East London, affectionately called “Buffalo City" is the only river port in South Africa, between the Nahoon and Buffalo rivers. It lies at the northern end of the 300 km Sunshine Coast that begins at St Francis Bay. The Sunshine Coast boasts the longest hours of sunshine on South Africa’s coastline and its unspoilt beaches are among the country’s best. Three popular beaches have made East London a surfing mecca and haven for water sports including swimming, scuba diving, fishing, boating, yachting, and windsurfing. Nahoon Beach is the most popular, offering arguably the best swimming and surfing in the country; Eastern Beach is the most central with convenient changing rooms, takeaways, and great surfing waves; while Orient Beach is close to the main shops and hotels, and has a super tube and children's pool. Sport is very popular and East London has some wonderful facilities. Enjoy watching cricket at Buffalo Park Stadium or catch a game of rugby or soccer at the Buffalo City Stadium. Golf is another favoured pastime; with popular courses including West Bank Golf Club, Alexander Golf Club, Gonubie Golf Club, Fish River Sun (a Gary Player design), and the East London Golf Club. The Buffalo Road Running Club of East London hosts the Old Mutual Buffalo 42,2 km marathon held in February/March each year, as well as the Washie, South Africa's oldest 160 km extreme ultra-marathon. The world-famous Ironman 70.3 South African event takes place annually in January, beginning and ending at Orient Beach. Other activities include motocross, martial arts, boxing, mountain biking, skydiving, athletics, and horse riding.
