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Umtata River mouth in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Eastern Cape Safaris and Vacations

Overview

Take a trip to Eastern Cape on your South Africa Vacation

The Eastern Cape is a province in South Africa that shares a coastline on the South Indian Ocean. It borders Lesotho in the northeast as well as four other South African provinces, Western Cape, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State. Eastern Cape was formed in 1994 out of the Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei and the eastern portion of the Cape Province, all to be experienced on South Africa tours.

Despite offering many incredible natural attractions on a South African vacation, the Eastern Cape is not as touristy as other South African provinces. It is however very important in the history of the country being the birthplace of several prominent figures involved in the struggle against apartheid including Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Steve Biko and Oliver Tambo.

The coastline of the Eastern Cape is famous for beautiful beaches and for water sports including surfing, fishing and diving. Jeffrey’s Bay is one of the top five surfing destinations in the world, hosting the annual Billabong Pro ASP World Tour. Port Elizabeth is the capital city and has been nicknamed “The Friendly City” because of the outgoing nature of the people who live there. It enjoys more sunshine than any other coastal city in South Africa. Addo Elephant Park is located near Port Elizabeth supports around 200 elephants and is very rich in birdlife, perfect for South Africa safaris.

A province of contrasts, Eastern Cape offers informal seaside breaks as well as exciting city stays, plus many wildlife opportunities and sporting challenges all without ever being too crowded.

At a Glance

Languages

Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English

Currency

South African Rand (ZAR)

What do the experts say?

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
Skip the more commercial wineries and visit artisanal producers—you’ll find sparkling wines and small-batch reds that are absolutely world-class.
Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
Djembe drumming at GOLD in Cape Town is an immersive African experience through their 14-dish food safari and unique live entertainment.
Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
The game viewing in Kruger and Eastern Cape always draws me back—it’s truly superb.
Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
South Africans are famously warm—when you’re new in town, you're often invited to a braai, our way of welcoming people through food.
Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
South Africa is a wonderful starting point for Africa. It's got some of the top cities in the world, stunning food and wine, and exceptional value for money.

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ExcellentBased on 5,185 Reviews
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This is an excellent tour agency that provides an excellent, all inclusive safari experience in South Africa, especially in the renown Kruger National Park. The agency will provide a very detailed, day-by-day itinerary of the trip, which, for the most part, describes exactly the order of activities that a customer will experience from start to end of the reserved trip. Our safari trip included a hotel pick-up in Cape Town in the beginning of the safari trip and drop-off at the end of the trip. Flights to and from either Johannesburg or Mpumalanga airport are included. We reserved a 3-day safari trip which included an afternoon safari the first day, a full day safari the 2nd day, and a morning safari the 3rd day. The lodge where we stayed was very clean with modern and convenient accommodations, including WIFI and breakfast. The guides are well trained and very knowledgeable about all animals we came across during our trip, and were also very courteous, polite and easy to engage in conversation. They made our safari trip exciting but safe! I would highly recommend this safari tour agency. Christos Patriotis
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I had an amazing trip. It was more than I could have expected. I got to see everything I wished to see while I was abroad. All the guides were lovely and provided me with excellent knowledge on their cities/tours. Especially in China where it was their holiday week and they all took time away from their families to make me around their cities. The tour company in Japan made sure I got to every tour destination and knew what the plan was for each day. This is the second time I have used Goway for traveling and it has exceeded my expectations. katieahotmail.com
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We just returned from an incredible 2-week trip to Brazil, and it exceeded every expectation. This was our first time using Goway, and RuthAnne absolutely knocked it out of the park. What Made It Special: Exceptional Guides - Every guide RuthAnne selected was outstanding. Our Rio guide was probably the best we've ever had anywhere in the world. Our Iguazu Falls guide was equally fantastic—knowledgeable, personable, and made the experience unforgettable. Every guide was excellent throughout our journey. Amazon Experience - The Amazon River portion was breathtaking. Incredible venue, exceptional staff, and truly memorable excursions. Perfect Planning - Every detail was thoughtfully arranged. Timing, accommodations, activities—everything flowed seamlessly. RuthAnne clearly knows Brazil inside and out and matched us with the perfect experiences for our family. We felt taken care of every step of the way. Bottom Line: We'll absolutely be using Goway again for our next adventure. Traveled as a family of four - would recommend for couples, families, or anyone seeking a hassle-free, world-class experience.Ethan Davenport
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We just returned from a 2 week tour of South Africa, Zimbabwe(Victoria Falls) and Botswana, and had a fabulous time! This was the third tour I've used Goway, and as usual, it was such a positive experience! The accommodations that were booked were awesome! The hotels were luxurious, clean and the staff, all so warm and welcoming! Our travel agent, Vanessa Lloyd, did a fabulous job arranging everything, and was always available to answer my many questions! We'll be using them again, next year when we take a family trip to the Greek Islands and Turkey! They are always consistent in the quality of the hotels and experiences, and I highly recommend them for your travel needs!Fran Nitta Barnes
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We are still on our journey in Italy. At Capri now and heading to the Amalfi Coast. So far, we can’t thank Goway enough for putting our itinerary together so quickly. Everything is going well and hope the next 10 days are perfect too. Gladys Vivian
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Can't say enough good things about Goway Travel. From the very start, our travel rep, Harpreet, listened carefully to what we were hoping to see and do on our first trip to Japan. She asked great questions and then came back to us with a detailed itinerary packed with adventure and fun, and all within our travel budget. From the moment we took off from LAX, Harpreet had made sure we had every tour voucher, hotel voucher, plane ticket, train ticket, literally every detail covered. All we had to do was follow our itinerary. Also, Harpreet booked us into terrific hotels. Each one was spotlessly clean, comfortable, included a full (and delicious) breakfast and, most importantly, was centrally located to all of the activities she had planned for us. So everything was a 5 or 10-minute walk away. In three weeks' time we were able to visit six cities and so many fascinating shrines, temples, castles, imperial palaces - most of which were World Heritage sites. Harpreet also tucked in fabulous "experiences" like learning how to make sushi with a professional chef, enjoying a tea ceremony and watching graceful Geishas dance. My husband and I are seasoned travelers. But we don't speak Japanese and we really knew very little about the country. There is no way we would have been able to see and do all of the fascinating things we did in Japan if we hadn't chosen Goway Travel to be our guide. Many thanks for an unforgettable trip! Bobbi Fagone
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Great country (Italy), great people and love the feel you get by just being you. Ingrid Aird did a great job with a pair of tours one private and one group. Organizing pickup from airport and flights. Hotel, Enterprise Hotel, after a bit of a rough start getting us into a proper room, was more than excellent.Thomas Helps
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We were looking forward to a magical vacation in Greece, and Goway Travel delivered on all fronts. This is the second time that we have booked with them (the first being an incredible excursion in Thailand), and everything went along swimmingly. Only on one occasion did a tour go sideways, but our Goway specialist (Patrick) took care of it for us. When your tour involves many flights, numerous hotels, various tours, ferries, and transfers, it is nice to know that your travel specialist can handle it all. Goway (from Patrick to all the other staff involved) handled everything in such a professional manner. Thanks Goway for such an incredible experience in Greece. I look forward to another adventure in the near future!Jenny Friess
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We recently returned from France - three cities in two weeks - and our trip was fantastic! Jacqueline helped us with a return to France with no worries and concerns. Drivers met us at every destination- hotels were superb and the individual tours memorable. This is a return vacation with Goway and we could not be more pleased. The customer service is top notch and all questions answered promptly. For us seniors, we appreciate all the thoughtfulness and consideration.ElizaGray
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My clients had an amazing trip and they told me that the trip was better than expected. I want to thank Brent Morris who was very helpful in the planning stages. Job well done Goway & Brent it was great working with with you!!! Sole Barraza Sole
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