Popular tourist attractions nearby include the Donkin Heritage Trail, Fort Frederick, Bayworld Oceanarium, Port Elizabeth Museum, The Boardwalk Casino, Woody Cape Nature Reserve, Addo Elephant National Park, Amakhala Game Reserve, Shamwari Game Reserve, Bushman Sands Game Reserve and lots lots more!

The Very Beginning:

Indigenous tribes first settled in the around the area which is now known as Algoa Bay. Mind you, this was centuries ago, and although it is said that the San and Khoisan people came before the Xhosa tribe, we cannot say for definate if this is the case. There is little known about that time as there are no written records dating back that far, so they say.

In 1488 Portuguese explorers were the first Europeans to visit the area. Later, in 1497 Vasco Da Gama landed in the area, and noted Bird Island nearby. Port Elizabeth was simply marked on navigation maps or charts as the ‘landing place with fresh water’.

In 1799 Fort Frederick was built. This was named after the then Duke of York. The fort was built in an attemp to protect against a possible landing of French Trops. This fort is now a monument. The town known as Uitenhage was later founded in 1804 – along the Swartkops River.