Cape Town's Best Beaches

, 1 October 2005

In the southern hemisphere, the Christmas season is the time to go to the beach and Cape Town is the place to do it. You can ride a horse, fly a kite, watch penguins, sail a hobie cat, surf the waves, explore a shipwreck, snorkel in the shallows, dive in the deep or just lie in the sun!

Blouberg

Big Bay & Little Bay

Best for: kite surfing, windsurfing, hobie cats, paddle skiing, family outings, kite flying and Table Mountain views.

It's from these long sandy beaches of Blouberg, 20km north of Cape Town, that you can photograph the classic view of Table Mountain. A strong south-easter gives the wave-jumping kite surfers and colourful hobie cats a chance to show off.

Boulders Beach, Simons Town

Best for: penguin watching, sheltered swimming and snorkelling.

Simons Town is a quaint old navy seaport at the terminus of the railway and the last town before Cape Point Nature Reserve. Boulders Beach is a few kilometres on and comes under the auspices of the National Parks board, so a small fee is charged to enter this delightful cove.

Giant granite boulders form several secluded beaches. As you walk along the path, you may be forgiven for thinking that a donkey is being massacred in the bushes.

It's in fact an African Penguin living up to its name. About 800 of these little dinner-suited birds watch you while you paddle.

This is the most accessible breeding colony of African Penguins in the world and a sight not to be missed.

Camps Bay

Best for: family fun, sunbathing, beach volleyball, surfing, windsurfing and diving nearby.

The long stretch of fine sand and the palm-dotted lawn of Camps Bay are perfect for a family picnic. The busy road lined with shops and restaurants that runs along the whole length of the beach is fun to stroll along but parking can be frustrating.

The beach is a little exposed during a persistent south-easter but experienced surfers and windsurfers love the hard-breaking waves near the rocks at the northern end of the beach. Scuba-diving among inquisitive seals in Justin Caves on the road to Llandudno is superb.

Clifton Beach

Best for: seeing and being seen, sunbathing and watching paragliders land.

The glamour of beautiful bodies and the romance of cruising yachts moored in the shallows attract a lot of visitors here. Granite boulders divide the 4 white sandy beaches of Clifton sheltering them from the south-easter and offering safe bathing with a somewhat strong undertow.

Don't be surprised to see rainbow-striped paragliders floating down towards you. They take off from the top of Lion's Head and catch the thermal updrafts before coming in to land on the lawns of La Med bar at the Maiden's Cove end of Clifton Beach.

Fish Hoek Beach

Best for: safe swimming, sailing, sunbathing, boogie boarding and family fun.

The warmer waters of False Bay and the safest swimming beach in the Cape make Fish Hoek very popular. Nimble little hobie cats with colourful sails are often launched and fishing boats can sometimes be seen coming and going. At the popular end is a cafe, children's playground, bench seats and plenty of people.

At the other end are the boogie boarders, dog owners and solitary sunbathers. It's only a short walk from the station and the bustling little town has everything you might need - except off-sale liquor! Fish Hoek has been 'dry' since 1810 and remains so, except for a few restaurants.

Hout Bay

Best for: swimming, paddle skiing, boogie boarding, fresh seafood and family entertainment.

The leafy village of Hout Bay with its kilometre-long, safe swimming beach and large fishing harbour offers everything you could want from a day by the sea. Launch trips to Seal Island are available and a San Franciso-style 'Mariners Wharf' houses gift and curio shops, restaurants and bars.

As the headquarters of the crayfishing (rock lobster) fleet and home of the June/July Snoek Festival, the seafood here is delicious.

Llandudno

Best for: surfing, body boarding, sheltered sunbathing, sandcastles and sunset picnics.

20km south of Cape Town, this is the perfect romantic spot for a sheltered sunset picnic after some serious sunbathing. A narrow road winds its way down through an exclusive hillside suburb where there's not one shop.

The charming spotless Llandudno Beach is tucked between huge granite boulders and is beautiful from any angle. There is a resident lifesaving club but beware of the strong surf and backwash.

Sunset Beach and Surfer's Corner, Muizenberg

Best for: swimming, learning to surf, young families and walking.

Popular among families and young surfers, the long gentle waves of Muizenberg Beach are perfect to learn on and swim in. There's also a beach pavilion and children's play area.

The beachfront, which used to be somewhat dilapidated, is undergoing some major renovations and redevelopment.

Noordhoek Beach

Best for: horse riding, kite flying, long walks and serious surfing.

This gorgeous 8km horseshoe curve of fine white sparkling sand is quite unspoilt and virtually deserted. Noordhoek Beach is the Cape's widest beach with plenty of room for kite flying, horse riding, jogging or just strolling barefoot with the dog, which every resident of the area does every day.

About halfway along are the remains of the 'Kakapo' shipwreck, preserved in the sand since 1900. The captain was so confused by the deceiving foggy coastline, that he turned towards the beach by mistake and came so far onto it that the crew hardly got their feet wet as they stepped off.

Platboombay, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

Best for: unique flora and fauna, rock pools, beachcombing and birds.

This long unspoilt beach is great for exploring rock pools. The surrounding dunes and rocky slopes are covered with fynbos of which there are 600 species of Ericas and 368 types of Protea, including South Africa's national flower, the King Protea.

Birdwatchers won't be disappointed when visiting the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve - now known as the Cape Point Nature Reserve - black oystercatchers, avocets and brilliant coloured sunbirds are common. Watch out for sly baboons lurking around the car park to steal tasty morsels out of open cars.

Sandy Bay

Best for: getting an all-over tan.

The unofficial nudist beach of Sandy Bay is backed by steep dunes and mountain slopes and the only way to get to it is a 20-minute walk from the car park or a clamber over rocks from the southern end of Llandudno.

Narrow paths lead off the track, seaward to favourite sunbathing spots or inland to high sand dunes.

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