Gqeberha, gateway to the Eastern Cape 

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Gqeberha, previously known as Port Elizabeth or PE, is blessed with stunning beaches, interesting museums and memorials, award-winning wildlife destinations, and cultural and historical gems.

Gqeberha is a coastal hub in the Eastern Cape where locals proudly proclaim that everything lies within 15 minutes’ drive of the airport. It is one of the largest cities in South Africa, and lies 770km east of Cape Town, where it forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, which links the city with the inland industrial towns of Uitenhage and Despatch. 

Algoa Bay, the coastal strip of Nelson Mandela Bay, incorporates a 40km stretch of beaches, with protected areas for swimming at Kings Beach, Hobie Beach, Humewood Beach, Pollock Beach and Denville Beach. Fishing, surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling and sailing are enjoyed at less- populated spots such as Wildside, Sardinia Bay, Blue Horizon Bay, Bluewater Bay, Beachview and Schoenmakerskop. Gqeberha is also home to Route 67 a collection of 67 art pieces celebrating the years Nelson Mandela devoted to public life.

It is a mix of visual arts, urban design and heritage, showcasing old Victorian churches; terraced cottages on Donkin Street where massive silver pipes catch the famous winds of Gqeberha make music; a lighthouse that once guided ships into Algoa Bay; and a large pyramid built by Donkin in memory of his wife. There is also a large metal cut-out of Nelson Mandela symbolically leading South Africans to vote in the country’s first democratic election. 

While in Port Elizabeth, you cannot pass the opportunity to visit the city’s multipurpose, multi-tiered Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, an impressive legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. 

The city is an outdoor-lovers’ paradise, so do not miss out on boat cruises; diving opportunities; or a trip to the lush forests of the Kragga Kamma Game Park, where buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, zebra, nyala, bontebok, lechwe and other animals roams freely. Also worth a visit is a 52m tower with 204 steps leading to the top, known as the Campanile Memorial, a monument that stands sentinel over the Gqeberha harbour.

It was built in 1923 to honour the arrival of 1820 British Settlers. Another memento of Settler influence is No 7 Castle Hill, built in 1830. This is one of the oldest surviving Settler cottages in the city and encapsulates domestic life of 19th-century middle class, complete with cobbled courtyard and an operational well. 

For more, go to visiteasterncape.co.za 

Source: Gqeberha, previously known as Port Elizabeth or PE, is blessed with stunning beaches, interesting museums and memorials, award-winning wildlife destinations, and cultural and historical gems.

SAA flies between Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape and Johannesburg seven days a week. 

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