Things to do in Eastern Cape

Have the experience of a lifetime and bungy jump from Africa’s highest bridge. Jump with confidence thanks to the help of a professional and experienced team with a 100% safety record, who have hosted celebrities such as Prince Harry and Jack Osbourne as well as record-breaking bungy jumpers.   Reach the jump point via zipline from the bank to the arch. Before jumping, you will be kitted out with a full body harness and your feet will be secured using specially designed equipment. Leap out into the valley and feel the thrill of falling and rebounding whilst being securely attached to the bungy cord. Feel the smoothness of the bungee experience thanks to Bloukrans Bungy’s pendulum technology.   On your way back up, get a winch ride coordinated by a recovery operator and enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding national park. Walk along the 216-meter SkyWalk to get back onto solid ground.

Get picked up from your hotel in Port Elizabeth, Bluewater Bay, or Colchester. Spend a full day exploring the third largest National Park in South Africa with an expert local guide. The original elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained in the area.  Today you can see a variety of predators, antelope, zebra species, endangered black rhino as well as the unique Addo flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo.  The park is also the only one in the world to conserve the “Big 7” – the Big 5 as well as the southern right whale and great white shark off the Algoa Bay coast.  An excursion to the Addo Elephant park is a must when visiting this unique area.

This unique eco-wilderness adventure takes place in the magnificent Tsitsikamma indigenous rainforest. Most of the platforms are located in giant Outeniqua Yellowwood trees. The scenery and bird life are spectacular and professional guides provide interesting facts about the forest ecology throughout the tour. The concept of guiding people through the upper canopy of a rainforest originated in Costa Rica, where adventurous biologists devised new methods for accessing the forest canopy in order to conduct research on the undiscovered canopy ecosystem. The idea soon developed into a breathtaking form of eco-tourism which allowed people to enter and experience a previously inaccessible natural environment. The tour begins with a detailed safety briefing followed by a kitting-up session where full body harnesses, pulleys, and climbing equipment are issued and checked. A short drive into the Tsitsikamma forest and it is time to monkey around. From the start on the launch platform, a new world unfolds as one gently glides on a steel cable to the first tree platform. All groups are escorted through the forest canopy by a lead guide and a follow guide to ensure your safety as you slide from tree to tree. The platforms are built high up in the giant Outeniqua Yellowwoods and provide an unbelievable view of this enchanting new world, any fear of heights is soon lost as you gather in your new surroundings.

Experience a half-day guided Addo Elephant National Park safari and have the best chance of seeing all the park has to offer. Not only do the guides have trained eyes for spotting and identifying wildlife but they have expert knowledge regarding vegetation and local history, culture, and stories too. During the tour, you'll be taken to the highlighted areas of the northern section of Addo National Park Main Camp. Your guide will help you capture your Addo memories from up close and at the right angles, and they are always on the lookout for the perfect shot. Tours are conducted in custom-designed Toyota Land Cruiser Safari Vehicles, which are spacious, comfortable touring vehicles featuring high ground clearance and large retractable windows.

Embark on a one- or two-hour fully-guided tour from Stormsriver onboard a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered, personal Segway. Bring the whole family along for a totally easy, safe, and fun adventure. Begin with a training session and then explore the local forest and village. On the one-hour tour, glide through the adventure-filled village and onto a forest road leading deep into the pristine Tsitsikamma indigenous forest. Note that the 6:00 AM, 6:00 PM, and 7:00 PM tours remain in the village due to restricted after-hour access in the forest. The two-hour Segway experience also takes you through Stromsriver Village and into the cool pine forests. Enter the ancient indigenous Tsitsikamma Forest on the way to the famous and majestic Tsitsikamma Big Tree. Head then back to the village. Introductory training is provided before embarking on the tour.

Your experienced and enthusiastic guide will do their best to locate as much of the game available in the area and interpret their behavior for you during your drive. The first few hours of the tour are usually good to see antelope, zebra and lion. As this safari covers all time periods of the day, you should have the opportunity to see most game species. Stopping for a tea and coffee break at around 10:30 AM, you will continue on the game drive for sightings of elephants and buffalo near the watering holes. At lunchtime you can enjoy a delicious South African braai with juice, mineral water, beer and white wine. After lunch continue on the safari before being returned to your place of accommodation. Refreshments will be served throughout the drive.

Day 1: Route 62 (travel about 400 km) Start with a morning pickup from Cape Town and Stellenbosch. Travel along Route 62, the longest wine route in the world, with a wine-tasting stop (non-alcoholic tasting available too) before reaching Oudtshoorn by late afternoon. For a close encounter with Mother Nature, opt in to join elephant guides on an Elephant Observation Nature Walk (at extra cost) and follow 3 lovable rescued elephants in their natural Cango Valley bush veld habitat. Overnight at Uthando Backpackers (dorm or saver package) or 88 van Rheede Guesthouse (3* comfort package) or Buffelsdrift Lodge (4* deluxe package). Day 2: Oudtshoorn (travel about 400 km excluding safari drives) Visit a working ostrich farm and see the largest flightless birds in the world. Next, head to the mountains to go deep underground in the illuminated wonder world of the Cango Caves, exploring vast halls filled with ancient stalactites before traveling onward to the Addo region. Overnight at Avaco Cabins (dorm or saver package) or Gerald's Gift (comfort package) or Addo Wildlife lodge (deluxe package). Day 3: Addo, Jeffreys Bay (travel about 200 km) An early morning start allows the best option to spot wildlife as the bush awakes in Addo Elephant National Park, the 3rd largest national park in South Africa. Join the park's optional 4x4 game drive or simply take the included 2-hour safari bus drive. Along with. your guide, search for some of the big five, which includes elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, and rhinos. Spend your afternoon relaxing with free time at Jeffreys Bay's Beach. Choose between surfing, beach horseback riding, or sand boarding (all optional at an extra cost). Overnight at Island Vibe (dorm or saver package) or Sea Whisper (3* comfort package) or On The Beach Lodge (4* deluxe package). Day 4: Tsitsikamma, Sedgefield (travel about 250 km) Experience the highest bungy jump bridge in the world, Waterfall Zipline over waterfalls in the nearby Tsitsikamma forest for even more optional adventure (at extra cost) or spend more time in Tsitsikamma National Park. Take a short walk to the suspension bridges before a photo stop at Knysna's lagoon en route to Sedgefield. Overnight at Pili Pili Beach Cabanas (dorm or saver) Fairy Knowe (3* comfort) or Dolphin Dunes (4* deluxe). Day 5: Wilderness (travel about 450 km excluding safari drives) Take to the water for a leisurely canoeing session to a secret waterfall along the rivers of the wilderness region. On the journey back to Cape Town, spot wildlife on a 4x4 Botlierskop game drive (at extra cost) or relax at Mossel Bay's Diaz Beach after walking to the Cape St Blaize lighthouse. Your adventure ends with an evening drop-off at your Cape Town or Stellenbosch accommodation.

This learn-to-surf program is an all-inclusive lesson plan for beginner surfers. Follow a five-step program, with the ultimate goal of the lesson being to paddle, catch the wave, stand up and finally ride the wave toward the beach. For these lessons to be successful, groups are kept small so that each individual learner gets the necessary attention they require. Steps one to three are first explained and demonstrated on the beach, following this, they are put to practice in the ocean (in waist-deep water). Once steps one to three have been practiced successfully, you'll once again return to the beach with your instructor and go through the final two steps. Return to the ocean and practice these steps in order to achieve the ultimate goal of the surf lesson; standing up and riding a wave. At the end of the lesson, you'll be equipped with the necessary skills to practice basic surfing on your own.

Discover the wildlife in the Addo Elephant National Park with this half-day tour in an Open Safari Vehice. Guests staying at Chrislin African Lodge get to see the highlights of the northern section of the Addo Park. Listen as your guide explains local history, and gets you up close to spot and identify wildlife in this natural environment.

Start your trip with a 20-minute scenic forest drive from Storms River Village to the drop off point in the Goesa Nature Reserve. Receive your tube and get fully kitted out with specialized equipment. Then, be guided by a local expert guide taking a steep 800m walk down the side of the gorge gets you to river's edge. Then, for the next 4-5 hours negotiate your way down this phenomenal river by means of flatwater paddling, bouldering, optional tube, and cliff jumps. Experience lots of laughs and spectacularly unique scenery along the way. At the half-way point, stop for a recharge with a chocolate bar and a tube balancing session. Then, follow the cascade down double dumper which brings you to your last few pools before the canyon majestically opens out at the Storms River Mouth Suspension Bridges in the famous Tsitsikamma National Park. Exit the river at the concrete jetty bringing you to the suspension bridge boardwalk. Enjoy a 20-minute walk back to the parking area where the shuttle bus awaits you. Drive for 20 minutes back through the National Park to Storms River Village for a well-earned hot shower.