Gqeberha

Gqeberha, renamed from Port Elizabeth on 23 February 2021 after the Xhosa name for the Baakens River, is the big city at the eastern end of the Garden Route. Close to a million people live in the city proper and it is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay metro. It was founded in 1820 when about 4,000 British settlers landed here, and it calls itself the Friendly City or, more honestly, the Windy City.

Getting there

Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is within ten minutes’ drive of most of the city and has Airlink, CemAir and FlySafair flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Bloemfontein. By road it is about 770 km from Cape Town along the N2 (plan on a full day or split it), 260 km from Knysna and 310 km from East London. Uber and Bolt work well and are the sensible way around; the city is built for cars and the beachfront is a long way from the centre.

When to go

Average highs run from about 20°C in winter to 26°C in summer, with roughly 590 mm of rain spread through the year and plenty of sunshine. The wind is the thing: it blows hard and often. Humpback whales pass from June to August and again from November to January, southern rights are in the bay from July to November and Bryde’s whales stay all year. Summer is beach season and busy over Christmas; autumn and spring are calmer and still warm.

What to do

The beachfront from Kings Beach through Humewood to Hobie Beach and Summerstrand is where visitors stay and walk. Kings Beach is 1.6 km of sand, Hobie has rock pools and calm water, and several beaches hold Blue Flag status. The Boardwalk complex has the casino, cinemas and restaurants. Algoa Bay has a large bottlenose dolphin population and boat trips go out for dolphins and whales. Sardinia Bay is the wild dune beach to the south-west; Cape Recife lighthouse has stood since 1851.

Addo Elephant National Park is 72 km north, an easy day trip, and the private reserves at Shamwari, Kariega and Pumba are 45 to 90 minutes away. In town, the Donkin Reserve with its 1861 lighthouse and stone pyramid is the start of Route 67, a trail of 67 public artworks celebrating Nelson Mandela, and the Campanile of 1923 commemorates the settlers.

Good to know

Be realistic about the centre. A visitor writing in February 2026 was told by the tourist office not to walk Route 67 or the Donkin Heritage Trail for safety reasons, found several museums closed and described the central streets as run-down and unsafe after dark. Stay and eat along Summerstrand and Humewood, use ride-hail rather than minibus taxis, and see the Donkin Reserve by car or on a guided tour. Power cuts of several hours have been common, and hotel signs advise against drinking the tap water.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, Africa Safari Trips, Wild About Travel (travel blog).