Must-see attractions in Sunshine Coast

  • Family of elephants in Addo Elephant National Park.

    Addo Elephant National Park

    Sunshine Coast

    Located 70km north of Port Elizabeth, South Africa's third-largest national park protects the remnants of the huge elephant herds that once roamed the…

  • Schotia Game Reserve

    Sunshine Coast

    The smallest (and busiest) private reserve in the Addo area, Schotia is contiguous with Addo (accessed from the N10 south of Paterson). Aiming to evoke…

  • Amakhala Game Reserve

    Sunshine Coast

    This reserve roughly 70km from PE is well worth a stay: it's beautiful, tranquil and easily accessible, and it supports a large diversity of fauna,…

  • Donkin Reserve

    Port Elizabeth

    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…

  • Sibuya Game Reserve

    Sunshine Coast

    A few kilometres north of Kenton-on-Sea, Sibuya is a wonderfully scenic place to see a variety of wildlife, including a few lions, white rhinos, elephants…

  • Kariega Game Reserve

    Sunshine Coast

    An upmarket (but not luxurious) choice, this 100-sq-km reserve 14km north of Kenton-on-Sea offers a chance to see the Big Five (although leopards are very…

  • Pumba Private Game Reserve

    Sunshine Coast

    A fantastic, luxurious and exclusive reserve, Pumba is home to the Big Five (including a pride of white lions – a rarity in Africa…

  • Shamwari Game Reserve

    Sunshine Coast

    Shamwari Game Reserve, roughly 40km east of Addo, is one of the most exclusive, luxurious and internationally renowned reserves. Accommodation here ranges…

  • South End Museum

    Port Elizabeth

    Multimedia exhibits relate the history of South End, a vibrant multicultural district destroyed by apartheid bulldozers during forced removals between…

  • Dolphin Beach

    Sunshine Coast

    The town's main beach, Dolphin Beach is a beautiful wide and largely untouched expanse of sand. It's safe for swimming and there are lifeguards on duty,…

  • Kings Beach

    Port Elizabeth

    Sandy central beach, popular for sunbathing and swimming in the shallows. Take extreme care when swimming; the current is very strong.

  • Kelly's Beach

    Sunshine Coast

    West of the Kowie River estuary mouth, this idyllic, 400m-long arc of golden sand ticks all the right boxes – it's clean and safe for swimming and…

  • Albany History Museum

    Sunshine Coast

    This great museum details the history and art of the peoples of the Eastern Cape, including the Xhosa and 1820 Settlers, with some beautiful beadwork and…

  • Seal Point Lighthouse

    Sunshine Coast

    Built in 1878, this lighthouse is the tallest masonry tower on the South African coast, and marks the second-most-southern tip of Africa.

  • Church Square

    Sunshine Coast

    Grand colonial edifices, university buildings, the 19th-century Anglican cathedral and colourful Victorian and Edwardian shopfronts all overlook this…

  • SANCCOB

    Port Elizabeth

    Most of the world's remaining 25,000 breeding pairs of endangered African penguins are found around Algoa Bay; they are threatened by currents pushing…

  • Big Pineapple

    Sunshine Coast

    Local farmers own the Big Pineapple, a few kilometres from the village en route to Port Alfred. This fiberglass replica of a pineapple stands 16.7m high –…

  • Campanile

    Port Elizabeth

    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…

  • Birch’s Gentlemen’s Outfitters

    Sunshine Coast

    Birch’s is one of a number of historic shopfronts overlooking Church Sq. It has a marvellously old-fashioned ‘slider’ (a pulley system that sends money…

  • International Library of African Music

    Sunshine Coast

    There are 200 or so instruments to examine here – you can listen to field recordings and try to emulate what you’ve heard on nyanga (pan) pipes from…

  • National English Literary Museum

    Sunshine Coast

    Housed in a snazzy building on the outskirts of town, this museum contains South African manuscripts, first editions and works dating back to 1797, with…

  • Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum

    Port Elizabeth

    The museum housed in two handsome buildings at the entrance to St George’s Park has a small gallery of paintings and sculpture by contemporary South…

  • Great Fish Point Lighthouse

    Sunshine Coast

    Views from this lighthouse, 25km east of Port Alfred, encompass magnificent dunes and coastline. The dirt road from the highway turn-off is somewhat rough…

  • 1820 Settlers National Monument

    Sunshine Coast

    This monument to the hardy British settlers and their contributions to South Africa has stupendous views of the surrounding countryside, and contains…

  • SANCCOB Sea Bird Rehabilitation Centre

    Sunshine Coast

    This haven for endangered African penguins is funded entirely by donations. You can adopt a penguin that will be cared for and released when healthy.

  • Albany Natural Science Museum

    Sunshine Coast

    Covers a mishmash of subjects, from early human history to astronomy. The collection includes some impressive taxidermy and skeletons.

  • Grocott’s Mail

    Sunshine Coast

    Grocott’s Mail is one of Grahamstown's best examples of a preserved historic shopfront. It still houses a working newspaper office.

  • No. 7 Castle Hill

    Port Elizabeth

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

  • Irma Booysen Flora Reserve

    Sunshine Coast

    This small nature reserve, set up to preserve the area's coastal fynbos (fine bush), has several footpaths.

  • Hobie Beach

    Port Elizabeth

    The beach of choice for windsurfers, sailors and kite-surfers, and sunbathers will also love it.

  • Central Marina

    Sunshine Coast

    Pleasant for a stroll; can also be seen on a boat tour.

  • Bayworld

    Port Elizabeth

    In desperate need of modernisation, this complex includes a museum, an oceanarium and a snake park. The Xhosa gallery and the First People of the Bay…

  • Bathurst Agricultural Museum

    Sunshine Coast

    This low-key museum displays a large collection of ox wagons, tractors, steam engines and other farm equipment.

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