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Buffalo City – great beaches and many estuaries
Inyathi Buffalo Route
The Inyathi Buffalo route offers great struggle history.
© Chris Marais
Did you know?
The Buffalo City area has 68 kilometres of coastline, including 10 estuaries and 14 beaches.
East London, also known as Buffalo City, lies at the heart of the Inyathi Buffalo Route in the Eastern Cape. Although it's one of South Africa's smallest major cities, East London has charm, historic depth and some very interesting objects on public display - like the last known Dodo egg on Earth.
East London is also famous for being the place where that ancient fossil fish, the coelacanth, long thought to be extinct, was rediscovered on a fishing boat by Margaret Courtenay-Latimer, then curator of the East London Museum. The captain of the boat had called her because he knew she was interested in unusual species.
This is a working class hero kind of town, with plenty of industry in certain sections. Yet it surprises at every turn. Cycads line the streets, and you'll find some exquisite indigenous trees in the Queens Park Zoo and Gardens.
The beaches here are exceptionally beautiful and rarely crowded, and you'll also see striking cliff-faces and patches of indigenous forest. These give you a hint of what you'll see when travelling north towards the Wild Coast.
There is plenty of history around Inyathi Eastern Cape, starting with the San people who lived here aeons ago, and the KhoiKhoi who came later, and then the really turbulent time of the various frontier wars between the British and the Xhosa.
Woven into this background is the story of the Xhosa cattle killing, based on visions seen by a young girl called Nongqawuse. Then came the period of black consciousness during the late Apartheid years, and the resistance movement against the regime.
These are just some of the stories your guide will tell you as you weave around the city on the Inyathi Buffalo Route, towards townships called Mdantsane, Dimbaza, and towns like Alice and King William's Town, which boasts the Steve Biko Garden of Remembrance.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Tourism Buffalo City:
Tel: +27 (0) 43 721 1346
Imonti Tours (East London)
Tel: +27 (0) 43 741 3884
Cell: +27 (0) 83 487 8975
Email: info@imontitours.co.za
How to get here
East London has an airport, and is also easily accessible by rail and bus.
Around the area
Just north of East London, the Wild Coast starts. To the south is the Sunshine Coast. Or head inland to explore the battlefields and history of Frontier Country.
Get around
Self-drive is the most convenient option.
Length of stay
The route would take a day or 2 to explore. But stay longer and use East London as a base for further travels or just relax and enjoy the beaches.
Where to stay
There are plenty of options - from hotels to guesthouses and B&Bs.
What to eat
East London specialises in a kind of toasted sandwich called a jaffle. Delicious served hot with coffee.