Witsand, Garden Route | Witsand Attractions and Places of Interest in Witsand on Cape South Coast, Garden Route South Africa

Witsand, Garden Route

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Garden Route Tourism

WITSAND - GARDEN ROUTE
Witsand - Photograph Courtesy of and © Whale Watchers Inn, WitsandWitsand, Garden Route:
The peaceful, coastal town of Witsand (white sands) lies on St Sebastian’s Bay just off the N2 on the Cape South Coast, three hours from Cape Town and not to be confused with the Witsand Nature Reserve, which lies just west of the Langberg Mountains in the Northern Cape. St Sebastian Bay and Witsand are virtually synonymous with the Southern Right Whale. This bay is the most important nursery for the large mammal on the African Coast and one of the greatest concentrations of Southern Right Whales comes come here to calve every year. An aerial survey taken in late 1999 revealed a total of 107 calves in St Sebastian Bay and off De Hoop - 61% of all the calves seen between Nature’s Valley and Muizenberg. On a good day, between June and late November, whale watchers can count up to 50 of these gentle giants.

Southern Right Whales migrate between Antarctic summer feeding grounds and mating and calving grounds off the coasts of Africa, Australia and South America and are slowly making a recovery from commercial whaling. The least understood of the world’s whales, the Southern Right Whale, weighs up to 58 tons and has the most highly-evolved mammalian brains on earth. They have inhabited the southern oceans for about 60 million years.

Witsands is also where the Breede River flows into the Indian Ocean, creating a river estuary of note that provides safe swimming, windsurfing, rock and surf angling, deep sea fishing, snorkelling, spear fishing and 4 km of long, unspoilt beach with white bleached sand - hence the village’s name.

The sand is this white because the town lies above a body of underground water responsible for leaching the red iron oxide coating from the sand on Witsands beach. Another phenomenon is the famous ‘Brulsand’ or Roaring Sands. Under the right conditions Witsand’s dunes utter eerie rumbles when disturbed.

All in all, Witsands makes a wonderful stop on the Garden Route. One is within easy reach of Malgas’s Pont, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Swellendam, Heidelberg, the Bontebok Park, Robertson Wine Route and Montagu.
Stay Overnight at accommodation in Witsand.
Also see Garden Route Accommodation or Garden Route Hotels.

DE HOOP NATURE RESERVE

De Hoop Nature Reserve: The De Hoop Nature Reserve Seven ecosystems are found within the reserve, which serves mainly as an educational centre. The vlei teems with waterbirds, and bontebok and mountain zebra are protected in the reserve. There is a walking trail on the Potberg ... more » De Hoop Nature Reserve

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