East London Airport
East London Airport is situated 5km from the city centre. It is a domestic airport, and serves to link the city with South Africa's major centres: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.
According to the Airports Company of South Africa, the East London airport sees between 20 and 30 flights a day, bringing 346 000 people to East London each year.
Although the airport can accommodate A300 aircraft, only A320s are currently used by the two domestic airlines operating from the airport:
South African Airways and
SA Express. Cargo flights are predominantly bound for domestic destinations, with a small percentage bound for other countries such as France and Holland. Items such as pineapples are freighted.
There is a coffee shop, a restaurant and a bookshop at the airport.
There is no bus service to town, but major car hire companies have rental kiosks at the airport, and taxis are also available.
Visit the ACSA site
Visit the SAA site
Visit the SA Express site.
Contact details
Airports Company Limited Information Centre
In the Arrivals Hall at the airport. Open from 6.30am to 9.30pm
Telephone: (043) 706-0306
CLIMATE
Buffalo City enjoys a moderate climate, with few extremes in temperature. Winters are usually mild, although snow sometimes falls on the mountain ranges of the Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. During brief cold spells, snow occasionally falls in the lower-lying areas.
Visit the South African Weather Bureau site
Port of East London
East London is South Africa's only river port. It was originally established as a supply port to serve the military headquarters at King William's Town. The sheltered harbour at the mouth of the Buffalo River can be best seen from the double-decker Steve Biko bridge, which made history with its construction. Tours of the sheltered harbour at the mouth of the Buffalo River can be arranged through National Ports Authority.
Contact details
West Bank
Telephone: Portnet (043) 700-2319
Accommodation
Eastern Cape hospitality is legendary and visitors to Buffalo City will be welcomed warmly wherever they go. Visitors and tourists can choose from a wide variety of places to stay: from luxury hotel accommodation and luxury tented chalets to self-catering units, holiday apartments and cottages to guest houses and B&B establishments. There are also well situated caravan parks and camping spots.
According to Tourism Buffalo City, the Eastern Cape is the second most popular backpacker destination in South Africa. Buffalo City has four hostels that form part of a national network of budget accommodation facilities.
The Tourism Buffalo City site offers a comprehensive list of contacts and options for visitors. Click on the links below for the following services:
Restaurants
There are a wide variety of restaurants to choose from. Visit the Eat Out site for a list of restaurants in the Eastern Cape and East London.
Click here for a useful introduction to South African restaurant guides on the web
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