Province of Eastern Cape Travel Forum

Hello!
I am travelling in a group of three, one is a 13 year old. We arrive in Johannesburg airport and we plan to first visit LION PARK ( near Jo'berg) and spend a night in the "semi-luxury"? tents and see some animals!! and try a BRAAI, - we will slowly make our journey to Wild Coast to Tshana to Mdumbi Backpackers- but we want to break the trip and stay somewhere nice 6 HOURS OUTSIDE OF JOHANNESBURG and the next morning-ish continue by bus to Umtata ( to arrive at a reasonable hour to be collected by backpackers transport!)

Is Maseru in Lesotho around 6 hours from Johannesburg? ( by something like greyhound bus??) Is Durban area ( Kwazulu) ( maybe the ZULU BEER route????) around 6 hours from Jo'berg and then after overnight somewhere in one of those locations heading to Wild Coast? I feel a bit baffled and the South Africa tourist website doesn't give me clear information how location distances are....

I will be happy for some GOOD advice please! ( we are going to be travelling by one of those "greyhound" type of buses for the whole trip )

THANKS!!!!!

Hi,

we are a group of 7-8 people driving from East London to the Wild Coast on 24th Oct and plan to spend the weekend of 24th and 25th Oct somewhere in the Wild Coast. We have not yet planned the trip. Can anyone help me with the following?
1. What is a good destination to target in Wild Coast?
2. Are there any must do things on the way from East London to Wild Coast?
3. If we have to stay the night of 24th Oct, what is a good place to stay and possibly a good back packer?
4. What are the place to see in and around wild coast?

I have heard Wild Coast is breathtaking and cant wait to experience it. Any suggestions on planning the itenary will be really appreciated.

Thanks upfront!
Priya

Hi,

we are a group of 14 driving to Port Elizabeth from East London on 16th Oct and we plan to spend the weekend of 17th and 18th Oct in Port Elizabeth and we are already booked for Addo Elephant Park safari on 18th morning.
My questions are-
1. Are there any interesting things to do along the way from East London to PE?
2. When in PE, what are the must do things? the most done things in PE but also more importantly, any off the beaten path things we must do?

Thanks upfront!
Priya

Hello!
In March three of us ( one is a 13 year old who is TRAVELLING ABROAD for the FIRST time) are going to South Africa's Wild Coast area, Mdumbi.
We are planning to stay at Mdumbi Backpackers and possibly other places nearby.
Has anyone stayed at Mdumbi backpackers? How is the feeling of that place? the area? I am very interested in really immersing myself in the local culture ( even trying very "exotic food" ,ie. dog foetus?? and other very indigenous delicacies) and local alcohol. We plan to arrive from Johannesburg to Umtata-
any good suggestions on transport? ( Baz bus?) we also want to stay in the rondalettes ( round houses)
Keeping in mind our 13 year old,and my interest in cultural immersion, I am looking forward hearing any GOOD advice which would assist our adventure to be more comfortable. Thank you in advance!

Please help, I am looking for a trip for my family and myself to Knysna from Port Elizabeth in december. I am unable to find anything with the tourist coach through spoornet because the site is not usre friendly, please advise.

thanks
marty

We would like to book one night from 16 May 2009 to 17 May 2009. Is it possible and what is your price per night. 2 Adults

i was wondering if anyone could refer me to a cheap transportation service to get from port elizabeth to jbay? or even better from Cape Town to jbay? as it is cheaper to fly into cape town as opposed to port elizabeth

any help at all would be appreciated
thanks

Hi. My husband and I are planning on staying at the Storm's River Mouth Rest camp at the end of February. Since all accommodation is self-catering and picnics come highly recommended (not to diss the restaurant :-)), is it possible to buy groceries inside the park or should we plan to pick up some food on our way there?

looking to do a game drive in this area around june time any ideas as to where i can book online for this ?

thanks for any help

Hi, My friend and I (31 year old females), will be visiting the area in late May and are looking for some opinions or recommendations on Game reserves. So far we were looking at either Amakhala or Blaauwbosch. We have up to $250USD per night per person budget. We are looking for a malaria free, big five reserve. Preferably we would like a lodge big enough so we aren't the only ones there, but not too big so that we are fighting for view on the safaris. Does anyone have an opinion on either of those or any other reserve in the area? We will also be spending a night in or around Addo after the Reserve visit.
Thanks!

After reading your advice and tons of info on the net I got the following itinerary.

I will be driving from Addo to CT. Leaving Addo on 14.11, flying out of CT on 20.11. This cannot be changed. Everything in the middle can. Can someone comment on it? Am I missing something worthwhile?

14. Leaving Addo in the morning, driving to Tsitsikamma National Park, hike there till dark, then drive to Knysha. Sleep at Knysha
15. Hike in Knysha, stay overnight
16. More hiking in Knysha, some time in Wilderness Park, then drive to Mossel Bay. Sleep at Mossel Bay
17. Dive with sharks in the morning, then drive west, stopping at Hermanus for an hour or so in hope to see whales, sleep at some town on the way close to Cape Park turnoff (Strand?)
Do I have enough daylight time for this day? Will it make more sense to skip Mossel Bay, drive to Gansbaai, sleep and dive there?
18. Drive to Cape of Good Hope, stopping to see penguins, then to CT, go up Table Mountain on a chairlift (love to hike up but I don't see how I can fit it in), walk around waterfront. Either stay the night there or drive towards Stellenbosh.
19. Tour the winelands, stay overnight at Stellenbosh
20. fly out in the morning

It doesn't seem that I have enough time but I am not sure how it could be improved. Any suggestions? What would you have done differently?

We start driving from Addo along Garden road towards CT on 14.11 around noon.
Flying out of CT on 20.11 in the morning

What will be the most optimal way to allocate time and stops for this trip?
The only "must" is the shark diving either in Mosselbaai or in Gansbaai.

What times are the shows for the dolphins and what is the price per person. thanks... And if there are shows only on certain days please tell me which days there will be shows.

I'm looking for transport for 2 people from Port Elizabeth to Kareiga Game Reserve. How long does it take to get to Kareiga Game Reserve from Port Elizabeth Airport.
How much would a taxi cost?
Are there Buses that go there each day?
Has anyone any information about transport which may help?
Thanks Inadvance for your help

We are planning to visit Eastern Cape from 23Dec to 10Jan. Recommended by friends to take the Sunshine coast & Country Route i.e. Port Elizabeth to East London. Can anyone suggest a good travel agent or should we just rent a car, book the accommodation in advance and go on our own? Thanks for any information and help. Elaine

Hi,
Please could you advise me on the best way to get from Port Elizabeth city centre to Shamwari and costs if using taxis
Thanks

Zambiantony

We are trying to plan a trip along the Garden Route and are getting lots of different suggestions of where to actually stay along the way. Plan is to stay 4 nights in Cape Town at one end of the trip, and 3 nights in Kariega at the other end, leaving another 6 nights. As can visit winelands from Cape Town one popular suggestions seems to be 1 night Swellendam, 4 nights based in Knysna as a main base, then 1 night in Port Elizabeth. Does that sound like a good plan? And is Knysna the best place for the 4 night base, or would George or Wilderness be better? Or any other suggestions gratefully received. The idea would be to do a days circular drive up to Oudtshoorn taking in as much different scenery as possible. Would also like to take the train between George and Knysna, and take a deep sea fishing trip if possible. Also take in Storms River and sort of rafting (maybe!). And one more question, some of the hotels that look lovely are or course not centrally placed in Knysna. I was wondering if centrally placed such as the Quays would be better if staying in Knysna for 4 nights, for going out in the evening to eat and drink?

I am currently living in Malaysia and have been offered a
job in Grahamstown. I am a single mum and have a daughter in primary school. Have read and heard wonderful things about south africa but at the same time I come across horrible pieces of information such as "rape capital of the world", "50 children raped everyday", etc. I am sure you can understand my concerns. I am having a difficult time trying to make this decision. I was hoping someone living in that region can give me more information about how safe a place like Grahamstown would be for a mother and daughter, before I decide to relocate.

We are considering visiting Schotia Game Park while in South Africa. I have heard that their Tooth and Claw Night is great and that they will take you on an escorted tour of Addo Elephant Park the next day. Any feedback? Has anyone stayed there?

We looking for a good game reserve to visit. We went to Addo last year and heard of Kariega. Has anyone ever been there? Or can anyone recommend anywhere else

Hi -

Im looking for reasonable priced accom. in Port St Johns - (approx. R 200/day) just for me (1 person). I have been warned that cars get broken into at backpackers so I would like any reccomendation on any places where a car can park inside a fenced enclosure and which is quite close to the beach? Are there any safe pubs or bars in P St Johns - hope toi be there 25/02/2006.

Thank you

My family and I will be staying in Port Elizabeth over the Christmas period and would like to know what is on in the area, ie pantomimes or any other shows or concerts. Been searching the net but had no luck. Can any one please help.

Hi,

Anyone know some good (but not too expensive) accommodation in the above mentioned two areas, for around December this year ?

Thanks
Samuel

How do yo pronounce Xhosa?

Is it reasonable to drive a rental car between East London and Durban in one day, or should one plan to spend the night somewhere between them?

Has anyone ever stayed at the Calabash Lodge in Port Elizabeth? (And how come no one has posted anything for Port Elizabeth yet??)