Venues Guide - East London

Buffalo Park

MATCH PLAYED HERE 9 February 5th ODI

Great news for cricket fans is that Buffalo Park is little more than 1km from Eastern Beach, so a quick swim or surf is definitely on the agenda either before or after play.

Close to the city is the huge township of Mdantsane, which houses more than half the 750,000 residents of East London.

Established in 1962 to house the black population, it is now the second largest township in South Africa after Soweto, and tours are available if you wish to gain a real insight into modern day South Africa.

If you're in town over the weekend, ask locally about an East London, or EL as it's known to the locals, institution.

The "bakkie-top" bars, which are vans or light trucks loaded with booze and music, roll up at a local car park every Saturday night and you can groove until the small hours with the local black population.

Remember though, stopping all night isn't for the faint-hearted.

As well as Eastern Beach, there are also plenty of other beaches both in town and within the vicinity to suit everyone.

Orient Beach is also on The Esplanade whilst the surf at Nahoon Beach draws in the surfies.

Although some visitors feel slightly uneasy about walking the streets of EL, the usual safety mantra rings true.

Don't wander around alone at night and make sure you ask locally for the places best avoided at all times.