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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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