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The Eastern Cape vibrates with dramatic contrasts, where a single day’s drive separates sophisticated fine arts and gourmet dining, from a ragged, unspoiled and superbly scenic coastal landscape.
The extreme natural beauty along the Garden Route area is legendary, a journey which crosses spectacular mountain passes, ambles along the pristine coastline, and ventures deep into the Tsitsikamma National Park, a magnificent state forest renowned for its protection of the country’s remaining indigenous yellowwood trees. The lush Garden Route boasts some of South Africa’s top coastal resorts, like Wilderness, Plettenberg Bay, and perhaps most arresting, Knysna, with its massive sandstone ‘Heads’ guarding the entrance to the tidal lagoon.
Knysna is the country’s largest commercial oyster farming centre, so oyster lovers will be in their element. So too will hikers and ramblers, as they tackle the numerous internationally acclaimed coastal hiking trails.
As you move up the coast and inland, the green landscape dries and becomes the stark semi-arid Karoo region, where a tour of the intriguing limestone and ice formations in the Cango Caves is as awe-inspiring as a bracing ride on a frisky ostrich in the nearby ostrich-paradise of Oudtshoorn.
As an extension to the Garden Route, a number of the Eastern Cape’s excellent public and private game reserves house the ‘Big Five’, and at Addo Elephant National Park, the ‘Big Seven’ (including whales and great white sharks). This region of the Cape is dotted with remote little towns, many of which have seemingly remained the same as they were when they were built. Historical architecture, a little eccentricity, charming rural landscapes, and a warm country welcome await you.
Tread a few paths of South African history, as you visit a restored cottage in Cradock, home of noted author and feminist, Olive Schreiner; and marvel at the remote splendour of the untamed Wild Coast in the former Transkei, birthplace of former president Nelson Mandela.
From the moment you enter Port Elizabeth, gateway to the Eastern Cape, you’ll notice something different. This region is one of South Africa’s better-kept secrets, where startling, out-of-the-ordinary vistas are the rewards of making this eastern journey.
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