Hamburg is a small town with about 1000 inhabitants in the Eastern Cape province, in South Africa. It is located on the coast between the city of East London and the town of Port Alfred.
Where Is Hamburg In South Africa
Hamburg is located in the region of the Eastern Cape. Eastern Cape’s capital Bhisho (Bhisho) is approximately 49 km / 31 mi away from Hamburg (as the crow flies).
The distance from Hamburg to South Africa’s capital Pretoria (Pretoria) is approximately 840 km / 522 mi (as the crow flies).
Just south of the mouth of the Kieskamma River, the (very) small town of Hamburg lies on the coast between the popular coastal city of East London and the as popular beach resort town of Port Alfred.
As such, Hamburg is often overlooked and passed by without a backward glance, or an understanding of the little town’s merits as a place in which to get away from it all. Think of it as one of those very few ‘undiscovered’ coastal gems.
And yes, the name Hamburg is a direct connection to its German counterpart as it was named by a group of British-hired German legionnaires turned farmer who wanted to establish a port at the mouth of the river, which then went a little pear-shaped when the harbor kept silting up.
The legionnaires, apparently, quickly returned to their former roles as soldiers, finding farming a little difficult perhaps, but the second wave of German settlers could farm and soon established the coastal town as a great spot for would-be fishermen.
Then Hamburg was incorporated into Ciskei by the apartheid government and for a while, it was ignored by holidaymakers. The beach though is so pretty (although ‘pretty’ is an understatement – it is rather rugged, vast, and mostly unfrequented) that it was only time before it resumed its position as a popular beachside resort post-1994.
Whilst fishing is the major draw card to the area (it is known as the land of the monster kob) and you won’t hit the beach without sighting at least a couple of lines out, there are also great heritage hiking trails, the chance to canoe, windsurf and bird watching.
In short, if you’re looking for a beach holiday away from the madding crowds, this is it.