|
 |
|
|
|
|
| Cape Town Beaches of the The Indian
Ocean or False Bay coast: The east side of the peninsula - the False Bay
coastline - is generally more laid back and not as frenetic as the Atlantic coastline,
although in peak season these family oriented beaches can still become pretty busy. These
beaches are favoured by locals who live in the southern suburbs of Cape Town who
don’t need to drive far to get to a beach. |
|
 THE INDIAN OCEAN
BEACHES |
| • HELDERBERG
BEACHES |
| • Gordon's Bay |
| • Kogel Bay |
| • Strand |
| • Bikini Beach |
| • FALSE BAY
BEACHES |
| • Muizenberg |
| • St James (Dager
Beach) |
| • Boulders
(Widmill, Froggy Pond, Millers) |
| • Smitswinkelbaai |
| • Diaz
(Buffelsbaai, Platboom, Olifantsbos) |
| • NORTH
SHORE OF FALSE BAY |
| • Macassar |
| • Monwabisi |
| • Mnandi |
| • Strandfontein |
| • Click for
» ATLANTIC OCEAN BEACHES |
|
|
 |
|
|
| False Bay is a huge arc that
curves from the Helderberg beaches on the east side of the bay to Cape Point on the west
end. Some argue that the closer beaches are to Cape Point the colder they are but the
general rule of thumb for beaches on the Indian Ocean is that they’re three to four
degrees warmer than the Atlantic beaches. These are great swimming beaches. Most of them
are manned by lifeguards and shallow waters extend quite far out so that swimming and
paddling are relatively safe. |
|
Helderberg
Beaches:
Where: The east end of False Bay, ± 45 minutes from Cape Town
Includes: Gordon’s Bay, Strand, Bikini beach, Kogel Bay
Why go there: Family outings, swimming, sun bathing, paddling, walking,
surfing, windsurfing, fishing
The beaches of Gordon’s Bay, Strand, Bikini beach and Kogel or Cool Bay are
essentially family friendly days out that include wonderful swimming opportunities, safe
and shallow waters; fantastic views over False Bay and rock pools ideal for children.
Bikini Beach: 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: Kogel Bay is just around the corner from Bikini Beach is
essentially for surfers but has a long stretch of white sand and a couple of exciting
caves.
Strand: Strand has a long 5 km 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.
Gordons Bay: Gordon’s Bay, regarded as one of the safest swimming
beaches, has wonderful sheltered rock pools great for exploring and paddling. |
|
False Bay Beaches:
Where: The west end of False Bay
Includes: Muizenberg, St James, Fish Hoek, Glencairn, Boulders,
Smitswinkelbaai, Diaz beach
Why go there: Swimming, sun bathing, paddling, walking, surfing, body
boarding
Muizenberg: Muizenberg, very popular during its heyday in the ‘60s
and’70s, is where every surfer learns to cut his teeth and one of the most racially
integrated beaches in Cape Town. Synonymous with the colourful beach huts that make their
way onto picture postcards of Cape Town, this very long beach can get pretty busy during
peak season but the waves are not too powerful and there are other facilities here such as
put-putt courses and water slides so that it never feels crowded.
St James: St James beach is rather small but has a delightful tidal pool,
which is great for children. The beach itself is not very wide or big and it can get
rather crowded in summer and during high tide big waves can break against the tidal pool
wall.
Danger Bay: Danger Beach, nearby, is much quieter and tends to be used by
local residents and Dalebrook Pool in Kalk Bay is similar to St James.
Fish Hoek: The wonderful bay of Fish Hoek is very popular with pensioners
and families and its big beach and calm waters offer plenty of space for games, swimming,
walking and exploring. The walkway that hugs the right hand side of the beach makes an
enjoyable Sunday afternoon stroll and is a good place for spotting whales that come right
into the bay during season. Clovelly: Clovelly is on the far left hand
corner of the beach and tends to be used by young surfers.
Glencairn beach is great for swimming and sunbathing or for spotting great
whites, which shouldn’t deter you from the waters as there is more chance of being
killed by a falling coconut in Thailand than by a shark in South Africa!
Boulders Beach: Just past Simonstown, where Long beach is not a long
beach at all but rather a small strip of sand and not to be confused with the Long beach
at Kommetjie, is Boulders beach - synonymous with the population of African Penguins who
have decided that this beach is their home. This is a paying beach and one of the best
swimming beaches in Cape Town. It lies in a small cove and is protected from the wind by
giant granite boulders. A boardwalk past the main beach takes you to the penguin beach,
although they do pop over to visit you around the boulders.
En route to Smitswinkelbaai (Smitswinkel Bay) one passes Windmill
beach - just past Boulders and also fairly well sheltered from the wind with
shallow waters that make it perfect for families - and Froggy Pond and Miller’s
Point, a couple of little beaches. Smitswinkelbaai is
practically inaccessible and right next to the Cape Point Nature Reserve. Reached only by
foot, it is worth the effort to get there. The bay here is popular for snorkelling, diving
and fishing and the water is calm and great for swimming. Views are fantastic as the
mountains are virtually to the back of the beach and one overlooks False Bay.
Cape Point Nature Reserve Beaches: Finally, the beaches of the Cape Point
Nature Reserve are well worth a visit. Not only do you have the beauty of the reserve
itself but Diaz beach is secluded and peaceful and well away from the
crowds with spectacular views. It takes some doing to get there as there’s a climb on
the way back but it’s worth it.
Buffelsbaai has a safe tidal pool whilst Platboom and Olifantsbos
are the more popular beaches within the reserve. There are a number of other small beaches
and the sand stretches for miles, beckoning one to walk. |
|
North Shore of False Bay
Where: North of Muizenberg, along the northern shore of False Bay
Includes: Macassar, Monwabisi, Mnandi, Strandfontein
Why go there: fishing, swimming, surfing, sand dunes, fynbos
With magnificent views of the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland mountain ranges, this long
stretch of open coast, along which beach melts into beach, runs the length of the R310
Baden Powell Drive from Muizenberg. En route it passes through the Wolfgat Nature Reserve,
which protects the rapidly declining strandveld and dwarf coastal fynbos and is a slower
but definitely more scenic alternative when travelling north from Cape Town.
These beaches are rather wild looking and a favourite haunt of fishermen. They are exposed
to the elements and if the wind blows in Cape Town, it really blows here. Macassar,
Monwabisi, Mnandi - a beach with blue flag status - and Strandfontein are
close to the suburbs of Kayelitsha, Macassar, Philippi, Tafelsig, Langa, Gugulethu and
Nyanga. They tend to be frequented mainly by residents from these suburbs and white people
are seldom seen here. |
|
Click to view » Cape Town's
Atlantic Ocean Beaches |
|
« Western Cape | Cape Town Restaurants | Cape Town
Golf Clubs » |
|
|
|
|
|
|
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
