Sunland is a little village in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, situated in the Sundays River Valley close to the Addo Elephant Park and the Sundays River.
Sunland falls within the Sundays River Valley Local Municipality and the Sarah Baartman District Municipality.
The quaint village of Sunland lives up to its name, because it’s known as the Eastern Cape town where the sun shines all year round.
Founded in the early 1920’s by Percy Fitzpatrick of ‘Jock of the Bushveld ‘ fame, the Sundays River Valley settlements, including Sunland, have grown and flourished in this fertile Eastern Cape hidden valley.
Called the Eastern Cape ‘Citrus Capital’, and lying in the heart of the ‘Valley of Oranges’, Sunland is surrounded by farm lands which burst into bloom during October, filling the air with the fragrance of orange blossoms.
During the April to September citrus picking season, Sunland buzzes with activity, culminating in the annual Sunland Citrus Festival, which brings locals and visitors onto the banks of the Sundays River, where craft exhibitions, dancing, food, and beer tents entertain Eastern Cape holiday-makers and local families alike.
Besides the magnificent citrus farms, Sunland also overlooks rich Eastern Cape game reserve bushveld, and is in proximity to the Amakhale Game Reserve, Lalibela Game Reserve, Shamwari Game Park, Bush Ridge Game Farm, Crocodile Ranch, and the world-famous Addo Elephant Park.
The Addo Elephant Park, which is situated approximately 18km from Sunland via R336 and R342 Regional Routes, is located in the malaria-free Sundays River Valley.
Ideally suited for the outdoor adventurer, the Addo Elephant Park uniquely offers visitors to the Eastern Cape the best prime game viewing, as in the Big 5 opportunity – rhino, lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, and because the Eastern Cape Addo Elephant Park extends to the sea, southern right whales and great white sharks make the Big 5 the ‘Big 7’ all in their natural environment. The park also claims five of South Africa’s seven biomes.
