmer Eastern Cape coast base.
Storms River Village
A tiny village at the Tsitsikamma end of the Garden Route — the Mouth, suspension bridge, and forest canopy tours.
Also in Eastern Cape
- Addo Elephant National Park · National Park
- Addo Elephant National Park · National Park
- Amakhala Game Reserve · Private Reserve
- Boknes · Beach
- Bushmans River Mouth · Beach
- Camdeboo National Park · National Park
- Cannon Rocks · Beach
- Cheetah Tracking at Mountain Zebra · Wildlife Experience
- Cintsa · Beach
- Coffee Bay Beach · Beach
- Gonubie Beach · Beach
- Gulu · Beach
- Hluleka · Beach
- Hobie Beach · Beach
- Hole in the Wall Beach · Beach
- Igoda Beach · Beach
- Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve · Private Reserve
- Jeffreys Bay Beach · Beach
- Kariega Game Reserve · Private Reserve
- Kenton-on-Sea Beach · Beach
- Kidds Beach · Beach
- Kwandwe Game Reserve · Private Reserve
- Lalibela Game Reserve · Private Reserve
- Lookout Restaurant · Restaurant
- Maitlands Beach · Beach
- Mbotyi · Beach
- Mdumbi Beach · Beach
- Mountain Zebra National Park · National Park
- Mpame · Beach
- Nahoon Beach · Beach
- Otter Trail · Hike
- Pollok Beach · Beach
- Port St Johns Beach · Beach
- Samara Private Game Reserve · Private Reserve
- Sardinia Bay · Beach
- Schoenmakerskop · Beach
- Shamwari Game Reserve · Private Reserve
- Yellow Sands · Beach
Everything we cover in Eastern Cape
Every published place in Eastern Cape, grouped by what it is.
Tidal Pool · 1
Mountain · 1
Viewpoint · 2
Cave · 1
Best things nearby
