Buffalo City: SA's rarest tourist bouquet | IOL News

The end of year holiday season is finally upon us. Two weeks from now, traffic volumes on the roads, railway lines and the air space will increase exponentially with teeming multitudes headed for different destinations for much deserved rest, play, reflection and reconnection with long-seen friends and loved ones.

Far from the expected oaths of a patriotic national, our country, South Africa, is endowed with unique natural and human-made spaces for any of these pursuits.

Consider our agreeable weather during this period – for the most part sunny with occasional rain in some parts of the country – our diverse flora and fauna, the roaring seas, majestic mountains, hills and plains, and the many historical sites that bear witness to the titanic struggle that was the midwife of our freedom.

Very few countries on earth boast such congenial mix and diversity; more so during the summer season. Which is not, of course, to suggest any notion of South African exceptionalism.

Fewer places exemplify the country’s diverse scenic beauty, rich history and under-explored tourist offering and potential than the 2 536 km 2 area of the Buffalo City Metropolitan City which lies on the east coast of the Eastern Cape Province. Little explored by fellow nationals and citizens from the rest of the world, Buffalo City is arguably one of South Africa’s rarest tourist bouquets.