We’ve picked out the must-see 10 spots you have to visit in the Eastern Cape for unforgettable natural beauty and adventure. Capture your memories of these #nofilterneeded sites and be the envy of your friends and followers!
#1 Hole in the Wall
The Wild Coast is all about natural drama. Jade-green grass ices the hills and mountains, and black rocky cliffs plummet into the wild blue waters below. Crowning the landscape is Hole in the Wall in Coffee Bay. Living up to its name, this is a massive hole carved by the waves in a free-standing mountain that emerges from the water as a perfect frame. The waves crash around it and burst through the hole; creating a stunning display of the power and magnitude of the ocean.
Location: Hole in the Wall, Coffee Bay, Wild Coast
Image: Hiking the Wild Coast via Facebook.com
#2 Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site
Made up of diverse landscapes, animal life, flora and fauna is UNESCO World Heritage Site Baviaanskloof. As one of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots, you will be snapping shots at every turn to capture the majestic splendour around you.
Traversing this reserve by 4×4 or on mountain bike (permission and support vehicle required), up rugged mountain passes, through rivers and across the plateau, is an unforgettable true wilderness experience.
Location: Baviaanskloof, Kouga Region
Image: @ryan.cloete via Instagram
#3 Owl House
Weird to some, wonderful to others, the Owl House is a work of outsider art created by Helen Martins between 1945 and 1976. Driven to despair by the dullness of her daily life, she took steps to transform her world in a kaleidoscope of light, colour and texture.
Location: Owl House, Nieu-Bethesda, Karoo Heartland
Image: Sarina Engelbrecht via Instagram
#4 Valley of Desolation
Commune with nature in the stillness of the sheer cliffs and precariously balanced columns that rise against the timeless backdrop of the vast plains of the Camdeboo. This breathtaking site forms part of Camdeboo National Park, where the starkness of the Karoo landscape hosts a surprising diversity of fauna and flora. Catch a glimpse of the endangered Cape Mountain Zebra, plenty of Kudu, Buffalo, the majestic Black Eagle and the Kori Bustard, the heaviest flying bird in the world.
Location: Camdeboo National Park, Graaff-Reinet, Karoo Heartland
Image: @toerboer via Instagram
#5 Magwa Falls
The curtain of the Magwa Waterfalls cascades 144m into a narrow canyon and is one of few waterfalls on the rugged Wild Coast that is accessible (others entail such effort to reach that they’re seen by the most intrepid travellers).
The falls lie in the middle of the lush 1 800-hectare Magwa tea plantation, South Africa’s last remaining tea estate just outside Lusikisiki.
Location: Wild Coast
Image: sammylarter via Instagram
#6 Storms River Suspension Bridge
Resplendent vistas are the reward for braving the Storms River suspension bridge that hangs over the red-brown waters of the Storms River Mouth. The bridge spans 77 metres and hangs just seven metres above the churning waters of the river as it enters the foamy Indian Ocean. Situated within the Tsitsikamma National Park, the pathway leading to the bridge covers 900 metres of the Tsitsikamma forest, with birds for company and plenty of lookout points and benches along the steps of the route.
Location: Stormsriver Mouth, Tsitsikamma National Park, Tsitsikamma
Image: @_mariska_k via Instagram
#7 St Francis Bay
A visit to picturesque St Francis Bay will make you feel like you’ve alighted on the Mediterranean coast with its beautiful canal system surrounded by uniform building style amongst the dune fields and fynbos.
Enjoy the glorious beaches lapped by the warm Indian Ocean for a lifestyle of leisure in the magical beauty of natural, unspoilt surroundings. Avid sportsman can enjoy over 50 different sporting codes (including water sports and two world class golf courses) and the canal system offers residents and holiday makers an exotic marina lifestyle.
Location: St Francis Bay, Kouga Region
Image: @mrimagesjbay via Instagram
#8 Mkambati Provincial Nature Reserve
A favourite amongst visitors to the coast of north-eastern Pondoland, the Mkambati Nature Reserve is nothing shy of an African coastal paradise. Landscapes are pieced together in a patchwork of indigenous forests and grassland plains and coastline terrains, serving scenes of rocky beaches and untouched sandy coves. The Mkambati river makes its way through the reserve, over a series of cliffs forming breath-taking waterfalls a series of pools, before tumbling into the Indian Ocean.
Location: Wild Coast
Image: @ash.adventures360 Doe via Instagram
#9 Shark Rock Pier
The only pier in Nelson Mandela Bay, it is the hub of the beachfront, where big events are hosted and throngs walk its girth, clutching ice-creams as they take in the scenes of the Bay. It is at once beach architect and icon, letting the world know just where you are.
Location: Hobie Beach, Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay
Image: @gideonbrunsdon via Instagram
#10 Addo Elephant National Park
Snap a selfie with an elephant herd (safely!) as they wander from watering hole to the shade of the trees for respite from the sun. The third largest park in South Africa, Addo Elephant National Park is a diverse wildlife conservation park situated close to Gqeberha. See how many other Big 5 animals you can capture on camera through the day!
Location: Addo, Sundays River Valley
Image: @local_jayden94 via Instagram
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