Formerly Umtata, this rough-and-tumble town 370 mi/600 km south of Johannesburg once served as the capital of the Transkei, an apartheid-era "independent" Xhosa homeland that was reintegrated into South Africa following the release of its most famous son: Nelson Mandela.
It does have some appeal: restaurants that serve fantastic oysters and crayfish, good craft and pottery centers and the Nelson Mandela Museum. This impressive museum has three components: the museum in Mthatha, the Jonopo Traditional Village and Nelson Mandela Youth Heritage Centre in the former president's birthplace of Qunu and the Nelson Mandela Monument in Mveso (near the remains of Mandela's family homestead). Native Xhosa in the area wear distinctive red blankets, and the entire region is known for expansive beaches, excellent hiking trails and a varied landscape, including mountains.
