Addo Elephant National Park recently relaunched its Zuurberg Doringnek hiking trail and we were itching to give it a try. So, we packed a picnic lunch, donned our backpacks and ushered the boys into the car, giving them no option of staying on the couch despite their vehement protests that there is no point to hiking, especially on a Sunday.
We love everything about Addo, and one of all of our absolute favourite spots is Narina Bush Camp in the Zuurberg section. There is a really steep hike up a near vertical valley to a place where you feel on top of the world, and if this was anything to go by, we knew we were in for a treat at Doringnek.
The 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship is around the corner and tens of thousands of top international triathletes and their families are about to flock into Port Elizabeth for a week. Most will never have visited our beautiful city and will have no idea of what to do while they are here. And there is just so much choice – Nelson Mandela Bay is a traveller’s smorgasbord of memorable experiences just waiting to be tasted.
Whatever direction you decide to head, there is something to see and do, and there is so much variety – beaches, forests and mountains for nature lovers, vibey hangouts for city slickers, waves, wind and bumpy tracks for sporty types and history and creativity everywhere for the arty folk. Whether it involves beachcombing, hiking, surfing, eating, culturing, adventuring, chilling or socialising, our lovely little coastal city has it all.
All this choice can be a little overwhelming, so to help make your travel planning a breeze – for the Iron-men, Iron-women and their families and friends, and for everyone travelling to Port Elizabeth for the first time – here is our guide to Nelson Mandela Bay’s Top 5 must-see tourist attractions.
There is something to be said about sleeping in a bed that is so large you can’t reach both sides at once no matter how far you stretch. And when you plop back into a soft couch, surrounded by tastefully classy furnishings and breath-taking artworks, wearing a puffy white dressing gown while watching wild animals drink from a water hole outside your huge patio.
Add to that world class game viewing with a friendly, knowledgeable safari guide, sundowners with a spectacular African sunset as a backdrop and a spread of the finest cuisine served by friendly and attentive staff hell bent on making sure you have the time of your life.
This is what attracts thousands of tourists from across the globe to visit our malaria-free Eastern Cape game reserves and we were delighted to visit Founders Lodge to discover for ourselves where and how it all began.
Sardinia Bay beach (affectionately known as Sards) is our absolute favourite Port Elizabeth beach. It is naturally beautiful, wild and unspoilt and we love to walk our dogs along it’s long shores, snorkel in it’s crystal clear water, play in it’s sand dunes, ride it’s crashing waves and end the day watching the most incredible sun set in every shade of red. Kini Bay is a sleepy village about 15 kilometers West of Sardinia Bay. Although we love both locations, we had never before done the hike between them. We couldn’t find much info online as to how long the hike was, and what the terrain would be, so it was with a bit of apprehension that we tore our reluctant teens from their PlayStation and organised a lift to Kini Bay early on Sunday morning.
We packed lots of food and water, sunscreen and good walking shoes and off we headed.
Glamping, a combination of glamorous and camping, is a classic oxymoron. What on earth is glamorous about camping? Although it can be argued that there is a primal allure to stumbling around in the dark with a torch strapped to your head, cooking your food on open coals, zipping yourself into a canvas tent and smelling like a campfire, it is quite simply as far from glamorous as you get.
But when you start from such a low base, each creature comfort you add into the mix starts to transform this primitive way of holidaying into something entirely more desirable. A stylish starting point is not having to erect your own tents. Add to this some dazzling electricity, a glitzy bush kitchen, opulent real beds, a swanky hot shower, elegant en-suite toilet and some posh privacy and voila – glorious glam!
We were thoroughly delighted to discover that Bergrivier Eco Estate, located only 30 minutes’ drive from Port Elizabeth, ticks all these oxymoronic boxes, in a completely unique albeit very rustic way. Although Bergrivier offers a few different styles of accommodation, it was their vintage ox wagons that immediately caught our eye.
