Nelson Mandela Bay offers excellent and varied sporting facilities and the city hosts numerous exciting sports events all year round. The many different sport clubs cater for a variety of all-year or seasonal sport activities such as: squash, volleyball, badminton, tennis, roller hockey, cricket, motor-racing, horse-racing, soccer, hockey, golf, bowls and rugby.
The Eastern Cape is well known for its oranges, prickly pears, angora goats and dairy farms. Ostrich farming does exist but on a smaller scale. The Eastern Cape is however highly successful when it comes to wool and mohair. The province, and particularly Nelson Mandela Bay, has succeeded in establishing South Africa as a world leader in these sectors. South African mohair is regarded as some of the highest quality in the world. The Nelson Mandela Bay area is the largest wool and mohair producer in South Africa with 99% of all wool buyers, processors and exporters situated in the Bay.
The centerpiece of Nelson Mandela Bays arts and culture industry is right in the inner city after local development agency, the MBDA, has coupled a CBD infrastructure renovation with a public art campaign, giving the city-centre a face lift with an artistic twist. The Donkin Reserve, is home to ten pieces of public art that form part of a collection of 67 pieces of art throughout the city. The Route 67 arts journey celebrates the 67 years of Nelson Mandelas political life through a visual collection of works produced by local artists.
The result is an incredible tourism route known as the Arts Journey.
Algoa Bay, the coastal region of Nelson Mandela Bay, boasts 40 km of magnificent golden beaches. With its perfect combination of warm water, calm sea and fair breezes, it is one of the best sailing venues in the world and a Mecca for all beach and water sport enthusiasts. Water temperatures vary between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius during summer and 14 to 19 degrees Celsius during winter. Rest assured, swimming beaches are patrolled by fully trained professional lifeguards during the summer season, which means swimmers and sunbathers can safely enjoy their beach holiday.
Nelson Mandela Bay is the ideal fun, entertainment and shopping destination; offering various kinds of entertainment to suit every age, personality and individual. Enjoyable evening entertainment include sundowner cruises, nightclubs, award winning cocktail bars, late night music spots, fine art theatre performances, movies, restaurants and cultural performances.
From rocky shores to indigenous floral fynbos: from stretches of golden beaches and unspoiled sand-dunes to lush indigenous forest and untamed wilderness areas, the nature reserves within, and on the outskirts of Nelson Mandela Bay offer a wonderful range of options to the great outdoors. Located in and around the city are: Settler's Park, Van Staden's Wild Flower Reserve, The Cape Recife Nature Reserve, Maitlands Nature Reserve, The Island Nature Reserve, Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area and Groendal Wilderness Area.
