Looking for festive season inspiration? The Eastern Cape is full of opportunity

Molo summer! This was the general feeling at the Eastern Cape summer launch held last week by the Eastern Cape Parks & Tourism Agency (ECPTA) in a push to invite holidaymakers to explore the province this December.

“We launch the summer season yearly,” said Mlungisi Mvoko, the Eastern Cape MEC for finance and economic development, environmental affairs and tourism. “The launch is to create awareness of the Eastern Cape.”

Mvoko was the keynote speaker at the event, which was held on the lawns of the Wild Coast Sun, with picture-perfect views of the sprawling beach below.

“We want all our visitors to come and discover, explore and experience all the Eastern Cape has to offer,” added Lavinia Shaw, the manager of destination marketing at the ECPTA. “The Eastern Cape will offer all our visitors an unforgettable summer experience.”

The theme of this year’s launch was “Fall in Love with the Eastern Cape” and once you start discovering all the province has to offer, you’ll find there’s much to fall in love with — from the climate, attractions and rich biodiversity to its stunning nature.

“If you’re not sure where to start exploring the Eastern Cape, why not try our 2022 awesome experiences? We’ve put a bucket list together so I suggest you all start ticking that bucket list. The experiences are diverse,” said Shaw. 

Ever done a canopy tour over the Tsitsikamma National Park or gone horse riding in Jeffreys Bay? Perhaps it’s time to take on the mighty Amatola Hiking Trail (famed for being the toughest in SA), do a calamari tasting and canal cruise in Cape St Francis, go on an island cruise on the Sunshine Coast, try your hand at wildfly fishing in the Karoo or do a beer tasting in Makhanda. 

Another way of planning a trip to the Eastern Cape is by exploring its nine regions: the Tsitsikamma, Kouga/Baviaans, Karoo Heartland, Sundays River Valley, Sunshine Coast, Frontier Country, Wild Coast, Friendly N6 and the Amatole Mountains.

The best of all? According to Oyanga Ngalika, communication and media officer at the ECPTA, tourism is affordable in the Eastern Cape. “Just travel your own backyard,” she encourages. “Go out and explore. We have wide open spaces in the Eastern Cape [and] nature in abundance. We’ve got leisure activities, we’ve got fun things for people to do.”

Visit the ECPTA's  website for a full list of bucket list-worthy activities, descriptions of each of the province’s nine regions and affordable travel deals. 

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.