Encounter the Eastern Cape

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Encounter the Eastern Cape

Encounter the Eastern Cape Jonker Fourie of Firefly the Travel Guy brings you the beauty of the Eastern Cape through his camera lens. A province of diverse scenery, history and cultures.
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27/02/2025

The private fossil museum on Ganora Guest Farm outside Nieu-Bethesda was registered in 1998 and although small, houses mainly finds made on Ganora. The fossils on exhibit are on average about 280 million years old. It was in the time when mammal-like-reptiles roamed the earth, pre-dinosaur time. You will also see small models which give an indication of what they looked like. They also have fossilized leaves from the Glossopteris trees, which formed the coal mined in South Africa today. The Compasia dela Harpi fish fossil is also on show and it is the only complete example of this fossil in the world. Owner JP Steyberg knows his fossils through and through and it seems he never gets tired telling people about it.

26/02/2025

The only way to cross over the highest narrow gauge railway bridge in the world these days are either on foot or mountain bike. Construction on the bridge was completed in 1905 with it being 156m long and 77m high.

25/02/2025

Morning walk on the beach beyond the Kabeljous River Mouth in Jeffreys Bay

24/02/2025

The Great Fish River Museum in Cradock is located behind the town hall / municipal buildings in Cradock and is housed in the second Dutch Reformed Church Parsonage, built in 1849. The building was declared a national monument in 1971. The museum showcase the history of the hard lives led by pioneer settlers in the area dating back to the early 1800s.

Planning a visit to the Karoo Heartland?
Visit the Karoo Heartland website at www.karooheartland.com for more information on things to see, accommodation, restaurants and activities

21/02/2025

Paddling on the Sundays River at Sitrusoewer River Camp

20/02/2025

The biggest maritime disaster that ever took place on the Port Elizabeth coastline happened way back during the Great Gale of 1902. On Sunday, 31 August 1902 there were 38 ships at anchor along the then North End Beach. Rain and a south-easterly wind started to lash the bay and by midnight the storm turned into a hurricane. By the end of the storm on 2 September 1902, 18 of the ships had been stranded on the beach, while the rest all had major damage. The dead were buried in the South End Cemetery and thousands lined the route to the cemetery as the funeral processions went by with surviving ship-mates carrying the coffins of those that died during the storm. A memorial stands in the South End Cemetery with all the names of those who died during the storm.

19/02/2025

The Spekboom Labyrinth in Jeffreys Bay is coming along very nicely. Made from the resilient and eco-friendly Spekboom plant, known for its awesome carbon-absorbing abilities, this labyrinth is a beautiful place for reflection and a beacon of environmental sustainability.

The project was initiated by the Jbay "Dorp van Drome" initiative and consists of over 1000 spekbome.

14/02/2025

Have you ever noticed how somebody walking along a forest path in the morning can instantly turn into a Kungfu expert? Usually due to a tint little guy like this Kite Spider in the Tsitsikamma forest.

13/02/2025

The duck egg blue kitchen in Schreiner House in Cradock.

Schreiner House at 9 Cross Street in Cradock is one of the houses where Olive Schreiner (1855-1920), the political activist, feminist and author of the world-renowned novel, The Story of an African Farm, once resided. The museum contains antique furnishings, an exhibition on the life and work of Schreiner and her siblings, and a small but invaluable collection of books from Olive Schreiner’s and her husband Cronwright’s personal libraries.

12/02/2025

One of the art pieces around the Nieu-Bethesda labyrinth at the Gregg Price Art Gallery. The garden and labyrinth are open to the public and the experience of walking it is free to the community and travellers passing through the village.

11/02/2025

The historic Storms River Pass road built under the guidance of master pass builder Thomas Bain was completed in 1884. Traveling down the pass today you can still see some of the original stone work and culverts built back then.

10/02/2025

Paddling on the Sundays River at Sunset

07/02/2025

Paddling up the Storms River gorge with Untouched Adventures on their Kayak and Lilo Tour.

06/02/2025

The Swaershoek Pass can be found on the R337 dirt road between Cradock and Pearston.

For most of it, the 76km dirt road isn’t really bad and a sedan can negotiate it comfortably without falling apart although a 4×4 or high clearance maar stays the best for a gravel road like this. The Swaershoek Pass itself is just over 8km long and climbs about 468m to the highest point at 1981m above sea level. As you drive up from the northern side you can see the pass hugging the side of the mountain in front and looking back there is an expansive valley with views all the way to Cradock and the mountain beyond. Really awe-inspiring.

04/02/2025

Yesterday the historic navigational beacon in Cape Recife collapsed after waves finally eroded the base to a point where it couldn't stay upright anymore. I went scratching through my folders and found this pic of the beacon taken a couple of years ago.

In 1829 two stone beacons were erected near the beach that had to be aligned by ships sailing into Algoa Bay from the west so that they could avoid the very dangerous Roman Rock. In 1858 they were replaced by two new stone beacons. These were painted red and white with a black ball on top. The one beacon is located in the Cape Recife Nature Reserve near the lighthouse while the other one, usually referred to as the Lolipop Beacon, stands on the corner of Marine Drive and Admiralty Way.

03/02/2025

Fairy and gnome seats in the Tsitsikamma forest. It's amazing how many types of mushrooms and fungi grow in the forest once you slow down and look around a little more.

02/02/2025

The bronze cannon at the end of the road in Schoenmakerskop points towards the wreck of the Portuguese galleon Sacramento which sank here 30 June 1647. Of the 72 survivors who reached the beach and set out to walk the 1,300 km back to Mozambique only nine reached Delagoa Bay (Maputo) on 5 January 1648. A mere four survived to sail back to return to Goa, the Portuguese colony in India.

In 1977 local divers salvaged 40 bronze cannon from the wreck, including the one on display. These cannon had been cast in the Portuguese colony of Macau on the Pearl River estuary of China and were being shipped to Angola.

31/01/2025

Terns next to the sand dunes at the Sundays River Mouth

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