Eastern Cape
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
Still booked as Port Elizabeth, this is a two-night staging post for malaria-free safari: fly in via Johannesburg, hire a car, and head for Addo or the Big Five reserves at the Garden Route's eastern end.
Best length
1-2 nights in the city, plus 1-2 nights at Addo or a reserve
Airport
Chief Dawid Stuurman International (PLZ, ex-Port Elizabeth), ~3km from the beachfront
Airport to centre
Metered taxi or Uber ~10-15 min, ~R120-180 (about £5.50-8); most visitors collect a hire car here
Best base
Summerstrand / Humewood for the beachfront, or a reserve lodge near Addo for the safari nights
In short
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) at a glance
Gqeberha — the city most UK travellers still book under its old name, Port Elizabeth — is a base, not a beach holiday: it sits at the eastern end of the Garden Route and is the launch point for malaria-free safari, with Addo Elephant National Park about 70km away and the Big Five reserves of Shamwari, Amakhala and Schotia within an hour. Fly in via Johannesburg, pick up a hire car at Chief Dawid Stuurman airport, give the city itself a night or two for the beachfront and Route 67, then drive out to Addo. The mistake is treating it as a Cape Town-style city break — it isn't one.
The short version
- Use Gqeberha as a malaria-free safari base: Addo Elephant National Park is ~70km out and reserves like Shamwari, Amakhala and Schotia are within an hour, with no malaria tablets needed.
- It is the eastern bookend of the Garden Route, not a standalone destination — most trips pair it with Knysna and Plettenberg Bay to the west.
- There are no direct UK flights; you connect through Johannesburg (JNB) or Cape Town, then fly to Chief Dawid Stuurman International (PLZ).
- Pick up a hire car at the airport — it sits about 3km from the beachfront, and you'll want the car for Addo anyway.
- Two nights is plenty for the city itself (beachfront, Route 67, the harbour); the real reason to come is what's an hour's drive away.
Most UK travellers come to Gqeberha — still booked under its old name, Port Elizabeth, on half the flight searches you’ll run — for what’s an hour outside it rather than the city itself. This is the malaria-free corner of South African safari: Addo Elephant National Park and reserves like Shamwari and Amakhala put the Big Five within easy reach without a single anti-malaria tablet, which is why families with young children pick the Eastern Cape over the Kruger. The city is a comfortable, breezy, beach-fronted staging post for that, not a Cape Town-style break, and the trip that disappoints is the one that expects it to be.
Treat it as a bookend and a base. It’s the eastern end of the Garden Route, so it pairs naturally with Knysna and Plett to the west; there are no direct UK flights, so you’ll arrive via Johannesburg or Cape Town and pick up a hire car at the airport. Give the beachfront and Route 67 a night or two, then point the car inland. The structured planning below — where to base yourself, the Addo and reserve options, the airport and a realistic budget in pounds — takes it from here.
Keep a first trip focused: book the big timed sights, then leave room for neighbourhoods and food.
Top things to do in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
Addo Elephant National Park
Addo is the reason many travellers base themselves in Gqeberha: a malaria-free Big Five park roughly 70km north of the city, home to more than 600 elephants. You can self-drive the main southern section in an ordinary hire car on good gravel and tar, or book a guided game drive. The international conservation fee runs to around R384 per adult per day (about £17.50). Allow a full day.
Eastern Cape private reserves (Shamwari, Amakhala, Schotia)
Beyond Addo, a cluster of private Big Five reserves sits within roughly 45–75 minutes of Gqeberha, all malaria-free. Schotia runs a popular full-day safari from around R1,500 per person; Shamwari and Amakhala are lodge stays with ranger-led drives in open vehicles, with night rates varying widely. The malaria-free draw is why families with young children pick the Eastern Cape over the Kruger.
Where to stay first
The areas that make a first visit easier — not an exhaustive directory.
Summerstrand
££ mid-rangeThe default first-timer base: the beachfront suburb along Marine Drive with the resort hotels, Boardwalk casino-and-restaurant complex and easy beach access, and the closest stay to the airport. Safest-feeling part of the city after dark, though you'll still Uber rather than walk far at night.
Best for: First-timers, beach mornings, families
Humewood
£ valueNext to Summerstrand and just as handy for the beaches and the Bayworld/oceanarium end, with more guesthouses and B&Bs. Good value alternative to the seafront hotels.
Best for: Guesthouse value near the beach
Central (Richmond Hill / Donkin)
££ mid-rangeThe historic old town around the Donkin Reserve and Route 67, with the Richmond Hill restaurant strip the city's best eating-out pocket. Characterful but quieter and not a beach base — best if you want the harbour and history over sand.
Best for: Food, history, a night before driving out
A reserve lodge near Addo
£££ premiumMany UK travellers skip a second city night entirely and sleep at a malaria-free reserve — Addo's own rest camp or a private lodge at Shamwari or Amakhala — so they wake up on game-drive doorstep. The whole point of Gqeberha for most trips.
Best for: The safari nights themselves
Airport to city centre
| Option | Time | Cost | Book ahead? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hire car collected at the airport | Counters in the terminal | from ~R450-650/day (about £20-30) for a small car | Best option — you need it for Addo anyway |
| Uber or Bolt to the beachfront | ~10-15 min | ~R120-180 (about £5.50-8) | Easiest for a city-only night |
| Metered airport taxi | ~10-15 min | ~R150-220 (about £7-10) | Ranked at arrivals |
| Pre-booked hotel or lodge transfer | Varies | Quoted by the property | Worth it for a direct reserve transfer |
When to go
Sweet spot: October to April is the best window: the Indian Ocean beaches are warm and swimmable and Addo's game viewing is reliable year-round. The city's nickname 'the Windy City' is earned — the south-easterly can be strong, and it eases through the warmer months. This also lines up with the Cape's dry summer if you're driving the Garden Route the same trip.
Summer (December-February) is warmest for the beaches but overlaps South African school holidays, so book ahead. Autumn (March-May) is the sweet spot: warm sea, fewer crowds, good value, and pleasant game-viewing weather at Addo. Winter (June-August) is cooler and windier on the coast but perfectly fine for safari, with bush that thins out for spotting. Addo's malaria-free status holds all year, which is the city's real seasonal advantage over the Kruger.
What it costs
There are no direct UK flights to Gqeberha. Expect a Heathrow-to-Johannesburg or Cape Town leg (~£600-950 return) plus a domestic hop to PLZ (~£40-90 each way on FlySafair, Airlink or CemAir). Add the connection into the total rather than pricing the PLZ leg alone.
Daily budget per person
Rand figures use £1 ≈ R22 (June 2026) and the rand moves a lot, so check the live rate. The biggest swing is whether you self-drive Addo (cheap) or book a private-reserve lodge (not). The city itself is markedly cheaper to eat and stay in than Cape Town.
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Where to stay
Tours & tickets
Airport transfers
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Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) FAQs
Is Gqeberha the same place as Port Elizabeth?
Do you need malaria tablets for a safari from Gqeberha?
How does Gqeberha fit into a Garden Route trip?
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