South African Airways

The main exhibit in this museum is the coelacanth, an ugly prehistoric ?sh that lived in the Indian Ocean about 400 million years ago. It was believed to be extinct until 1938, when a live specimen was caught in one of East London’s harbours – an important zoological discovery. You can see the beasty in this museum. There’s also an interesting section devoted to shipwrecks and a coffee shop.

The lavish City Hall demonstrates how important this port city once was. It was built in 1897 in an iconic Victorian style and funded from the profits from wool exports. The grand staircase was constructed from marble imported from Italy and the Victoria Tower was added to commemorate Queen Victoria’s 60 years on the throne.

The oldest public aquarium in SA, it opened its doors in 1931. It has daily seal shows and penguin feeding and there is a wealth of marine life to be viewed, including the unusual Cape pygmy clawed lobster. There is also a whale viewing deck – the most likely time to spot these magnificent creatures is from August to November. The aquarium plays an active role in conserving the coastline and local estuaries.

This Big Five game reserve is a short drive from East London and has a range of accommodation. You can take game drives, enjoy a mountain bike or quad bike ride, a hike or canoeing, all with a guide for safety. Its elephant experience involves an hour-long walk alongside these stately animals.

This late Victorian and early Edwardian mansion has a good collection of South African paintings from artists including JH Pierneef and Cecil Skotnes, as well as contemporary local work. There’s a small coffee shop in the coach house.

This resort is a treasure trove of outdoor adventure and family fun, with river cruises, ziplines, quad bikes, game drives, abseiling, canoeing, sea kayaks, paintball and archery all on offer. They can also take you deep-sea fishing or on a microlight flight. The resort is out on East Coast Resorts Road on the banks of the Kwelera tidal river.

The Lion Park is a great opportunity to see these fearsome predators at close range and is only a few minutes’ drive out of town. It has rare white lions, leopards, cheetahs, crocodiles, giraffes, zebra and small antelope. There’s also a “touch farm” and a playground for the kids.

The Velvet Jazz Lounge at Latimer’s Landing is a chilled bar with live music and Smokey Swallows in Devereux Ave is another favourite haunt of local jazz aficionados, as one of the trendiest lounge bar-bistros in town.

An almost endless parade of sunny days makes the beaches a year-round destination and it’s easy to find a peaceful spot. The white-sand beaches are unpolluted and the Indian Ocean waters are warm, even in winter. It’s good for year-round watersports, too.

East London Golf Course offers such glorious views of the Indian Ocean that you may find it difficult to concentrate on your swing. If the view doesn’t distract you, the impala on the fairways just might.