A little about our Beloved town and local attractions
East London is a city on the Indian Ocean, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. It’s known for its beaches, such as Nahoon and Cove Rock. The Buffalo Pass is a road crossing a forested valley and the Buffalo River. Fossilised human and animal footprints, plus artefacts from the Xhosa-speaking people, are exhibited at the East London Museum. Elephants, lions, zebras and other wildlife roam in several nearby game reserves.
Notable for holding the type specimen of the coelacanth, a fish previously believed to be long extinct. It was the workplace of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, the fish's discoverer. It was established in 1921 and features natural and cultural history of East London and surrounds. The museum is open week days and Saturdays. There are other galleries within the museum besides the display of the coelacanth. The museum offers displays of southern Nguni beadwork and traditional culture.
The gallery opened officially to the public in 1947. Today it houses a fine collection amongst which those of Thomas Bowler, Maud Sumner, Lawrence Scully, George Pemba, Willie Bester and Norman Catherine deserve note. Catalogues of the permanent or special exhibitions are available from the attendant.
Delve into the underwater diversity at East London Aquarium, a small animal observation and educational center that brings the region's marine heritage to life. Opened in 1931, the aquarium ranks as the oldest in the country, and regularly brings in abused, neglected, or injured animals, and rehabilitates them until they can return to the wild. Step out onto the wooden boardwalk to catch sights of dolphins and whales (including right and humpback) off the coast, and pay a visit to the colony of African penguins on site
Nahoon beach is a surfer’s and swimmer’s paradise and is arguably East London’s most popular beach - we’re talking kilometres of (mostly) uncrowded and unpolluted sand and sea that produces some of the best waves, particularly at the famous Nahoon reef where surfing can be fairly tough, hence its having served as a venue for many of the national surfing competitions.
Also known as the Port of East London, the East London Harbour is significant for many reasons, not least of all its being the only commercial river port in South Africa. It is situated at the beautiful Buffalo River Mouth, which not only gives it an exquisite ‘address’, but also makes it an important link between the Eastern Cape Province and the rest of the world.