Things to do in Eastern Cape

Discover the Addo Elephant Park on a guided shore excursion. Explore the third-largest national park in South Africa, with expansive grounds, lush vegetation, and unsurpassed views of the continent’s most iconic wildlife. Begin your tour with pickup from the cruise terminal and board an air-conditioned vehicle and enjoy a 35-minute scenic drive through the South African countryside. Upon arrival at the park, and after check-in, begin your game drive. Spot animals such as the Big 5, zebras, warthogs, and antelopes. Your local guide will stop the vehicle when animals are spotted. During the drive, stop to stretch your legs at a lookout point where you can enjoy spectacular views of the park while sipping a refreshing drink and snack. Travel in a closed vehicle, making your way through the park from south to north, trekking along gravel and sand paths as well as tarred roads in search of the best viewing sites. Get acquainted with the incredible flora and fauna of the reserve and learn more about the area’s biodiversity. After working up an appetite, you can purchase lunch at the park restaurant. Use some free time to spend at the souvenir shop to find the perfect gifts, before continuing your safari and heading back south. Thereafter, you'll exit the park to be back in time at the cruise ship.

Your experienced and enthusiastic guide will do their best to locate as much of the game available in the area and interpret their behavior for you during your drive. The first few hours of the tour are usually good to see antelope, zebra and lion. As this safari covers all time periods of the day, you should have the opportunity to see most game species. Stopping for a tea and coffee break at around 10:30 AM, you will continue on the game drive for sightings of elephants and buffalo near the watering holes. At lunchtime you can enjoy a delicious South African braai with juice, mineral water, beer and white wine. After lunch continue on the safari before being returned to your place of accommodation. Refreshments will be served throughout the drive.

This unique eco-wilderness adventure takes place in the magnificent Tsitsikamma indigenous rainforest. Most of the platforms are located in giant Outeniqua Yellowwood trees. The scenery and bird life are spectacular and professional guides provide interesting facts about the forest ecology throughout the tour. The concept of guiding people through the upper canopy of a rainforest originated in Costa Rica, where adventurous biologists devised new methods for accessing the forest canopy in order to conduct research on the undiscovered canopy ecosystem. The idea soon developed into a breathtaking form of eco-tourism which allowed people to enter and experience a previously inaccessible natural environment. The tour begins with a detailed safety briefing followed by a kitting-up session where full body harnesses, pulleys, and climbing equipment are issued and checked. A short drive into the Tsitsikamma forest and it is time to monkey around. From the start on the launch platform, a new world unfolds as one gently glides on a steel cable to the first tree platform. All groups are escorted through the forest canopy by a lead guide and a follow guide to ensure your safety as you slide from tree to tree. The platforms are built high up in the giant Outeniqua Yellowwoods and provide an unbelievable view of this enchanting new world, any fear of heights is soon lost as you gather in your new surroundings.

Get picked up from your hotel in Port Elizabeth, Bluewater Bay, or Colchester. Spend a full day exploring the third largest National Park in South Africa with an expert local guide. The original elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area.  Today you can see a variety of predators, antelope, zebra species, endangered black rhino as well as the unique Addo flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo.  The park is also the only one in the world to conserve the “Big 7” – the Big 5 as well as the southern right whale and great white shark off the Algoa Bay coast.  An excursion to the Addo Elephant park is a must when visiting this unique area.

Experience a half-day guided Addo Elephant National Park safari and have the best chance of seeing all the park has to offer. Not only do the guides have trained eyes for spotting and identifying wildlife but they have expert knowledge regarding vegetation and local history, culture, and stories too. During the tour, you'll be taken to the highlighted areas of the northern section of Addo National Park Main Camp. Your guide will help you capture your Addo memories from up close and at the right angles, and they are always on the lookout for the perfect shot. Tours are conducted in custom-designed Toyota Land Cruiser Safari Vehicles, which are spacious, comfortable touring vehicles featuring high ground clearance and large retractable windows.

Have the experience of a lifetime and bungy jump from Africa’s highest bridge. Jump with confidence thanks to the help of a professional and experienced team with a 100% safety record, who have hosted celebrities such as Prince Harry and Jack Osbourne as well as record-breaking bungy jumpers.   Reach the jump point via zipline from the bank to the arch. Before jumping, you will be kitted out with a full body harness and your feet will be secured using specially designed equipment. Leap out into the valley and feel the thrill of falling and rebounding whilst being securely attached to the bungy cord. Feel the smoothness of the bungee experience thanks to Bloukrans Bungy’s pendulum technology.   On your way back up, get a winch ride coordinated by a recovery operator and enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding national park. Walk along the 216-meter SkyWalk to get back onto solid ground.

The tour departs from Port Elizabeth Deep Sea Angling Club (PEDSAC) at Port Elizabeth Harbor in the early morning. Board the catamaran with your guide, and then set sail onto the waters where the adventure begins. As you sail around the coastline, watch out for the vast array of marine life that lives here, as you learn about their mating and migration patterns. The best time for whale spotting begins in June when humpback whales move along the coast as they head up the east coast of Africa towards their breeding grounds. Humpback whales can be spotted in Algoa Bay between June and early January, reaching peaks in July/August, and then again in November/December when they make their return journey with newborn calves in tow. Southern right whales are also usually seen very close inshore nearby to the harbor during July to October as they enter the safety of the bay to give birth. These whales are the most frequently observed whales along the South African coast. Indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins also call the bay their home and can be spotted all year round in groups from 10 to 400. These playful dolphins are mostly found in shallow waters either near the beaches or around St. Croix Island, and tend to come right up to the boat and ride along in the bow waves. Common dolphins are also a spectacular sight as they are seen in groups of 1000-2000, swimming along at great speeds. There’s also the chance to see humpback dolphins in Algoa Bay, which usually occur in much smaller groups, anywhere between 1 and 20, and are most commonly seen during the summer months. On the tour, the boat will also sail around St. Croix Island, home to over 20,000 breeding pairs of African penguins, the largest breeding colony found in Africa. Enjoy a close-up encounter with these comical birds and learn about their breeding habits on the island. As well as African penguins, both St. Croix and Brenton Island are inhabited by the endangered African black oystercatcher, white-breasted cormorants and Cape cormorants.

Enjoy a relaxing river cruise along the majestic Sundays River passing the Alexandria Coastal Dune field and many local birdlife feeding in their natural habitat. The cruise also includes a stop at one of the highest sand dunes. If you climb to the top, you will be treated to spectacular views of the bay. Tours are from 1.5 to 2.5-hours and are perfect for small or larger groups, families, friends, bird watchers or birthday parties, bachelor/ achelorette parties and year-end functions.    

Spend 2 days exploring the 3rd largest national park in South Africa with a local guide and look for elephants and other animals in the wild. Learn how the park was created in 1931 when only 11 elephants remained in the area, and how the finely-tuned ecosystem is now home to one of the densest elephant populations on earth. Enjoy 2 game drives to look for some of the park's 600 resident elephants, along with lions, buffalo, and endangered black rhinos. Marvel at the landscape as you look for spotted hyenas and leopards, along with different species of antelope and zebra. Keep a close look out for the flightless dung beetle found almost exclusively in the area. The park is the only national park in the world to conserve the Big 7 – the Big 5 plus the southern right whale and great white shark off the Algoa Bay coast. This 2-day safari includes 1-night accommodation, 1 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner, a cruise on the Sundays River, and 2 game drives in the Addo Elephant National Park.

Embark on a one- or two-hour fully-guided tour from Stormsriver onboard a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered, personal Segway. Bring the whole family along for a totally easy, safe, and fun adventure. Begin with a training session and then explore the local forest and village. On the one-hour tour, glide through the adventure-filled village and onto a forest road leading deep into the pristine Tsitsikamma indigenous forest. Note that the 6:00 AM, 6:00 PM, and 7:00 PM tours remain in the village due to restricted after-hour access in the forest. The two-hour Segway experience also takes you through Stromsriver Village and into the cool pine forests. Enter the ancient indigenous Tsitsikamma Forest on the way to the famous and majestic Tsitsikamma Big Tree. Head then back to the village. Introductory training is provided before embarking on the tour.