In this series of articles I have covered Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. Today it’s East London’s turn. This Eastern Cape gem has a population of more than 400,000 people. East London is also one of South Africa’s favorite tourist destinations. There are many places to visit in East London, and today I’m featuring 3 of them. You can read more about this city in my 10 Things You Did Not Know About East London article.
The East London Museum: This is definitely one of those places you should visit in the city. This museum was established in 1921. The East London museum has the world’s only dodo egg, features a large natural science collection and has collections ranging from the prehistoric times of our country to to the early history of the Xhosa people.
The museum also showcases Nguni beadwork, has a maritime history displays and there’s also a model of a coelacanth. A fisherman from East London caught this prehistoric fish off the coast of the city in 1938. It was estimated that coelacanths were extinct 80 million years ago before the fisherman caught one. The museum’s garden has an impressive collection of cycads. The East London area is home to at least nine different species of cycads.
This sounds like informative fun for the whole family. It’s really cheap to visit the East London Museum so you don’t have an excuse. Entrance costs only R12 for adults, R5 for children, R8 for pensioners. For more information about museum times visit the official East London Museum website.
One of Three East London Beaches: Many of you reading this article are probably amped to stick your toes into some beach sand this festive season and if you’re thinking of visiting East London, you’re in luck – East London has 3 beaches: Orient Beach, Eastern Beach and Nahoon Beach.
Orient Beach is located East of the river mouth and closest to the East London city centre. This beach is very popular with families. Orient Beach has a tidal pool, a playground, water slides and other child-friendly attractions. Eastern Beach is a main long beach fronting the East London Esplanade. The beach has high dunes. There’s also the Bat’s Cave area that can be explored. Nahoon Beach is located on the Northern headland and has a beautiful stretch of sand. Nahoon reef is also a well-known and popular surf spot.
One of these spots should definitely be on your list of places to visit in East London this festive season. For more information about East London’s Beaches, visit the official East London website.
: This aquarium is South Africa’s oldest one. It was built in the early 1930s. It’s not a big aquarium, but features some unique displays. The East London aquarium plays an active role in conserving the South African coastline and the estuaries in the area.
The aquarium has a wide range of animals ranging from fish to marine invertebrates, marine birds and seals. There’s also African penguins who moult (shed) their feathers between October and February each year.
The East London Aquarium is open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily. Entrance costs R28 for adults, R17 for children between 3 and 18 years old and R17 for pensioners. For more information visit the East London Aquarium website.
There you have it, 3 places to visit in East London this festive season. If you’ve found this information useful, feel free to share this post with your friends on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word.
If you’re aware of another East London attraction or two, please comment on this post and let the readers of the Junk Mail blog know. Feedback is appreciated and welcome.
Remember that you can check out the classifieds in the Holiday Accommodation and Timeshare categories on Junk Mail if you’re still looking for a place to go this festive season.
Watch this space for regular updates in the Useful tips category on the Junk Mail Blog.
