This Guest House is perched high on a hill overlooking the picturesque town of Port Alfred and commands panoramic views of the sea, the Kowie River, The Royal Alfred Marina and the colourful small boat harbour: for sale

Between July and December of every year, the Eastern Cape coastline is frequented by Southern Right Whales and Humpback Whales. These animals glide past the shore; breaching, lobtailing and spy-hopping as onlookers appreciate their antics from the beach. The warm waters and extensive coastline of the Eastern Cape make this a fabulous whale-watching destination.

Royal Port Alfred Golf Club

The little hamlet of Bathurst lays claims to the biggest pineapple on the planet! Standing 16.7 metres tall, this gigantic structure is not a cell phone tower in disguise; but rather a tribute to the agricultural success of the prickly fruit. Summerhill Farm, Kowie Road, Bathurst.

Early farmers struggled to grow any crops here until the first pineapple top was planted in 1865. The interior boasts a tourist shop, static displays, and a great view. It’s a fun place to take the whole family and learn about the pineapple industry or find a little memento. Head to the historic Pig and Whistle afterwards, the oldest licenced Inn in South Africa.

Nearby Attractions

Makhanda, formerly known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about 110 kilometres (70 mi) northeast of Gqeberha and 130 kilometres (80 mi) southwest of East London. It is the largest town in the Makana Local Municipality, and the seat of the municipal council. It also hosts Rhodes University, the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court, the South African Library for the Blind (SALB), a diocese of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, and 6 South African Infantry Battalion. Furthermore, located approximately 3 km south-east of the town lies the world renowned Waterloo Farm, the only estuarine fossil site in the world from 360 million years ago with exceptional soft-tissue preservation.

The town's name-change from Grahamstown to Makhanda was officially gazetted on 29 June 2018. The town was officially renamed to Makhanda in memory of Xhosa warrior and prophet Makhanda ka Nxele.

History 

Founding

Makhanda was founded as Grahamstown in 1812 after the Fourth Xhosa War as a military outpost by Lieutenant-Colonel John Graham as part of a campaign to secure the Eastern frontier of the Cape Colony. Initially Colonel Graham decided to establish his headquarters on the loan farm Noutoe, now known as Table Farm, but at the recommendation of Ensign Andries Stockenstrom it was moved to the homestead of the loan farm De Rietfontein, belonging to Lucas Meyer. Construction on the new headquarters, located on the site of the present Church Square, thus began in June 1812.

As part of the campaign, Graham was ordered to clear 20,000 Xhosa living in the region led by Ndlambe ka Rharhabe from the Zuurveld. During the campaign, which formed part of the Xhosa Wars, Graham ordered the adoption of numerous scorched earth tactics, which included the burnings of Xhosa farms. By 1812, Graham had completed his assignment, and transformed Grahamstown into the central military outpost in the region.

In 1904, Rhodes University College was established in Grahamstown through a grant from the Rhodes Trust. In 1951 it became a fully-fledged University, Rhodes University.

Education, arts and culture

The town is home to Rhodes University, the South African National Library for the Blind, the National English Literary Museum, the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (formerly the JLB Smith Institute), the International Library of African Music (ILAM), the Albany Museum, and the Institute for the Study of English in Africa. A number of palaeontological discoveries made from Waterloo Farm in the past two decades have sparked a global interest in the fossils of the Eastern Cape Province and this has resulted in numerous international collaborations. These discoveries and collaborations have been made possible by the persistent work of Robert W. Gess of the Devonian Ecosystem Laboratory, Albany Museum, who has dedicated most of his life excavating and studying blocks of black shale that he, with later support from the South African Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) has rescued from road cuttings from back in the mid- 1980s.

The legacy of disparate education during Apartheid still echoes in the provision of secondary education in this former frontier town, where significant discrepancies in matric pass rates and general quality of education exist. Addressing this problem is one of the town's greatest challenges

Schools

• St Andrew's College
• Graeme College (known variously before 1939 as Victoria Boys' High School and the Grahamstown Public School)
• Diocesan School for Girls (D.S.G.)
• St Aidan's College
• St. Andrew's Preparatory School
• Good Shepherd School
• Kingswood College
• Victoria Girls' High School
• Victoria Girls' Primary
• Oatlands Preparatory
• P.J. Olivier

Game reserves

Sibuya

Sibuya, one of South Africa’s most unique Safari destinations, has more navigable river than any other game reserve in South Africa. Consequently, as a birding destination it is hard to beat as there are nearly 400 different species. This breathtakingly beautiful game reserve is sanctuary to an abundance of diverse wildlife from elephants to otters, and almost everything in between, including the Big Five. Sibuya offers accommodation in two private and exclusive luxury tented game lodges and prides itself on superb cuisine. Sibuya’s reception is in the holiday village of Kenton-on-Sea in the Eastern Cape Province, about 140kms (80 miles) equidistant from Gqeberha and East London. A natural extension to any trip, from Cape Town up the Garden Route, and easily accessible from Gqeberha which is a short flip from the major cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

Charter flights to Port Alfred are less than a 20min transfer to the game park. The unique experience starts immediately with a half-hour boat transfer up the Kariega estuary to River Camp or Forest Camp. Leaving the beach, turtles, dolphins and whales might be seen near the river mouth. Both camps nestle in riverine forest and have been constructed in an environmentally conscious manner. Guests are hosted and guided by a team of experienced professionals.

Kariega

Hospitality at its finest.