Introduction

The shoreline of this province extends from the Umtamvuna River in KwaZulu Natal, to the mouth of the Storms River on the scenic Garden Route, in the west, then stretching inland to the north, bordering on Lesotho. The Eastern Cape offers endless miles of untouched and pristine coastline and some of the world’s best beaches. Port Elizabeth, alone, has over twenty miles of magnificent beaches and with its perfect combination of warm water, calm sea and fair breezes, it is one of the best sailing venues in the world. Southern right whales and their calves are regularly spotted between May and November, with both common and bottlenose dolphins often being seen close to shore.

At the forefront of conservation in the Eastern Cape is the Addo Elephant National Park situated in the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of the Eastern Cape. 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 hectare Addo National Elephant Park into a 360 000 hectare 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.

The first private reserve established and best known in this region is Shamwari game reserve.  The number of private lodges in the Eastern Cape is increasing every year as more farms are returned back to their natural form and converted into game farms. The area offers a ‘big five’ safari without the threat of malaria.

Compared to the Kruger National Park the Eastern Cape is a relatively new safari destination. nothing like the size of the Kruger National Park, this area has the advantage of offering a ‘big five’ safari without the threat of malaria.  The habitat and climate in this area is very different from that of the ‘lowveld’ of the Kruger National Park.

The Eastern Cape is ideal for those with time limits and not wanting to enter a malaria area. It is also an ideal place to end or start a tour of the garden route.

Access

Access from Cape Town or Johannesburg is easiest by scheduled flight to Port Elizabeth with a road transfer to the respective lodges.

Safari Options

We have suggested a number of different options for this area as follows: