Question 1

Gqeberha on Your Own

Accepted Answer

The historic center is the part of the city to explore on foot by day: the Donkin Heritage Trail is a 5 km self-guided walk past 51 sites on the old hill of the city center. If you want one longer outing, Addo Elephant National Park is about 72 km away, reached on a booked tour or in a hired car. The Donkin Reserve: This park holds the memorial to Elizabeth Donkin, after whom the city was named, a lighthouse from 1861 and the visitor information office. The Campanile: The bell tower, built in the 1920s for the 1820 settlers, has 204 steps up to an observation floor over Algoa Bay. Route 67: A walking route of 67 public artworks, one for each year Nelson Mandela gave to the struggle for freedom, starts at the Campanile and climbs the steps toward the square named for Vuyisile Mini. Market Square: The City Hall and a replica of the cross Bartolomeu Dias planted in 1488 stand here, at the start of the heritage trail. Staying safe: Do not walk alone in quiet areas or after dark, keep cameras and cash out of sight, and be wary of strangers offering help at ATMs. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. Watch the clock: All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match local clocks or your phone, so set your watch by the ship.

Question 2

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

Gqeberha is spread out along the coast, so on a port day a booked taxi, a tour or a rental car is the practical choice. Minibus taxis are the main transport for most residents and run fixed routes, though they are crowded and their standards vary. Taxis do not cruise for passengers in South African cities, so phone for one. Municipal buses leave from the Market Square bus station, beneath the Norwich Union Centre on Strand Street. To rent a car you need an international driving permit or a valid South African license; traffic drives on the left. For Addo Elephant National Park, the recommended route is the N2 via Colchester rather than the R335 through Motherwell, because of crime including vehicle hijackings. Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is about 3 km south of the city center.

Question 3

Food & Drink

Accepted Answer

South African food is built around the braai, the barbecue, and the country's dishes also draw on Cape Malay and Indian cooking. In Gqeberha, the Boardwalk complex on Marine Drive in Summerstrand has a cluster of restaurants. Boerewors is a spiced sausage, often served in a roll with onion and tomato relish. Biltong is dried, seasoned meat, made from beef, game or ostrich. Bobotie is a curry-spiced meatloaf with a savory custard topping, from the Cape Malay kitchen. Bunny chow, half a loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with curry, comes from the Indian community of Durban. Rooibos tea, made from a herb of the Cederberg Mountains, is drunk across the country.

Question 4

Tipping in South Africa

Accepted Answer

Tipping is the norm in South African restaurants, where around 10 percent of the bill is considered usual. The currency is the rand, and cards are widely accepted. The same 10 percent is usual for taxis. Uniformed parking attendants will offer to watch your car for a small tip. Porters are usually given a few rand per bag, and fuel station attendants a few rand too.

Question 5

Culture & Customs

Accepted Answer

Gqeberha's settler past and its apartheid history both shape what there is to see, from the 1820 heritage trail to the township museum in New Brighton. Xhosa speakers know the city as iBhayi, from the Afrikaans "die Baai," the bay. Route 67's artworks celebrate South African culture and history and Nelson Mandela's years of service. The Red Location Museum in New Brighton, one of the city's oldest townships, opened in 2006 to honor those who fought apartheid; its galleries are built as large corrugated iron boxes, echoing the boxes migrant workers kept their belongings in. The Feather Market Centre, near the harbor and the Baakens River, was built as a market hall for the ostrich feather trade, on a site used as a wool market from 1863. The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium hosted eight matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Algoa Bay's islands hold 43 percent of the world's African penguins, most of them on St Croix Island.

Question 6

A Brief History

Accepted Answer

People have lived around Algoa Bay for at least 10,000 years, and the city itself began as a British garrison and settler port. Its harbor and railway made it a major trading city, and apartheid-era removals reshaped its neighborhoods. Ancestors of the San lived around the bay at least 10,000 years ago, and about 2,000 years ago they were gradually absorbed by farming peoples ancestral to the Xhosa. In 1488 the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to reach Algoa Bay, planting a wooden cross on what is now St Croix Island. In 1799, during the Napoleonic Wars, British troops built the stone Fort Frederick overlooking the site of the future town; it is preserved as a monument. In 1820 about 4,000 British settlers landed, and the acting governor, Sir Rufane Donkin, named the new town Port Elizabeth after his late wife. The railway to Kimberley, completed in 1873, turned the harbor into a major port for the interior. Under the Group Areas Act, forced removals of people who were not white from mixed areas began in 1962, and new townships were built for them. In 2001 the city joined Uitenhage and Despatch in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality. On February 23, 2021, the city's official name became Gqeberha. To learn more ashore, visit the South End Museum, at the corner of Humewood Road and Walmer Boulevard, which tells the story of the forced removals. Opening hours vary, so check before you go.

Question 7

For Families

Accepted Answer

Beaches, wildlife and a tower to climb make a family day here. Plan transport in advance, because the sights are spread out. Younger children: King's Beach and Hobie Beach are among the city's main swimming beaches; swim only where lifeguards are on duty. School age: Addo Elephant National Park began in 1931 with only 11 elephants, and a day there means a long drive, so pair it with nothing else. Teenagers: Climb the Campanile's spiral staircase, then follow Route 67's artworks up through the old center.

Question 8

Accessibility

Accepted Answer

Parts of the beachfront and a few museums and parks have been adapted for wheelchair users, but in many restaurants access stops at a ramp by the entrance. Book accessible transport before the day. Wheelchair users can get along the King's Beach promenade, and Humewood Beach has accessible restrooms. In summer, lifeguards at the McArthur's Pool complex will help disabled swimmers into and out of the water. Both Bayworld, the city's museum complex, and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum can be visited in a wheelchair. In Addo Elephant National Park, the 2 km PPC Discovery Trail is open to wheelchair users, with a guide rope along the way for visitors who cannot see well. Settlers Park has a bird hide that wheelchair users can enter.

Question 9

Shopping in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)

Accepted Answer

Large shopping centers and the beachfront Boardwalk complex in Summerstrand are the main places to shop. Cards are the usual way to pay. The Boardwalk on Marine Drive has shops, restaurants and an entertainment center.

Question 10

Beaches & Swimming

Accepted Answer

Algoa Bay's beaches face the warm Indian Ocean, with water of about 18 to 21 °C in summer and 14 to 19 °C in winter. The main swimming beaches, King's, Humewood, Hobie and Wells Estate, are patrolled by lifeguards during the summer season. Hobie Beach is in Summerstrand, across Marine Drive from the Boardwalk. Beach conditions vary, and many people drown each year in strong currents across South Africa; if there are no lifeguards or warning signs, ask locals or stay out of the water. Avoid isolated beaches, especially when they are deserted or after dark.

Port Elizabeth, South Africa

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