Grahamstown is strategically situated in a temperate valley between the coastal plain and the hinterland of the Eastern Cape South Africa, and is therefore readily accessible by road and air. Although the region is one of summer rainfall, Grahamstown is popular for its extreme and drastically changing weather circumstances, with locals claiming one can experience all four seasons in one day.

Grahamstown has over 40 churches and because of that the town got nicknamed city of the saints. The town also has quite a large number of schools and is the host city of the Rhodes University. This is why Grahamstown is so rich in cultural diversity. The towns’ rich history of conflict between the British, Khoisan, Xhosa and the Boer, brought it a very rich and diversified cultural heritage.

Grahamstown Car Rental include

• Free mileage per day according to package booked (either 100km free per day OR 200 km free per day or unlimited mileage)
• Collision damage waiver liability. This covers you for damage to your hired vehicle in the event of an accident.
• Theft waiver
• Airport surcharges
• Bail bonds (where needed)
• All local taxes

Car Hire Pick Up And Drop Off Points

• Grahamstown Downtown

 

Places to see in Grahamstown

The Grahamstown/Standard Bank National Arts Festival

Organized by the Grahamstown Foundation, Africa’s largest and most colorful cultural event offers a choice of the very best of both imported and indigenous talent. Every year for 8 days in July, the towns’ population almost doubles as over 50 000 people flock to the city for a feast of arts, crafts and sheer entertainment. Every hall or large room becomes a theater, parks and sport fields become flee markets, normally quiet streets have to be manage by a army of temporary traffic wardens and every available bed in the city is booked. The festival offers more than over 500 shows from opera, cabaret, drama and jazz to stand-up comics and folk music.

The Oldenbergia Hiking Trail

The Oldenbergia Hiking Trail is a two-day circular trail starting and ending at the Grahamstown Municipal Caravan Park. Day one is 19 kilometer and starts at the Caravan Park and ends at the Thomas Baines Nature Reserve, where there is a overnight hut. Day two is 17 kilometer and returns the hiker to the Caravan Park.

Settler’s Monument

A short distance from the landmark Fort Selwyn is the Settler’s Monument, a modern cultural centre opened in 1974 which includes an art gallery, a number of conference rooms and a theater. One of the Monuments’ aims is to depict the circumstances in which the settler’s had to live. It also serves as the main venue of the National Arts Festival.

Observatory Museum

Opposite the City Hall, Bathurst Street runs south from the High Street and at the near end, on the left, is the Observatory Museum, in a house once occupied by a watch maker and gold smith, Henry Carter Galpin who was also interested in astronomy. In 1882 he constructed a camera obscura, still the only one in South Africa. In clear weather, with the help of a mirror on the roof, this shows an image of the whole town and its immediate surroundings. The museum itself has a Victorian-style interior and displays old furniture and furnishings plus a collection of old telescopes.

Grahamstowns’ amazingly rich historical heritage bounds its visitors to explore until they have fully satisfied their seemingly endless curiosity.

More Attractions

Kowie Nature Reserve
Provost Prison