Grahamstown
Shop and Gallery, where everything is handmade, or the Mzansi Zulu Quilts Centre, which also sells handcrafted goods. But there are also museums — like the Hilton Station Railway Museum — as well as nature reserves and picnic sites, which can be enjoyed free. One of the highlights is the 88 m Karkloof Falls in Howick.
Moving further west, why not explore the Eastern Cape towns of Port St Johns, Coffee Bay, Grahamstown and St Francis Bay. The province is also the best place to escape the throngs of tourists that will flock to SA’s more popular sites.
St Francis Bay has some of SA’s best waves for surfing, while in Grahamstown, visit the Cathedral of St Michael & St George, built in the 1800s.
Outside Port Elizabeth, the Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve offers excellent birding. It should be high on your list if you appreciate indigenous flora like flowering proteas and other fynbos treats. It also has two walking trails and mountain bikers are welcome.
Maitland Beach, also outside PE, has some of SA’s best sand dunes, making sandboarding a popular activity. But be warned that you have to climb to the top first. There are also three hiking trails that will take you into the forests of Maitland Nature Reserve.
And in PE itself, the St Croix Motor Museum has vintage and classic cars dating back to 1901.