East London

Description

East London is a popular city on the Eastern Cape's Sunshine Coast. The sub-tropical climate, long hours of sunshine, warm Indian Ocean, and beautiful uncrowded beaches make it a sought after holiday destination. Local and international visitors flock here for its water sports, outdoor activities, and cultural experiences. Enjoy a laid back lifestyle and genuine hospitality at our wonderful accommodations.

East London, affectionately called “Buffalo City”, is the only river port in South Africa, located between the Nahoon and Buffalo rivers. It lies at the northern end of the 300km Sunshine Coast that begins at St Francis Bay. The Sunshine Coast boasts the longest hours of sunshine on South Africa’s coastline and its unspoilt beaches are among the country’s best. There are three popular beaches that have made East London a surfing mecca and haven for water sports including swimming, scuba diving, fishing, boating, yachting, and windsurfing. Nahoon Beach is the most popular, offering arguably the best swimming and surfing in the country; Eastern Beach is the most central with convenient changing rooms, takeaways, and great surfing waves; while Orient Beach is close to the main shops and hotels, and has a super tube and children's pool.

The East London Coast Nature Reserve is a short drive away. Here travellers can spot blue duiker, dassies, crowned eagles, the gorgeous Knysna Loerie, and even the occasional leopard. For those with an interest in history, a trip to the East London Museum is a must. Here you can see the world’s only dodo egg as well as a specimen of Coelacanth, a prehistoric fish thought to be extinct, but was discovered live at the nearby Chalumna Mouth in 1938. Other activities include a trip to the Lion Park, visiting the aquarium, sand-boarding on the dunes, or an excursion to the numerous “border war” battle sites nearby.

Sport is very popular and East London has some wonderful facilities. Enjoy watching cricket at Buffalo Park Stadium or catch a game of rugby or soccer at the Buffalo City Stadium. Golf is another favoured pastime; with popular courses including West Bank Golf Club, Alexander Golf Club, Gonubie Golf Club, Fish River Sun (a Gary Player design), and the East London Golf Club. The Buffalo Road Running Club of East London hosts the Old Mutual Buffalo 42,2 km marathon held in February/March each year, as well as the Washie, South Africa's oldest 160 km extreme ultra marathon. The world famous Ironman 70.3 South African event takes place annually in January, beginning and ending at Orient Beach.

Other activities include motorcross, martial arts, boxing, mountain biking, skydiving, athletics, and horse riding. The historic East London Grand Prix Circuit hosted three Formula One Grand Prix’s and is where Jody Scheckter, South Africa's only Formula One World Drivers' Champion, started his motor racing career. Enjoy all the action by booking a fantastic accommodation in East London.