Port Elizabeth – Gqeberha

Port Elizabeth - Gqeberha is the closest city to Induna Safaris lodge; we are situated about 120kms from PE. We offer day trips to PE, which encompass a variety of activities, depending on each individual’s preference, there is so much to do and see that we sometimes end up going to PE twice!!!

Here are some links below to give you an idea of what PE has to offer. We will then customise a tour for you, and go to the sites that you wish to see.  – www.nmbt.co.za

Historical Port Elizabeth – Port Elizabeth has a very diverse population, and has been so since its beginning, thus making the history of Port Elizabeth, a treasure chest of different ethic origins. One of the best ways to experience historical PE is to take the Donkin Heritage trail, where 47 places of interest are linked, some of which are:

• The Campanile- which is a monument erected to commemorate the arrival of British settlers in 1820.
• The No 7 Castle Hill Museum- where the Victorian era is elegantly preserved and displayed.
• The Donkin Reserve
• The Lighthouse Building
• The City Hall- which was built between the years 1858 and1862, and which demonstrates some spectacular architecture within the city of Port Elizabeth.

This is just mentioning a few of the interesting spots one will be taken to on the tour.

Port Elizabeth has a number of history – rich museums around the city that offer excellent information on the lives that were lived in the old PE. The South End Museum offers one a close up look at the segregation of the ethnic groups within Port Elizabeth when the Apartheid era came into being.

There is also wonderful socio – cultural tours that you can take that are extremely informative with regards to the ethnic groups of PE.

Arts and Cultural – Port Elizabeth has numerous museums and galleries to offer some one wanting a look at the past and present lives of South Africans. You can experience the Xhosa culture in many different ways in PE, but the best experience is to take one of the township tours on offer.

You will be taken into a historically known township, where you will see many traditional sites, and the tour ends off with everyone having a drink one of shebeens – which is what the bars in the townships were called during Apartheid when it was illegal to sell liquor in the townships.

Around the city of PE there are many different centres that have African arts and crafts on display, these range from within shopping centres to roadside hawkers that are often selling very interesting homemade crafts.

The Beaches and Wildlife of Port Elizabeth – The PE area boasts 40km of magnificent beaches. Most of the beaches are fantastic swimming beaches and are patrolled by lifeguards during summer season. On the Maitland side of PE, there are some very spectacular sand dunes that are often used for sand boarding.

Port Elizabeth is home to the Seaview Lion Park, where one gets a chance to get up close to the big cats. If they have cubs at the time, they allow the public to play with them, which can be quite an exciting experience.

Kragga Kama Game Park is also on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, and this has a great variety of animals, that roam free, but are easily accessible from ones vehicle, one is almost always guaranteed to see the animals.

Port Elizabeth is proud to have its own Oceanarium, where they have daily dolphin shows, and many other aquatic life on display. Next door to this they also have a reptile park, which has recently been re opened.

Shopping and Entertainment – PE offers her visitors a wide selection of shopping options. There are a few magnificent shopping centres, with a large variety of shops and food malls. You could choose to do your shopping in outdoors in the outside markets, where one can buy fresh produce, and many different kinds of African crafts, all sorts of goodies to have a look at.

At the Boardwalk on the Beach front there is a Casino, which is surrounded by restaurants, bars and a cinema.