Battlefield tours, conducted tours, historical tours in South Africa's Eastern Cape

Half Day Port Elizabeth Tour Full Day Addo Elephant Tour Addo/Schotia Combination Day Tour Knysna  Kragga Kamma Game Park One Day Battlefields Tour  SA History Colonial Expansion Eastern Cape Battle Fields Anglo Boer War 2 Day Little Karoo Tour

One Day Eastern Cape Battlefield Tours An early morning start from Port Elizabeth takes us to Grahamstown 140 km away. One can imagine the somewhat bewilderment of the 1820 Settlers, torn from the green fields of the British Isles, as they find themselves in a wild and foreign land, to what was to become their new homes. After a briefing on Signal Hill, we visit Fort Selwyn, built in 1835 to protect the Western approach to Grahamstown. Nearby is the 1820 Settlers Monument, a functional tribute to those early pioneers and the hub of the annual National Arts Festival. We take in a short tour of the Settler city with its typical 19th century architecture, ranging from beautiful churches and cathedrals to quaint Settler cottages. Renowned for its educational institutions, Grahamstown is also a regional commercial centre, catering for business and the local farming community. After refreshments we relive the Battle of Grahamstown where, in April 1819, 10 000 Xhosa warriors attacked the village. The small garrison of some 330 British troops and civilians succeeded in repulsing this onslaught and the Xhosa, led by Makana, retired, leaving some 2 000 dead on the battlefield. We now head South toward Bathurst passing through typical Settler country where well established farms hacked from virgin bush in the early 19th century still occupied by the descendants of those early pioneers. Bathurst is a typical Settler village, little changed since it was founded in 1820. We visit various places of interest including the little St. Johns Anglican church where families took refuge against attacks by Xhosa warriors in three frontier wars. We lunch at the "Pig 'n Whistle", a rustic English style pub established in 1832 and known then as the "Widow Hartley's Inn". It was dubbed the "Pig 'n Whistle" by British and Allied airmen who underwent training at the nearby air force base during WW II. After lunch we head back to Port Elizabeth. En route we pass through the popular resort town of Port Alfred, playground of the wealthy … Along the Sunshine Coast with its pristine beaches and where, in season, the Southern Right Whales come to calve and where dolphins are a common sight. We arrive back in Port Elizabeth after a memorable battlefield tour through frontier country.   Customised day and overnight battlefield tours in the Eastern Cape are available on request. Top

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Battlefield tours, conducted tours, historical tours in South Africa's Eastern Cape