"We have set out on a quest for true humanity and somewhere in the distance we can see the glittering prize. Let us march forth drawing strength from our common plight and brotherhood. In time we shall be in a position to bestow upon Africa the greatest gift possible, a more human face." B.S. Biko

Young ones at Steve Bikos creche that he and his wife started.

  You can help this creche  by donating to our Charitable Phillanthropic projects

 I custom design Eastern Cape Cultural Tours that can include.The Nelson Mandela musuem, Nelson Mandelas birthplace, a wonderful visit to a local Xhosa African Art Gallery, the drive to Coffee Bay,walking in smaller town, walking in rural villages, overnite stays in a cultural village, rural Guest Houses, local clinics, day care centers,  the  Indian ocean resorts..so many in depth experiences.

You can do a full South Africa tour, that includes a Eastern Cape Tour based on a theme such as Truimph of the Human Spirit, Footsteps of Nelson Mandela,  Apartheid and Struggle Route, etc.

Your Eastern Cape Cultural tour  guide is a local who grew up in the area, is fluent in Enlgish, Xhosa(Local language)  and other local dialects, speaks Afrikaans, and  a little French. These tours are flexible, for your travelling party, very personal.  You travel in your own private car, driven by the guide.

Eastern Cape Tours dres up time...we show  you  traditions and culture

For our Eastern Cape Cultural tours , the lodging that we use are all rural guest houses, Bed and Breakfasts, smaller hotels, with Western Style bathrooms, clean neat, full of ambiance, charm and local atmosphere see this link for EASTERN CAPE CULTURAL TOURS LODGING

We offer travellers  the opportunity to help, to make  a humanistic charitable donation as you travel  ..South Africa charitable donation . 

Stephen, Zuks  and Mrs  Biko in the  Eastern Cape.
 

Some say this is the most beautiful region of South Africa.Read about my local guide and this area it was writen up in a New York Newspaper..read this link

When you combine the Eastern  Cape with Johannesburg and Cape Town you obtain a fill urban and rural experience, that is balanced with history, culture, nature,modern cities, old villages, modern ways of living, traditional  ways of living. Add a safari to that experience and  you have  a  unique and memorable South Africa experience.

Some say the Eastern Cape  is the most beautiful region of South Africa and it surely is full of wonderful surprises - rugged coastlines with white sandy beaches and coves, tranquil lakes, rivers and lagoons, forests with 800 year old Yellowoods and peaceful villages and towns.

The Eastern  Cape Wild Coast  is truly unique. Protected for years by limited road access, this area offers a combination of rural tranquility, traditional African lifestyles and architecture, almost unbelievable scenery and fascinating flora and fauna with the opportunity to have a great beach holiday.

Hotels are spread out along the coast some are excellent, some a little run down, but all offer fantastic views and, invariably, excellent and plentiful seafood. And even the smartest of the coastal hotels does not expect you to wear shoes to dinner..

Although the coastal hotels are wonderful, probably the best way of experiencing this area is to spend some time with the local people.

There is a fantastic community project on the northern Wild Coast, of the Eastern Cape which offers you horse riding, hiking, canoeing and fishing from a beautiful tented camp overlooking a turquoise-blue lagoon.

The entire project is run by the local community, with marketing and management input from a non-profit, non-government organization. Here you can chat with the local people who are very proud of their magnificent home area, learn how they live and go fishing with them, or foraging for wild foodstuffs. Or, of course, you can just lie around relaxing in beautiful surroundings.

The vegetation of this area is pretty unique, as many of the biomes of South Africa come together here, so you will find some unusual plants. The water plant, palmiet, for example, is found here and only much closer to Cape Town, so it’s a bit of an anomaly, and there are so many other plants found nowhere else, that this area has been dubbed the Pondoland Centre of Endemism. If you’re of a botanical bent, you should set aside a lot of time to explore this coast, especially the Mkambati Nature Reserve.

And, then, for a totally different cultural experience, you could explore the towns of Port St Johns or Lusikisiki, which are small but busy, and bustling with a vibrant energy.

Local ladies in dress  on our Eastern Cape  Tours

Cofee Bay, Eastern Cape.

Coffee Bay has a number of advantages over its, admittedly also fantastic, rival Wild Coast destinations. Probably the most important, especially for visitors who are not used to unpaved roads, is the fact that a tarred road leads all the way there.

Other advantages include a friendly hotel, two backpackers hostels, fantastic surf and the iconic hole in the wall. This unusual rock formation is a rocky island a few hundred metres offshore, with a hole right through the middle. The tunnel is big enough to drive a ski boat through, but only the foolishly brave or bravely foolish would attempt to do so, as the sea crashes through there hence the local name esiKhaleni,which means place of noise.

Most people visit here for the fantastic scenery, the lovely beaches and the charm of the local people but there are some more active choices as well. You could do an abseil right over the sea, a scenic day canoe trip on the Umtata River or an escorted walk. And, of course, once you’ve worked up an appetite, you’ll be able to munch your way through lots of lovely seafood.

Coffee Bay is about an hours drive from the N2 on a tarred, but unfenced, road, which branches off the N2 about 20km on the East London side of Umtata. The closest airport is at Umtata - with flights only to and from Johannesburg.
 
The Eastern Cape begins where the Garden Route ends so its  a easy fit, with a Garden Route package.