Eastern Cape, South Africa

Big Five safaris in the malaria-free Eastern Cape game reserves

The Eastern Cape stretches from Cape St Francis in the west to the dramatic Wild Coast in the east, and offer superb malaria-free game reserves, stunning scenery and frontier history. Undulating rolling pastures, bushveld and forested dunes backs the Eastern Cape’s attractive white beaches. However, this gentle beauty belies both its bloody history and the drama of its interior, with the grand vistas and majesty of the Karoo.
 
The Eastern Cape is one of the prime malaria free safari areas of South Africa. The Addo Elephant National Park with its large and relaxed elephant herds has been joined by several private malaria free game reserves offering big five safaris. These include Shamwari, Kwandwe, Lalibela and Blaauwbosch game reserves. These Eastern Cape game lodges are approx one hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth and about 3 hour from the Garden Route so that lots of our clients add an Eastern Cape safari to a Garden Route holiday.

However the game lodges are not the only thing going for the Eastern Cape. British and Irish settlers came to the Eastern Cape in the early 19th century to try to shore up the frontier with the Xhosa people from the north. Graaff-Reinet, Grahamstown and Cradock have plenty of attractive colonial architecture and a rich cultural history of the many frontier battles.

Inland lies the immensely beautiful Karoo with its majestic panoramas and its unspoilt safari country whilst to the East, the Wild Coast offers some of the most unspoilt and exciting coastal scenery in South Africa.

• Malaria free game lodges offering Big Five safaris
• Long sandy beaches at Kenton, Port St Alfred and St Francis Bay
• Family safaris & kid’s activities at many game lodges
• Majestic Karoo scenery with superb star-gazing
• Frontier battlefields tours with Alan Weyer

Areas in Eastern Cape

Eastern Cape safari - bontebok at Shamwari

Eastern Cape Private Game Reserves

Enjoy Big Five game-viewing on day & night drives in one of the private game reserves of the Eastern Cape.

Port Elizabeth beaches

Port Elizabeth & Coast

Port Elizabeth is the gateway to the Eastern Cape and offers lovely sandy beaches, cultural tours and a great links golf course.

Elephants at Gorah Camp, Addo Elephant Park

Addo Elephant Park

Addo offers close-up elephant encounters and other big game. Enjoy game drives, horse riding or hiking in the striking Zuurberg area.

Eastern Cape safari - Blaauwbosch sunset

Graaff-Reinet & Karoo

If you like getting off the beaten track, try the historic town of Graaff-Reinet and the Karoo, with its dramatic landscape and huge skies.

Horses at Kenton on Sea

Grahamstown

Why not take a fascinating historical battlefields tour in Grahamstown, an attractive 1820's Settler town with colonial architecture and a dramatic cultural history?

Wild Coast

Wild Coast

The Wild Coast offers a striking remote coastline. Walkers particularly enjoy this area with the six day coastal walking trail on offer.


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