Why go
- City in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
- Served by East London Airport (ELS).
History
East London, officially KuGompo City since February 2026, is a city on the southeastern coast of South Africa, in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Cape Province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo River and the Nahoon River, and hosts the country's only river port. As of 2011, East London had a population of over 267,000 with over 755,000 in the surrounding metropolitan area.
Restaurants & places to go
50 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 2 airlines, 4 direct destinations
- South African Airways SA (CRJ-200, A319, A320, Dash 8-400, J41) · 4 routes: Cape Town*, Durban*, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth*
- Comair MN (737-800) · 1 route: Johannesburg
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the southern-hemisphere year.
Milder and quieter, with better value.
The southern winter — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is East London Airport (ELS); 14 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: ELS has direct flights to 4 destinations on 2 airlines (incl. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth).
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for East London, South Africa. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Coaches & shuttles
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.