Donkin Reserve

Port Elizabeth

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This pleasant hilltop park is a good place to get your bearings, particularly if you climb to the top of the lighthouse. The pyramid is a memorial to Elizabeth Donkin, wife of Sir Rufane Donkin, governor of the Cape Colony in the 1820s – who named PE after his beloved spouse. A heritage trail leads between the park's monuments and artworks, which narrate important periods of the city's history, and form part of the wider Route 67 trail through the centre.

Parking is free, but a common scam is to try to trick tourists into paying anyway. Ask at the tourist office here for more information.

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Nearby Port Elizabeth attractions

1. No. 7 Castle Hill

0.11 MILES

This museum-house, occupying a picturesque cottage dating from 1827, evokes a settler family's life during the mid-Victorian period.

2. Campanile

0.27 MILES

This bell tower, visible from the city centre, was erected to commemorate the landing of the 1820 British settlers. Unfortunately, it’s near the entrance…

3. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum

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