Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality includes: 'Port Elizabeth; Uitenhage; Despatch and Colchester'. Named after; Nelson Mandela, who is South Africa's iconic humanitarian and freedom fighter. This Area is regarded as the 'official gateway' to the scenic Eastern Cape Province and the World renowned Garden Route. It is sometimes referred to as: the "friendly city" or the "water sport capital of Africa".

Nelson Mandela Bay is also recognized by the animal lovers. As both the Mohair and Bottlenose Dolphin, frequent the Seawaters. The Bay is home to the largest breeding colony of the African Penguin. It is the only City that boasts the Big 7 (Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Southern right whale and Great White Shark) within it's Municipal Boundaries.

Port Elizabeth is known for its over 40Km coast that boast a multitude of Blue Flag Beaches and hours of sunshine to enjoy them in. After a fun day out enjoy the fun and entertainment of the Nelson Mandela Bay nightlife. Situated on the shores of the Indian Ocean, overlooking Algoa Bay, this bustling Sea Port City, flaunts warm, dry Summers and mild Winter temperatures. (This entices water sport lovers to Algoa Bay, throughout the Year.)

In this Bay you will find some of the World's best sailing venues and first-rate scuba diving. With colourful coral species, beautiful Reefs and Shipwrecks. There is often, near perfect conditions for wind-surfing, angling, snorkeling, kite-surfing, fly-fishing and canoeing.

Nelson Mandela Bay has received the "Cleanest Metro in South Africa Award" and "Blue Flag Status" has again been awarded to most of the Beaches. (This is International award only given to those beaches that meet excellence in safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards!)

The metro "Townships" that came into being because of the Apartheid Laws, are steeped in History, Tradition and Culture. From their humble beginnings, they have flourished into hubs of activity and social life. The feeling of "Ubuntu" (meaning 'Humanity' in Xhosa), surrounds their very existence. Visitors may choose from a selection of exciting: Social, Historical or Traditional Township, tours on offer. Stand next to the figure of Madiba at the head of the Voting Line; whilst craning your neck to look up at the largest South African flag in the World. All of these can be viewed along; Route 67. "This truly celebrates the coming together of the colonial and struggle History in one, inspiring walking route!"

In addition, around the City is a wide selection of attractions; the sheer diversity of which will excite and delight anyone. These include: a rich Historical Heritage as well as nature-based eco-offerings, activities and experiences. The Area supports the most diverse array of Vegetation Types in South Africa; six of the Country's, seven terrestrial Biomes (bio geographic areas) are represented in the Eastern Cape!

Nelson Mandela Bay is also the gateway to more than a Million Hectares of the malaria free Game Reserves of the Eastern Cape. This includes the Addo Elephant National Park as well as numerous private and upmarket Reserves offering the 'big five" experience. The City that boasts the Big 7 (Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Humpback Whale and Great White Shark) all within 45 minutes of the City. 20km East of the Bay at Coega, there is a deep-water Port currently under construction. Being the centre of the Country's motor vehicle manufacturing industry. The Port has the ability to import large volumes of containerized components and materials, for various industries. Today employment in the metro is mainly by the automotive, auto component, food, pharmaceutical, tourism, agriculture, textile and rubber industries. Nelson Mandela Bay has been dubbed the "Detroit of South Africa"! Uitenhage is host to Volkswagen SA, Port Elizabeth is home to General Motors and Ford Motor Corporation.

There is a Gorge that lies in the Valley, stretching for over 100 kilometres, between the Baviaanskloof Mountains to the North and the Kouga Mountains, to the South. Recently awarded World Heritage Site status, this 192 000 hectare u-shaped reserve lies about 120 kilometres west of Port Elizabeth and is named after the baboons that roam the area - a mix of the Dutch word ‘baviaan’ for baboon and the Afrikaans word ‘kloof’ for ravine. The Kouga Wilderness lies in the incredible Kouga Mountains on the edge of the Baviaanskloof, advertised as the real outdoor experience, and where you go to climb rocks, kloof, fish, watch birds, hike and adventure on, 4X4 routes.

This spectacular Kloof (which is part of the R332 route) links the Western section of the Baviaanskloof within the higher Karoo hinterland, and more specifically, the Towns of Willowmore and Uniondale,(which are standard Baviaanskloof refuelling points). The Pass needs to be driven slowly to best appreciate its dramatic, unique geology. This is a big Pass and that involves multiple River crossings - none of which are conventionally Bridged. (Should you find the first two crossings difficult or the current too strong, rather turn back as conditions get much worse the further down the Kloof you proceed!) The Pass contains 41 bends, corners and curves within it's length, which includes 1 full horseshoe bend and 10 other bends in excess of 100 degrees. The gradients are generally fairly easy and never exceed 1:12, but the road surface can vary between quite good (the road had just been graded on the day of filming) to badly corrugated and rutted and the road is also frequently damaged by floodwaters, so make your way too cross, at the river crossings.

Baviaanskloof, the area, includes the Karoo towns of Willowmore and Steytlerville as well as a number of small stock farms, and the little town of Patensie lies at the start of the Gorge. The last stop, so to speak, before entering the wilderness of the Baviaanskloof. A single dirt Road, which follows the dry River Beds, where it can, taking in some of the most breathtaking Passes through Mountains along the way, was built between 1880 and 1890 by Thomas Bain. The Baviaanskloof Area, like the rest of the Eastern Cape, is a Region free from the threat of malaria. Although mosquitoes may bite one during the Night, these do not carry this illness. This makes the area ideal for families with little ones and the elderly in tow. It continues to winds its way through the Valley, with no other access, in or out. With 42 River Crossings, assisted only by causeways, all of which are liable to flood during heavy rainfall, your journey is bound to be both exciting and beautiful - an area awaiting discovery! This Land of raw wilderness, with its rocky Passes and rugged Gorges can only be travelled from East to West or from West to East. Baviaanskloof offers hours of beautiful scenery - Veld, indigenous Forests, crystal Mountain Streams, sheer Cliffs and Waterfalls, and is home to an amazing diversity of plants and species - from Yellowwoods to Karoo Bossies and Fynbos.

"The best time to visit is in Spring, before the heavy Summer rains or in Autumn before it gets too cold, and one should try to avoid Long Weekends or Holiday Seasons, if one can."

The Little or Klein Karoo, which is a long valley bordered by; the Swartberg and the Langeberg Mountains, in the Western Cape. It falls under the domain of the Karoo Hoogland Municipality. South of the larger Karoo - the Great or Groot Karoo occupies the Northern part thereof. This is the land of succulents - their thick, fleshy diversity unparalleled anywhere else in the World - peppered only by the odd bush and tree that gives the Karoo, at first glance, the appearance of arid, dry and very flat land devoid of living matter and given over to hot days and cold nights. Herds of buffalo, elephant and kudu once dominated these plains only to be hunted or driven out by modern development. Along with ongoing mining, major investments in astronomy (notably the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope), in renewable and non-renewable sources of energy (solar, wind, potential shale-gas mining), in biodiversity conservation and commercial game farming are reshaping land use and authority in this vast and long-marginalised Area. 

This bleak landscape is, on second glance, an Area of towering Cliffs, clear Streams and a unique biome dominated by the aloe and dwarf baobab tree with its yellow peeling bark and midsummer red tubular flowers. Majestic Mountains lend a blue haze to the distant horizon and Spring flowers draw huge numbers of tourists from all over the World for a few weeks every Year when sand becomes a tapestry of flowers. This semi-arid climate with Winter rainfall gives rise to various microclimates that allow Karoo winemakers to produce a wide variety of quality wines from vines grown typically along the fertile river banks. Herds of buffalo, elephant and kudu once dominated these plains only to be hunted or driven out by modern development. Today the mainly visible animal in the Area is the ostrich, farmed for his meat, eggs and feathers, but stay awhile and you’ll hear the rustlings of the bat-eared fox, the suricate or meerkat and the common barking gecko.

Formed as a result of 20 million years of rainwater scouring and dissolving rock and limestone to form halls and passageways, the Caves were declared a National Monument in 1938 and include the Wonder Cave that has some superb examples of dripstone formations and a resident bat population.

The Klein Karoo National Arts Festival at Oudtshoorn showcases South African art forms from serious drama to farce and includes music, fine arts, festive food, poetry, theatre for the little people and dancing. Some have described it as a; ‘Boere Bazaar’ (in Afrikaans this means; a farmers market) rather than an arts festival, but one is seriously spoiled for choice here when it comes to catching up on the local art scene.

WHAT AN AMAZING DESCRIPTION OF OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY... IRRESPECTIVE OF WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD NOW! 😍 Author Unknown: I sit here quietly thinking about what it means to me to be South African, a visitor to South Africa, or even African. So it seems easier to rather explain the effect that this unique land has on me... The perfume of rain on African soil. The scent of woodfires drifting across the Highveld on winter evenings. There's a very distinctive aroma just as one starts coming into George / Knysna / Plett (I've never figured out which herb it is), in much the same way the smell of Wild Sage defines the area around Santawani in Botswana. The odour of thatch in a game lodge. The bouquet of dust and the various plants when one gets into the bush, sometimes a whiff of something dead. The tang of the ocean at the seaside. The smell of ‘moer’ coffee over an early morning fire, or the delicious aroma of roasting meat over flames – whether you call it a braai or shisa nyama (but definitely NOT a barbeque, a barbie, or a ghastly NZ sausage sizzle!) There is also something about the light here. “Santorini Blue”... I don’t know if that’s an actual colour, but it seems to describe the hue of the highveld sky on a winter’s day to perfection. We live in “big sky” country – whether blue, or orange in sunset, or dark grey and rent by lightening, or velvet black and filled with stars that seem close enough to touch – the sky is ever present. As is the moon. I am always aware of the moon, from a sickle moon to the full fecund globe that is full moon. Silver light gilding thorn trees, juxtaposed against dark shadows on the savannah, is not a sight one easily forgets. The caw of the ubiquitous, raucous Hadedah in suburbia, the burbling call of a rainbird (Burchell’s Coucal) when a thunderstorm is on its way, the beautiful Diederick’s Cuckoo announcing the arrival of spring, the screech of a Barn Owl, or the evocative call of the Fish Eagle. Jackals calling as the sun goes down, a lion’s roar quite literally making the air reverberate, or the chilling whoops of the hyenas. The cacophony of barking geckos that start up as the sun goes down over Deception Pan, or a veritable orchestra of frogs around a pan in the summer months. Cicadas shrilling on days so hot that the air shimmers, or a nightjar calling in the dead of night in the bushveld. Days of withering heat often followed by the lightest cool breeze, just as the sun is setting. A gentle little wind, which plays with your hair like an absent-minded lover, reminding you that the cool of the night will soon be with you. Walking in the bush very early in the morning, the sun’s rays catch the dew on spiders’ webs, reminding you that life, both seen and unseen, is all around you. Trout fishing as the sun peeps over the horizon, in Dullstroom, so cold that the water droplets freeze on your line… The colours of this land are not subtle either. The blood red of the coral tree, the green metallic glint of sunbirds, the striped black and white hide of the zebra, or sapphire blue of a kingfisher. The miles and miles of yellow and orange daisies in Namaqualand in September, or pink and white swathes of cosmos along the roads in April. The lilac and turquoise of the roller, the tawny hide of a lion or the emerald green of a little dung beetle that makes its appearance in the summer months. From the golden dunes of the Namib to an unimaginable number of greens in the Knysna Forest. All vivid and arresting. Talk to me of Morrungulo or Tsodilo Hills, the great Drakensberg, Platteland dorps and the great Karoo. The warmth of Sodwana Bay or the icy kelp forests of the Atlantic Ocean. Of wine farms and fynbos in the Cape, to meerkats and diamonds in the north. Show me our people, in so many hues, with brightly coloured traditional costumes – and even brighter smiles. All of this creates a frisson of excitement, passion each and every day, a vivid, immediate sense of being alive that I have found nowhere else…. These are my people. This is my land. Because I am, at the very core of my being, a child of Africa! ❤️