At the eastern end of the Garden Route in South Africa and 400 mi/650 km east of Cape Town, is P.E. (as it's commonly called) or Port Elizabeth, an industrial city fringed with excellent beaches.
Allow a couple of hours to walk the 3-mi-/5 km-long Donkin Heritage Trail that links the most interesting historic building, monuments, churches and parks. These include Fort Frederick (built in 1799) and Donkin Reserve with its lighthouse (built in 1861). Along the Humewood Beach waterfront is the large Bayworld complex that houses a museum, an oceanarium and a snake park. It makes a nice refuge if you're in town on an all-too-common blustery day.
Do leave yourself enough time to explore the thought-provoking Red Location Museum located in one of Port Elizabeth's oldest townships. Its unique spatial interpretation of history and memorial to the struggle for freedom have won the museum several prestigious awards. Addo Elephant National Park (about an hour's drive north) has Eastern Cape elephants, black rhinos and other animals. Most visitors will find two nights in P.E. sufficient.
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