Eastern Cape - Well known for the annual Grahamstown Festival, Rhodes University’s attractive campus, the Settler Monument, and streets full of old churches and beautiful architecture, Grahamstown is also a great base for visitors wanting to acquaint themselves with the surrounding areas.
Visitors to the Frontier Country can spend each night in a different spot.
Alternatively, they could base themselves in Grahamstown, rise at their leisure each morning, and hit the road. Returning in the evening to a base does away with packing and unpacking each day.
Here are a few suggestions of what is achievable from the town as a day tripper:
* Take a boat cruise up the Kowie River. Kowie River Cruises depart from Port Alfred on the coast.
The river is navigable for about 15kms upstream, and a peaceful vista of natural bush, game reserves and farm land unfolds en route. (Call 083 359 3231 or 073 162 1611 or visit www.kowierivercruises.co.za).
* Visit the site of the Battle of Grahamstown, which took place on April 22, 1819, on some of the north-eastern hills facing the settlement, when an army of between 6 000 and 10 000 Xhosa warriors descended on a small group of British Army deserters.
One of the enduring legends of this battle is that of Elizabeth Salt, wife of one of the soldiers living in the settlement.
The Xhosa, loath to harm women in battle, apparently allowed her to walk through their ranks carrying a keg of gunpowder to the troops besieged in the barracks.
Afterwards you might want to visit the the Egazini Outreach Project in Joza Township.
This community arts, culture and heritage initiative is, ironically, housed in the former police Internal Stability Unit headquarters, and has become one of Grahamstown’s primary tourist attractions.
* Private game reserves such as Shamwari, Pumba and Kariega are pleasant for day visits (www.southernafricatravel.com).
* Take a train trip to Alicedale (book with Shosholoza Meyl, www.shosholozameyl.co.za), which lies in Bushmans River Canyon. This charming Victorian village was once a busy railway junction, until it slipped into obscurity in the early 1990s. If you are using your car, enjoy a leisurely lunch at the Bushman Sands Country Estate, or you might want to try a round of golf on the Gary Player Golf Course (www.bushmansands.co.za).
* An adventurous day can be spent white-water rafting, hang gliding, or abseiling. (www.infohub.co.za/eastern-cape/grahamstown/extreme-adventures.htm).
* Bathurst – where the British Settlers were sent to act as a buffer between the Cape Colony and the warring Xhosa – should not be missed. Many of the original settler houses and other buildings have been preserved. The Pig and Whistle – built in 1821 by a blacksmith who came from Nottinghamshire with the Settlers – is said to be the oldest pub in the country. (www.bathurst.co.za).
* The Valley of Ancient Voices, about 20 minutes from Grahamstown, takes the visitor back in time. An easy guided walk, lasting about four hours, covers rock art, relics and artefacts, giving clues to the myriad animals and people that have passed through here over thousands of years (www.sa-venues.com/attractionsec/valley-ancient-voices.htm).
* Much of the Sunshine Coast – Kenton-on-Sea, Bushmans River, Cannon Rocks, Kleinemonde, Port Alfred, Alexandria and Bathhurst – is within easy reach.
You could spend a couple of hours on different beaches soaking up the sun’s rays, taking in a cliff walk, or collecting shells while walking along the superb beaches (www.sunshine coasttourism.co.za).
Before you know it, a week will have passed productively.
Sunday Tribune