Port Elizabeth
“Port Elizabeth” (Port Elizabeth), locally called simply “Pee” – the fifth largest city in South Africa, located on the Pacific coast in Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape. P.I. has a whole range of advantages, including magnificent beaches, a mild climate, the complete absence of malarial blood-sucking reptiles, excellent conditions for water sports and several significant historical sights.
The beaches of Port Elizabeth
According to baglib, four beaches in Port Elizabeth have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag for exceptional water and coastline clarity: Hobie, Humewood, Kings and Wells. They have fine sand, a gentle slope and exceptionally clear water. Umbrellas and sunbeds, showers and rest rooms are also available. On weekends, the beaches are often crowded with locals, so it is better to devote weekends to excursions, enjoying beach idleness on weekdays.
Attractions and attractions Port Elizabeth
You can learn about the life of the first British colonists who founded the city in 1820 at the Donkin Reserve Museum Complex and Settlers Park, or see the modern life of the city with your own eyes during organized tours of the city blocks conducted by the Port Elizabeth Tourism Bureau. It is worth visiting the city hall, the buildings of the market and the old post office, Fort Frederick and the monument to the first settlers. Museums of Port Elizabeth also deserve attention: Wezandla Gallery of African Art, Museum of Art. Nelson Mandela, the South African Air Force Museum and the Bayworld complex dedicated to the diversity of marine life. Not far from the city are the highest dunes in the entire southern hemisphere – Alexandria Dune Fields.
Diving
Notable dive sites are Bell Buoy (colored soft coral colonies on rock, depth 12-18 m), Devil’s Reef (7 m depth with bottom peaks up to a meter high), Ray Banks (18-40 m, coral colonies and many colorful fish), Thunderbolt Reef, where you can see orange and purple hard corals. There is also one wreck – Haerlem Wreck, a warship sunk in 1987, resting at a depth of 21 m.
Surfing
The most popular surf spot around Port Elizabeth is Pollock Beach. It owes its informal name to The Pipe, a sand-covered reef at the bottom that creates high and constant waves regardless of tides or wind strength. The wave length is about 50 m, the height is from 1.5 m. For experienced surfers, nearby Donuts Backreef and Flatrocks are suitable.
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is one of the largest national parks in South Africa, located in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Maputuland. It used to be the hunting grounds of the Zulu chieftains.
The park consists of three reservations: Hluhluwe, Umfolozi and Korydor. About 40 years ago, the world-famous Operation Rhinoceros was launched here to save this species of animals. Thanks to this, today more than one fifth of the world population of the rarest black and white rhinos lives in the territory of this park.
Mphafa hide in Umfolozi is one of the best rhino spotting spots. Most of the restaurants and bars are located in St. Lucia; you can have a bite to eat in the park only at the Hilltop Campsite Lodge.
In Hluhluw-Umfolozi, there are fewer white rhinos than black ones. Perhaps because of their timid nature – they usually run away from a person without even trying to attack, while blacks often go on the attack. With a favorable wind, you can approach the rhinoceros at a distance of 30-35 m.
How to get to Hluhluwe and Umfolozi
The main “entrance gates” to the park are the cities of Hluhluwe and Mtubatuba (Mtubatuba), located on the N2 highway, which links the park with Durban (where the nearest airport and railway station is located) and Swaziland.
By public transport, the park can be reached from Durban. The Baz Bus bus runs quite infrequently, but it calls directly into Shuszluva and St. Lucia.
Transport in Hluhluwe and Umfolozi
The best way to see the park is by renting a car. “Wheelbarrow” can be found in St. Lucia, Durban or Ballito (Ballito). The most reasonable prices are offered by Avis and First Car Rental.
Umhlanga Explorer (tel: +27 (0)31 5613846) offers car rental with driver and/or guide. This is a more expensive, but also more comfortable way to see the park. In addition to the fact that the guide will tell and show the most interesting places of Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, he will also pick up the tourist from the hotel in Durban or another city and, after the tour, take him back.
