South Africa - World Cup 2010

leon76

Hi

We're thinking of flying to Port Elizabeth for the 2 / 3 weeks this summer. Has anyone been to Port Elizabeth. Is it a safe place. What about facilities for tourists, sites etc I have been offered free accommodation there. If anyone has any good links in regards flights / best way / cheapest way to fly it would be much appreciated. Dates we wish to travel is around the 10th June - 28th June 2010.

regards

Leon.

shanagarry

Port Elizabeth itself isn't a particularly attractive city and doesn't have much to offer tourists. In my opinion, you would be bored out of your mind if you stayed there for three weeks. It is close to Addo, a national park known for its elephants, but that's about it, unless you drive a few hours down the coast in the cape town direction.

As for flights, you will have to fly to either Jo'burg or Cape Town and get a connecting flight from there. The 10th is the day before the World Cup starts though - I don't fancy your chances of finding cheap flights. It might be better going back as it's mid-WC so you might be ahead of the rush. Do note it will be the height of winter as well.

leon76

Thanks for that info. I understand the we're going at the wrong time for the weather but we're big football fans so getting to see some matches would make up for that. Surely port Elizabeth will be a exciting place with it hosting World cup matches. But your points have been taken on board. may look at 7 days somewhere else in the Country. thanks.

finbarrk

I'm going for a few matches, Cape Town mostly but I'll be in Port Elizabeth for the Portugal v Ivory Coast match on the 15th.
I can meet u for a beer if you want. I also have a few spare tickets for the Cape Town games.

leon76

Thats great. I'II be looking at best options regarding flights and I'II get back to you once I book. Must check the group games in Cape Town. regards.

finbarrk

I don't have the England game or the last 16 one. I have the other 4 group games and the Q.Final.

TravelJunkie

By Irish standards the weather will be great. It is also quite dry in the winter.

I was in Johannesburg in June and it was 26 degrees and in Cape Town (which should be similar to Port Elizabeth) it was 18 - 20 degrees.

Port Elizabeth is not nice, and I wouldn't stay there.

However, you're a stone's throw from St. Francis Bay (40 minute drive) and Plettenberg Bay (1 hour or so) which are some of the most picturesque coastal towns. And the wilderness area (1.5 hours) and stormsriver (the highest river bunjie jump in the world) is beautiful, too.

Enjoy

finbarrk

I'm getting worried about Port Elizabeth now! Whats not nice about it? Crime?

TravelJunkie

Port Elizabeth is very much a sprawled out industrial town, very concrete. Where there is industry, there are densely populated areas and crime would be a problem (but not any different or worse than other SA cities).

The other towns, plettenberg bay, jeffries, st. francis, knysna etc in the eastern cape are geared for tourists and are quaint, friendly, more attractive and safer (but caution is to be exercised everywhere).

That whole area has a lovely coastline however. If it's a beach house your friend has, it could be lovely but houses are more unsafe than complexes and apartments.

map of PE on wiki and general history

finbarrk

Whats the nightlife like there?

shanagarry

No need to worry about PE finbarr - it's safe with the usual precautions. It's just, as mentioned above, not an attractive city and doesn't offer much for tourists. As for nightlife - it would generally be fairly quiet but there should be a buzz around if you are there for the WC matches.

Just a comment on weather - you can't compare Jo'burg weather with PE, they have different climates. Joburg is in a summer rainfall area, but PE has a temperate mediterranean type climate. So at WC time, prepare for anything - you get nice winter days that can get to 20, but you also get massive storms of high winds and torrential rain. The normal is usually in the middle. About 16 degrees and showers.

sarkozy

Why not just fly to Durban and drive to Mozambique? Much more interesting. PE and all down there is total cracker country. Boring for more than a weekend.

Honestly, and maybe it's because I live here, but come to Lesotho. So much more interesting and fun. Spectacular mountains, and it's not far from Bloemfontein (admittedly there's not great matches on there, but still). You can drive from PE to Maseru in about 9 hours. Then you can head to the stunning Drakensberg mountains on your way to Durban. Or take off west to the (cold) Atlantic.

I have some friends here who are organising tours to Lesotho to capture the World Cup market (Lesotho2010). Check it out.

It's great being based here. You can just about go anywhere. I'm off to Mozambique next week, Tanzania the next. I'll probably take a road trip to Zimbabwe and later over to Botswana and Namibia.

TravelJunkie

You're asking a tourist to drive to Bloemfontein from Lesotho?

Are you mad?

sarkozy

The roads are fine!

shanagarry

TravelJunkie wrote: »

You're asking a tourist to drive to Bloemfontein from Lesotho?

Are you mad?

Why would you think that is mad?????

I was in Lesotho a few months ago Sarkozy and it was fab - stunning scenery and lovely people.

TravelJunkie, your advice on SA seems to be excessively cautious IMO (as an Irish person living in SA).

TravelJunkie

You get held up at gunpoint and see how cautious you would be

sarkozy

Yeah, rules of thumb being don't drive in Lesotho at night. In South Africa, certainly in the quieter areas (Free State, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal), it's fine. Of course, in Jo'burg, Capetown and Pretoria, Durban too, you'd be careful - always a little cautious. But even on the piss in Bloemfontein, you can walk the central streets at night when it's busy. You don't go to dodgy clubs, and I can see how things can be intimidating for someone new to the place. I was overly-cautious in Lesotho, but really, it's fine. I'm going to Mozambique next week and I'm not remotely worried.

finbarrk

Would a lad want to bring a rain coat during the W.C. do ye think?

shanagarry

TravelJunkie wrote: »

You get held up at gunpoint and see how cautious you would be

I'm sorry you had an experience like that, but something like that happening to a tourist is an incredibly rare experience.

While crime certainly exists and visitors do need to be vigilant, it would be a shame if they missed out on properly exploring a wonderful country due to safety concerns.

shanagarry

finbarrk wrote: »

Would a lad want to bring a rain coat during the W.C. do ye think?

Don't even think of coming without one!

June is probably one of the most unpredictable months weatherwise in the Western Cape. If we're unlucky, there could be a storm with high winds and torrential rain (it happened during one of the Lions games last year). Even if we escape that, there will definitely be plenty of rain, interspersed with some pleasant days as well, but you will definitely need a decent jacket for evening games.

finbarrk

OK, thanks shanagarry. Are you going to any games yourself?

shanagarry

I'm going to all the first round games in cape town at the moment. I'd love to go to the later games too, but I haven't managed to get tickets yet. Have some spares, as do my friends, so I'm sure there will be a bit of bartering going on. I won't bother trying to travel anywhere else - too much expense and hassle.

Feel free to PM me if you have other cape town questions.

finbarrk

OK, might meet you for a beer. I'm at the first 2 C.T. games. Arriving on the Thurs.

shanagarry

No bother, PM closer to the time and we can arrange something.