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Located to the southern extreme of Nelson Mandela Bay and at the end of South Africa’s ever-popular Garden Route, there are a huge number of reasons to consider a trip to Gqeberha. For one, though it has changed its name from Port Elizabeth, it still holds the moniker of ‘the friendly city’. For another, its central portions have amassed a huge number of attractions. These are my personal picks of the best things to do in Gqeberha.
1. Bayworld
Gqeberha has been wedded to the sea for pretty much all of its history. No surprise then that the warm waters of the Indian Ocean play a significant role in modern day Gqeberha too.
This heritage and culture comes together at the Bayworld museum on the Summerstrand waterfront.
Its range of permanent and temporary exhibitions include an outdoor dinosaur display, aquarium and snake park. This is said to be the oldest anywhere in South Africa.
As a result, it’s both educationally enlightening and entertaining. And this family-friendly attraction now boasts No 7 Castle Hill as a secondary site. This Georgian style building is one of the oldest structures still standing in the city. It is now preserved as the city’s folk museum.
2. Donkin Reserve
Gqeberha’s Donkin Reserve is an urban park right at the heart of the city. Managing to incorporate much of the region’s history, it contains a number of historic structures and contemporary artworks.
Its most obvious attraction is the slim whitewashed lighthouse. Built in 1861, it now doubles as the city’s tourist information office.
Next to it you’ll find one of the city’s most unusual structures – a pyramid of stone ten metres high.
It was constructed to honour the memory of Elizabeth Donkin. She was the wife of the Cape Colony’s acting governor, who named the city after her in 1820. Get the lowdown on all this and more on a two-hour walking tour led by a local guide – who better?
3. Fort Frederick
Fort Frederick was built even before Port Elizabeth became Port Elizabeth, and dates to 1799. Overlooking the modern city from its hilltop location, it was constructed by Britain’s Cape Colony. The purpose was as a defensive measure against any French attempts at capture during the Napoleonic Wars.
Having never fired a single shot from the cannons on its bastions, the fort remains in great condition. Visitors can to explore its various structures, from the gunpowder store to the remaining lower storey of the block house.
4. King’s Beach
The sands of King’s beach stretch for roughly a mile. They run from the Humewood area to the harbour wall in the centre of the city.
With its location so close to the city, it’s the right amount of busy right through the year. A fine atmosphere building on weekends and during the school holidays.
King’s Beach is an excellent place to enjoy the full force of the South African sun. It’s also a beach that’s safe to swim from, and regularly has body boarders riding the waves back towards the sands.
If that wasn’t enough, there’s a mini-golf course and go-kart track, in addition to plenty of snack bars and cafes, should you be looking to spend a relaxed day by the ocean. The real question is, why wouldn’t you?
5. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum
Like Gqeberha itself, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum has changed its name, opening as the King George VI Art Gallery in 1956 (four years after the British monarch’s death).
Although comparatively small in stature, particularly compared to Cape Town’s Zeitz Museum, it nonetheless has an excellent collection of artworks.
The majority were created within Eastern Cape Province where Gqeberha is located, but its historic collection also displays some British, Indian, and Chinese works.
Given its small gallery space, its collection is regularly rotated, meaning there’s almost always the chance to see something new.
6. Bird Island
On the opposite side of Nelson Mandela Bay to Gqeberha stands Bird Island, approximately 40 miles (60 kilometres) from the city’s harbourfront.
Tourist boats often make the journey, and even if you don’t consider yourself a birder, the journey following the wide arc of the bay is sure to wow you with its natural beauty. There’s the added possibility of encountering the bay’s pods of dolphins or catching sight of a whale too.
Bird Island itself is the largest single breeding point for Cape gannets on the planet, with somewhere in the region of 250,000 individual birds. South Africa’s lovable penguins also have a toe-hold on the island, while Black Rocks island boasts a population of around 4,000 noisy (and smelly) Cape fur seals.
7. St George’s Park
When it comes to outside space, Gqeberha has no shortage, thanks undoubtedly to its decent climate.
Among one of the best, and certainly one of the best things to do in Gqeberha, is St George’s Park. Created during the city’s very earliest years, it’s Gqeberha’s oldest public park.
A beautiful place to stroll, it contains a number of landmarks among its lawns and flower beds, not least the Pearson Conservatory and Prince Alfred’s Guard Memorial.
Within the bounds of the park you’ll also find the city’s cenotaph, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and a lawn bowls club who’s history dates back almost a century and a half.
8. South African Air Force Museum
Based at the city’s Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, Gqeberha’s South African Air Force Museum began life as an Air Gunnery Training Centre during the Second World War.
As a result, its hangar space is limited, but not without interest for big and little kids alike. The historic aircraft on display here include a de Havilland Vampire, only the second jet fighter ever built by British engineers.
There’s also a small collection of helicopters, including the rather strange looking Westland Wasp, which again began life with the British military.
9. Addo Elephant National Park
One of the best places anywhere in Africa for a sighting of these elegant pachyderms, Addo Elephant National Park lies around 45 miles (70 kilometres) outside of Gqeberha.
The third largest national park in the country when it comes to physical area, it also provides a home for roughly 600 elephants.
Its location means its able to contain native plants from five of South Africa’s seven biomes, and also protects populations of all the Big Five species including almost 50 highly-endangered black rhinos.
10. Cape Recife Lighthouse
Cape Recife Lighthouse isn’t just a charming structure from former days – the towers are increasingly irrelevant due to GPS. It’s also a wonderful place to explore the natural beauty of the Gqeberha region, too.
That’s because Cape Recife Lighthouse is located within a nature reserve riddled with hiking trails of differnet lengths and difficulties. The easiest slip effortlessly through the sub-tropical foliage. Others require a bit more effort, such as shimmying over rocks.
Among them you’ll find a series of rock pools. Due to the presence of Thunderbolt Reef just offshore (the reason the lighthouse was initially built) these pools are packed with life.
Best things to do in Gqeberha
While Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) is not always at the top of a tourist’s bucket list, there are a huge and varied number of attractions to choose from in this city. Covering natural beauty and history with equal intensity, the best things to do in Gqeberha really only scratch the surface when it comes to this intriguing city.
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