Port Elizabeth City Guide - overview

The industrial city of Port Elizabeth is the centre of the Eastern Cape region of South Africa, known in most tourist guides as 'settler country'. The city was founded by shiploads of British settler families who arrived in the Eastern Cape in the early 19th century hoping to improve their prospects after suffering economic hardship because of the industrial revolution at home. The settlers also intended to strengthen defences against the local Xhosa people, who had been pushed back beyond the Fish River frontier. They came ashore at Algoa Bay, where there was nothing more than the small British Fort Frederick to welcome them. The city, from its humble beginnings, has grown into a principal port and manufacturing centre. Although it is very much a working town with a large indigent population living in the outlying township areas, Port Elizabeth draws plenty of tourists because of its proximity to the attractions of the east coast and historically interesting interior. The city is justifiably known as 'the friendly city' and Algoa Bay boasts 25 miles (40km) of beautiful sandy beaches lapped by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. The attractive beachfront is the venue for the annual 'Splash' festival and world boardsailing championships, and features a long promenade and pier full of tourist facilities.

Getting around: Port Elizabeth has little or no public transport system and the existing bus service is erratic and unreliable, with schedules hard to come by and very few areas covered. The principal means of transport, as in most of South Africa, is the minibus taxi. These are usually crowded and drivers pay no attention to road rules, stopping wherever and whenever to drop off and pick up passengers. This makes them easy to catch and they are cheap, but are used at one's own risk. Passengers should not get into an empty minibus and should only travel in daylight, on well-known routes. Metered taxis are available, but are usually fairly expensive. Hiring a car is usually the best and easiest option.