1. Port Overview

  1. Gqeberha, South Africa

  3. Gqeberha (formally Port Elizabeth) is located on the Indian Ocean about halfway between Cape Town and Durban. The city is beautifully set along the beautiful shores of Algoa Bay, making Gqeberha a Mecca for all beach and watersport activities. Across the bay is the wonderful Addo Elephant National Park. In and around the city there are scenic nature trails and wildlife experiences, long golden beaches, historic heritage and a warm sunny climate.

    Gqeberha has a famous oceanarium on the seafront, colourful Edwardian architecture, and a fort, Ft. Frederick, from which no shot was ever fired. The old library, City Hall and Market Square are worth a visit , and there are several other interesting buildings.

    South of the city are good beaches, such as King’s Beach and Humewood Beach. The latter features the Apple Express, one of the few remaining narrow-gauge steam trains, which runs on occasion from Humewood to Thornhill.

    Things to see and do

    * Water sports at King’s and Humewood Beaches
    * Addo Elephant National Park
    * Oceanarium
    * Donkin Reserve and Donkin Heritage Trail
    * Snake park

    Cruise Season – Oct – April
    Currency – Rand (R)
    Language – Xhosa, English and Afrikaans
    Land Area – km²
    Population – 1,000,000
    Electricity – South African/Indian-style plug with two round metal pins above a large round grounding pin
    Time – GMT plus two hours
    International Country Telephone Code – + 27

    Port Location – The Port of Gqeberha is situated in Algoa Bay on the south-eastern coast of Africa, midway between the Ports of Durban (384 nautical miles north-east) and Cape Town (423 nautical miles west).

    Transport Links - The airport is located within the boundaries of the city of Port Elizabeth, 5km (3 miles) west of the Capital Business District and 3km (2 miles) from Algoa Bay. PE lies on the N2 road which runs from Cape Town to Durban roughly following the coast. The central train station is in downtown PE and offers connections to Johannesburg and Cape Town. All major South African coach companies offer regular schedules from / to PE.

    The locals call Gqeberha ‘Ten-Minute-City’ — it’s 10 minutes by car from the airport to downtown; 10 minutes from downtown to the beach and to three out of four local golf courses; and 10 minutes from the hotels to the big shopping centres. There is a public bus transport system within the city, however most people use taxis (minibuses).