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Car Rental Services offers you low cost car hire in East London, Umtata and Port Elizabeth with car rental branches conveniently located all over the Eastern Cape. Our car hire rates are inclusive of all insurances and taxes and may also include unlimited mileage and a zero excess. We rent cars from East London, Umtata and Port Elizabeth's top car rental companies, offering you a wide choice of vehicles ranging from economy to luxury rent a cars. Car Rental Services will find you the best deal for car rental in the Eastern Cape.
Contact us to start the easy reservation process to book car hire in the Eastern Cape. Low cost and best value car hire in East London, Port Elizabeth car rental and Umtata is what we would like to offer you. We can arrange car hire with Europcar car hire, National rent-a-car, Avis, Alamo car hire, Hertz car rental, Budget car hire and other well known car rental companies!
Click below to start the easy reservation process to book your car rental in East London, Port Elizabeth and Umtata
Satellite Navigation and Smart Tour Guide
Satellite navigation includes our unique Smart Guide, a must for all Eastern Cape self drive travelers. Enjoy a guided tour including useful information about South African history, fauna and flora, food, local entertainment, what’s hip, hot and happening in the vicinity as you drive past. A daily service fee applies.
East London Car Rental - Eastern Cape Location Information
EAST LONDON AIRPORT - Car Hire
East London Airport, East London
Station Code: ELA
Tel: 043 736 2230
Fax: 086 680 7802
Emergency: 082 305 0017
Mon - Fri: 06:30 - 20:30
Saturdays : 08:00 - 18:30
Sundays : 08:00 - 20:30
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
PORT ELIZABETH AIRPORT - Car Rental
Port Elizabeth Airport, Port Elizabeth
Station Code: PEA
Tel: 041 581 1268
Fax: 086 673 6177
Emergency: 082 305 0003
Mon - Fri: 05:30 - 20:30
Sat: 07:00 - 20:00
Sun: 07:00 - 20:30
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
UMTATA AIRPORT - Car Hire
Umtata Airport, Umtata, Eastern Cape
Station Code: UMTA
Tel: 047 536 0632
Fax: 047 536 0260
Mon - Fri: 07:30 - 17:30
Sat - Sun: Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
GRAAFF REINET - Car Rental
28 Stockenstrom Street, Murraysburg Road, Graaff Reinet
Station Code: GRAF
Tel: 084 510 0430
Fax: 049 892 2945
Mon - Fri: 08:00 - 17:00
Sat: 08:00 - 13:00
Sun & Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
GRAHAMSTOWN - Car Hire
Rhodes University, Prince Alfred Street, Grahamstown
Station Code: GRA
Tel: 046 622 6021
Fax: 046 622 6022
Mon - Fri: 08:00 - 17:00
Sat & Sun: Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
JEFFREYS BAY - Car Hire
Shop 6 Magna Tubes Trio, Da Gama Road, Jeffrey Bay, Eastern Cape
Station Code: JEFF
Tel: 083 533 9407
Fax: 042 296 0781
Mon - Fri: 08:00 - 17:00
Sat & Sun: Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
ST FRANCIS BAY
131 Lynne Road North, St Francis Bay, Eastern Cape
Sation Code: FBAY
Tel: 042 294 1327
Fax: 042 294 1327
Mon - Fri: 08:00 - 17:00
Sat - Sun: Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
EASTERN CAPE INFORMATION
St Francis Bay
The Bay. The Port. The Cape. St Francis Bay is unique in South Africa. The visual delight of the charming thatched architecture, the picturesque serenity of the seven kilometre residential marina, known as “the Canals”, (an extensive canal system is linked to the Kromme River estuary), the outstanding beauty of the navigable Kromme River and estuary contribute towards the magnificent upmarket village. Here one can experience the pleasures of living right at the water’s edge, including the thrill of fishing from the front lawn!
Port St Francis is an exclusive residential harbour resort village situated in St Francis Bay - the Gateway to the Garden Route. Accompanying the magnificent views, position and spectacular Mediterranean architecture is a lifestyle to match. Port St Francis is exclusive and luxurious, but at the same time it is vibrant and exiting. Port St Francis is the only national privately owned harbour of its kind, where chokka fleets berth on one side of the harbour while sleek catamarans gleam white and reflect on blue waters on the other side. One can spend many leisurely hours on the gentle sloping beach which stretches for kilometres all along the curve of the land to the estuary. Work on a perfect tan, watch the hobie-cats racing the bay, or take a stroll, searching for special shells for which the area is renowned, or if you want to be active, enjoy an exhilarating gallop through the surf in the early morning.
Cape St Francis with its historic lighthouse, is a tranquil eco-destination. The pristine beach, the mild temperature and the longest sunshine hours on the South African Coast ensure a relaxed all year round destination. The Cape Coastal Floral Kingdom, known as “Fynbos”
proliferate in our four nature reserves. A quiet stroll provides exciting glimpses of a grysbok, Cape clawless otter, mongoose, duiker and a wealth of indigenous plants, many of them endemic to this area. Watching the whales wallow in the waves is a touching experience.
The Bay of Cape St Francis is the breeding area for the bronze whaler sharks and Seal Point abounds with Cape fur seals. Bottlenose dolphins patrol the wide beach between these two points. Action or leisure, the choices are varied, exciting and endless. Explore the canals by boat, venture on to the Kromme River, experience the 18 hole links- style golf course, bowls, tennis, squash, surf the “Endless Summer”, charter a fishing vessel, or do it from the rocks.
This area is the ideal base camp enabling you to visit the Kouga Cultural Centre, the nearby Addo Elephant Park, Shamwari Game Reserve, Tsitsikamma Canopy Tours or experience Bloukrans Bungy Jumping. Experience it, it’s charm and you will want to return again and again!
Jeffreys Bay
Jeffreys Bay is one of the five most famous surfing destinations in the world and hosts the annual Billabong Pro WCT surfing event at Supertubes during July. Spectators and surfers from all over the world flock to this event, which can be viewed live over the internet and various television channels. Boneyards, SuperTubes, Impossibles, Tubes, Point, and Kitchen Windows are all famous surf spots located in Jeffreys.
Jeffreys has people from all over the world, as it is also the home of one of the largest YWAM (Youth With A Mission) bases in South Africa. At any given time, there are representatives from at least 20 different countries. Jeffreys is a popular tourist destination because of the surfing and the blue flag beach.
Jeffreys has grown from a sleepy little fishing town over the past few years and is one of the fastest expanding town / city in the country. It is also the home of the annual Billabong Pro surfing competition. This International event attracts professional surfers from all over the world, and many tourists as well. It is broadcasted over the internet and digital satellite serives providing publicity for the sponsors and competitors.
Grahamstown
Grahamstown is known as Africa’s Festival Capital Africa’s Festival Capital - six national events are celebrated here each year. It is also fondly known as the City of Saints, with more than 40 places of worship. It is the centre of Frontier Country, where Khoi, Xhosa, Boer and British people met and left their mark.
Grahamstown lies in a temperate valley between the Eastern Cape’s coastal plain and its hinterland. Its position 60km from the coast and 535m above sea level endows it with a mild climate that is nevertheless famous for its changeability - Grahamstonians boast that you can experience all four seasons in a single day.
Grahamstown’s pride is its cultural and educational heritage, evident in the care taken in the preservation and enhancement of its valuable historical buildings. The broad, tree-lined streets and imposing public buildings are the legacy of a time when Grahamstown was the Cape’s second most important city. Monuments and places of worship, the world-renowned Rhodes University and several excellent schools all testify to the variety of cultures that co-exist here.
Of all its festivals, the largest and most famous is the National Arts Festival. Held in July every year, it celebrates the best in South African and imported talent and regularly attracts more than 30 000 festinos who come to enjoy more than 500 shows - everything from opera to jazz and comedy to drama - as well as a huge diversity of other creative disciplines.
Grahamstown offers a wide range of accommodation, conference and performance venues. Being both a university town and a tourist destination, at the heart of the Eastern Cape’s big game country, it is also a great place for entertainment and adventure. Above all, it is a hospitable and friendly place, a small city with a big heart.
Graaff-Reinet
Deep within space and time lie spaces filled with mysticism, magic and rhymes, as eagles soar and Bushman whisper, together with the wind we walk’ The area where Graaff-Reinet was established in 1786 was ideally suited for the settlement by the Trekboers. Nestled in the horseshoe bend of the Sundays River and protected by the Sneeuberg Mountains, it is the 4th oldest town in the country and steeped with history both indigenous and settler. It is possibly South Africa’s equivalent to the historic town of Williamsburg.
Graaff-Reinet is a fascinating town: it boasts 250 buildings that are National Monuments. Here you will find buildings which are considered the pinnacle of the Cape Dutch style of architecture and numerous museums with collections of photographic memorabilia, fireworks and fossils that trace the story of the Karoo and of the town from prehistory up to the present day.
The Hester Rupert Art Gallery is considered to house one of the most representative art collections. At the Old Library you will find photographs chronicling the life of Robert Sobukwe the Freedom Fighter who founded the Pan African Congress. He was a key figure in the struggle for democracy and is buried here.
Graaff-Reinet is unique in that it is surrounded by the Karoo Nature Reserve where game and birds abound. There are choices of hiking trails (from an hour to two days) or horse trails which take you to places that no vehicle will ever go. This 14 500 hectare reserve incorporates a 1 000 hectare dam. The reserve also offers superb birding and game viewing. Here kudu, springbuck, monkey and buffalo alike thrive on the everlasting plains.
Perhaps the biggest attraction is the extraordinary geology of the mountains that creates the famous joint dolerite pillars of the Valley of Desolation. Don’t miss the scenic drive to the summit of the mountain, from where you can truly experience the vastness of the Karoo. It is a spectacular setting from which to watch the sun rise and set.
Take a guided tour through Umazizakhe Township, have a meal in a really special traditional restaurant and on a Sunday you might like to join a church service. Be introduced to Bushman rock art while learning about the Khoi-San culture.
Remember to bring your golf clubs and play a game on our unique 9 hole golf course or join the local bowls club for a game or two. After a day of wandering and exploring, enjoy a meal at one of the quaint restaurants in Graaf Reinet. For lovers of the outdoors and families there are a number of farms for fun-filled holidays.
Wherever you stay in Graaff-Reinet, you will always remember with pleasure the good times spent here with us. Graaff-Reinet now has an airport with a tarred runway for visitors wanting to reach us by air.
Camdeboo Conservancy - Off the N9 between Graaff-Reinet and Aberdeen lies the “green valley”. We bathe in the shadow of towering mountains, hear the sound of water flowing everywhere, and are blessed with forests of trees and uncountable smaller plants. Come and join in all the various eco-friendly activities we offer or experience the peace and tranquillity which comes naturally as you enter the Conservancy. Whether you partake in the day to day farming activities or delight in a horse ride, you are guaranteed to experience the restoration of your soul.
Umtata
Umtata was capital of the Transkei homeland, which was given independence in 1976. In 1994 the territory, which is not economically viable on its own, again became part of South Africa.
Umtata and the territory of the former homeland are mainly occupied by Xhosa, a people made up of a number of different tribal communities which have preserved their various traditions and ... More dialects.
Umtata lies in a hilly region, surrounded by grassland. The land is mostly used for grazing livestock; arable farming is possible only in a small part of the area.
Before contemplating a trip into the former Transkei - which is well worth it for the sake of the glorious coastal scenery - you should inquire locally about possible dangers for tourists. In recent years there have been some acts of violence.
The earliest inhabitants of this region were Bushmen and Hottentots, who were driven out by the Xhosa who moved into the area in the 17th C. In the late 18th and the 19th centuries the interests of the Boers, the British and the Xhosa came into conflict, and after the bloody Kaffir Wars, in 1879, the territory was incorporated in the Cape Colony. The Transkei was granted internal self-government in 1963.
Umtata, on the Umtata River, was founded in 1879. It has a number of imposing public buildings, including the Bunga (Parliament Building) and the Town Hall (1907). There is also a fine Anglican cathedral. The University, originally founded in 1976 as a branch of Fort Hare University now has 4000 students.
Close to the town are two charming nature reserves, the Luchaba Nature Reserve (460 ha/1136 acres), 5km/3mi north, and the Nduli Nature Reserve, 3km/2mi south.
There are also a number of interesting craft centers in Umtata, including the Hilmond weaving-mill (using mohair wool) and the Izandla pottery, to which a craft school is attached. Both of these are on the Queenstown road (R 61).
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Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape: freeway at night.
Photo by Ivor Markman. Copyright South African Tourism
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