East London & Surrounds Attractions

The foundation stone of the City Hall in East London was laid in 1897. The clock tower commemorates the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria. The East London City Hall features a beautiful marble staircase.

Situated on the South East coast of South Africa is the city of East London, the East London Aquarium was officially opened on the 2. December 1931, which makes it the oldest public aquarium in South Africa. This is not a big aquarium, but some unique displays make it a must to see. The East London Aquarium plays an active role in conserving the coastline and the estuaries in the East London area.

The magnificent East London Coast Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province which is managed by Eastern Cape Parks. The East London Coast Nature Reserve consists of several other parks measuring a total area of 3.424 ha.

At the north end of Oxford Street in East London is the East London Museum which was established in 1931.  This interesting natural history museum in South Africa features several  unusual exhibits. The star attraction of the museum is the coelacanth, a fish with limb-like fins which until it was caught in the Chalumna River, near East London, in 1938 was believed to have become extinct more than 50 million years ago.  There are now known to be between 200 and 300 of these "prehistoric" fish in the waters off the Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean.  The specimen caught here had presumably been carried south by the current. The museum also has numerous specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, as well as a dodo's egg. There is an anthropological section with material on the culture of the Xhosa.

Fort Glamorgan was built in 1848/49 at the same time when the harbour in East London was officially founded, to provide a base for troops and to include a large commissariat store. Today, visitors can see a brick vaulted building that was once the powder house. Access to the Powder House is through the main prison gates. The Powder House is now a national monument.

Fort Glamorgan in East London, South Africa, was built at the mouth of the Buffalo River in 1848.  It was used to guard the start of the supply line to King Williams Town. It was named after Lord Charles Somerset's father, the Earl of Glamorgan.  The original fort consisted of a loop-holed stone wall which surrounded barrack accommodation for soldiers and officers, forage stores and stabling, a hospital and cookhouses.

The East London Zoological Gardens or Queens Park Zoo is situated on the edge of 45 hectares of coastal forest. It encompasses roughly 10 hectares of land and the natural vegetation of the region permeates the zoo. The most common and outstanding plant found here are perhaps the numerous endangered cycads which are kept under careful management to ensure their survival. The park features a variety of animal life including 47 species of mammal, 38 species of bird and 7 species of reptile. These include most of the big cats, chimpanzees, nyala, suricates, marmosets, bushbuck, blue duiker, leopard tortoises, koi fish and a variety of snakes. One of the Queens Park Zoo’s most outstanding features is their collection of rare white lions.

East London's Queen's Park Zoo is the only zoo in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The Queens Park Zoo & Gardens in East London is home to a variety of animals to keep both big and small children occupied for hours. Whether children prefer reptiles, fish, birds or mammals, they’ll find something they like at the Queens Park Zoo.

The Steve Biko Garden on Remembrance was created in honor of a man that died for his freedom and became one of South Africa’s most celebrated political martyrs. The Steve Biko Garden of Remembrance in East London also stands as a lasting monument to all his comrades who lost their lives during the political struggles in South Africa.