About Macassar Dunes
The sand dunes of Macassar are protected as a conservation area. Described as a core flora conservation site they contain some of the only remaining, and certainly the best examples of, strandveld – dense, bushy shrubs and thickets – that are, in turn, home to a wide range of animals and plants.
Did you know? Within the Macassar conservation reserve you will also find the last remaining forest of endangered white milkwood trees.
But really the star of the show is the largest and highest sand dune system on the Cape peninsula. Dunes, like the system at Macassar, are an essential part of a sandy shore system, the dune vegetation vital in trapping mobile sand and stabilising dunes.
Overgrazing, trampling and driving on the sand dunes gradually leads to the dunes migrating, or moving further and further inland, which is why the sand is so uncontrollable at Macassar. The 2 760 acre dune reserve is scattered with signs that warn of 'dunes on the move' or 'sand on the move'. This is quite literal.
Macassar is one of the sites where dune migration is considered a future hazard. Other sand dunes include those at Hout Bay, Glencairn, Fish Hoek and Blaauwberg Conservation Area.
Many of Cape Town's dune systems are under serious threat. Factors such as the very strong south-easterly and north-westerly winds during the year, the mainly fine-grained sand, and inappropriate development within the coastal dunes, causes migrating coastal dunes.
An example of just how the dunes take over at Macassar is the beach pavilion, now an abandoned water park left to the shifting sands. Its series of kiosks, change rooms and water slides are inundated with sand.
Now the pavilion is a favourite amongst photographers for whom the contrast between abandoned buildings and shifting sands makes a good subject.
The dunes are also a source of building sand for the City of Cape Town, governance of which is under scrutiny. They are also under threat from alien invasive plants like rooikrans, and the rapid spread of informal settlements. The city works closely with communities to try and manage the reserve.
The Sheikh Yusuf shrine at Macassar is the most important Muslim shrine in Cape Town. It rests on the summit of a vegetated sand dune close to Faure, near Macassar Beach. Over Easter weekends thousands of Muslims camp behind the Macassar sand dunes to pay tribute to the memory of the Sheikh.
Macassar Dunes lie in False Bay alongside Macassar and Khayelitsha, bounded by the Eerste River and Baden Powell Drive. They are freely available to anyone who wishes to visit them. Find them on Macassar Road, off Baden Powell Drive. You can hike, picnic and whale watch and fish. There are also regular school excursions.
There is no entrance fee.
Need to Know
WhereMacassar Dunes, Macassar Dunes Reserve, Khayalitsha, Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa
WhenBest during daylight hours.
Telephone+27 (0)21 371-5141
OvernightStay in Cape Helderberg Accommodation, Cape Town
Disclaimer
Please note, business details can change. While we endeavour to ensure all information provided by the service provider is correct at the time of publication, we do not assume any liability caused by errors or changes, such as price, cost, time, and location. Please check with the provider that the activity/business is still offered as described, before making any travel plans.
Feedback?
If this is your attraction, you can let us know if anything on this page is outdated or contains inaccuracies, by email. We regret, we do not have any other information, please contact the provider if you have questions.
Additional Reading
You might also be interested in
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options in Cape Helderberg

Spanish Farm Apartment
Spanish Farm Apartment offers Somerset West accommodation on Spanish Farm, separate from the other villas. The apartment leads down with stairs t...

Chocolate Box Boutique Guesthouse
Chocolate Box Guesthouse is located in the picturesque town of Gordons Bay, with an unhindered view over False Bay and the surrounding mountains ...


Villa Kyma
Villa Kyma is the perfect escape for a family or group of friends looking for a relaxing, self-catering time away with the ocean water on their d...

Travel Beach House
Travel Beach House offers accommodation in fully equipped holiday home situated in a secure complex in Gordons Bay. The complex has direct beach ...

La Felicita Garden View
La Felicita Garden View is a self catering apartment at La Felicita – in the middle of wine and golf country, and close to cosmopolitan Cape Town...

Blushing Bride 17
Blushing Bride 17 is a holiday home offering self catering in Gordon's Bay, one of our most picturesque seaside towns in the Western Cape, with a...

Golden Hill Guest House
The Golden Hill Guest House, a guest house dedicated to your comfort, lies in Somerset West, just 25 minutes from Cape Town International Airport...
Things to do in the area

Sheikh Yusuf Kramat
Sheikh Yusuf Kramat is a sacred shrine visited by many Muslim people. A Kramat or shrine is where the holy men of Islam or ‘Auliyah’ where laid t...

Somerset Mall
Somerset Mall offers 204 stores and everything it takes to give families from Somerset West through to Mossel Bay a safe, fun-filled entertainmen...

Gordon's Bay Main Beach
Beautiful Gordon’s Bay; a harbour town surrounded by the Helderberg Mountains and a neighbour to Strand, is charming, pretty, and home to some ex...

Lourensford Wine Estate
Make your way past the rose bushes on the edge of the vineyards and there you’ll find fruit orchards, forest, a wine cellar, restaurant, fly fish...
Accommodation convenient to Macassar Dunes
FIND / South Africa Accommodation / Western Cape Accommodation / Cape Town Accommodation / Cape Helderberg Accommodation