Cape Helderberg Beaches, South Africa

White, sandy beach at Gordons Bay

Just a 45 minute drive from Cape Town Central, the beaches of the Helderberg Basin or Cape Helderberg offer warmer waters (the rule of thumb is 3-4 degrees warmer) than her Atlantic Seaboard rivals and effortlessly white, sandy beaches.

A visit to any of these beaches is essentially a family friendly day out that includes fantastic views over False Bay, wonderful swimming opportunities in safe and shallow waters, and rock pools ideal for children. Take a picnic, beach umbrella and don't forget the sunblock!

Bikini Beach is a small beach and one of Cape Town's three Blue Flag Beaches, which means it has a high level of water quality, facilities, cleanliness and safety. It is popular for sunbathing as it is sheltered from the wind. Kogel Bay (or Cool Bay) is just around the corner from Bikini Beach and is essentially a surfers beach, but has a long stretch of white sand and a couple of exciting caves.

Strand has a long 5km stretch of white, sandy beach ideal for long walks. Fishing and surfing and wind surfing are very popular here as the waves are quite good. There is also an Olympic sized, centrally heated swimming pool at Strand.

Gordon’s Bay, regarded as one of the safest swimming beaches, has wonderful sheltered rock pools great for exploring and paddling.