Baakens Valley looking west

This is the view from just above the Settlers Park car park looking west up the Baakens Valley. The Baakens River has its origens just west of Port Elizabeth in the foothills of Lady Slipper mountain before flowing through the lenght of the city, entering the sea at the Port Elizabeth harbour. Most of the … Continue reading Baakens Valley looking west →

Flower children

The Rugrats sitting in a field of wild flowers in Settlers Park

Settlers Park scenes

These are some of the scenes we encountered in Settlers Park on Sunday. It is hard to believe that this is in the heart of Port Elizabeth only a stone's throw away from the suburbs.

Settlers Park wild flowers

We spent most of Sunday in various parts of Settlers Park enjoying this magnificent natural area right here in the heart of Port Elizabeth. Over the next couple of posts I will show off some of the picture I took in the park.Yesterday I found out that there is a local photographic competition with wild … Continue reading Settlers Park wild flowers →

Settlers Park

The 54-hectare tranquil Settler’s Park, which lies along the banks of the Baakens River, is located in the heart of the city. In many ways its the city's green lung. The park has three entrances and may be accessed via How Avenue, just off Park Drive; Chelmsford Avenue, just off Target Kloof or from Third … Continue reading Settlers Park →

Happy Valley stream

The little stream running through Happy Valley is actually Shark River. In the early days of Port Elizabeth Shark River used to be the town's main water supply. Shark River isn't really much of a river anymore and the water gets pumped from the bottom pool back to the top of Happy Vally which means … Continue reading Happy Valley stream →

Happy Valley characters

Happy Valley is quite a popular spot with families with small children on a calm summers evening. The attraction of Happy Valley is the colourful lights and characters from fairy tales, rhymes and popular kids movies. In this pic you can see all the characters from Winnie the Pooh as well as The Three Blind … Continue reading Happy Valley characters →

Wild Fig Tree in St Georges Park

There are several huge wild fig trees in and around St Georges Park. Most of these trees are over a hundred years old and have become landmarks in the area. This one stands close to the Pearson Conservatory. Another prominent one stands on the corner of How Avenue and Park Drive next to the St … Continue reading Wild Fig Tree in St Georges Park →

Donkin Lighthouse view

The view towards the Edward Hotel (left) and Grey Institute (right) from the top of the Donkin Lighthouse.

Pin Cushion Protea

This 450 hectare Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve lies 40 km west of Port Elizabeth on the N2 to Cape Town. It is the best place near PE to see lowland fynbos with flowering Proteas and associated fynbos endemics. I used to stop there quite often in my tourist guiding days and there is always some … Continue reading Pin Cushion Protea →