DESTINATION DOWNTIME: SOUTH AFRICA’S BEACHES
It’s
springtime in South Africa, and time to head for the beach. The country
has more than 2,500 km of coastline, stretching from the cold waters off
the arid West Coast region, southwards around the tip of Africa, and
heading up again all the way to the lush St Lucia estuary in the east.
Port Elizabeth is family-friendly, with a beach for every reason. If you head out to the wild side near Sardinia Bay, you can find an almost deserted stretch of sand to walk on, even at the height of summer. Close by you’ll find fabulous malaria-free game viewing in the Greater Addo Elephant National Park, as well as a range of smaller private game reserves, including Shamwari and Kwandwe.
Jeffrey’s
Bay is not the surf capital of South Africa. Durban is. The only surf
museum in the country is here – on the beachfront – and the surf is
great.
The beaches are a cultural experience. Bronzed surfers rub broad shoulders while elegant, sari-clad matrons stroll on the sand; bead-bedecked traditional healers collect sea water in plastic bottles, while charismatic preachers perform al fresco baptisms and small children build sand castles.
The city extends virtually to the high water mark and harassed, deskbound wage slaves shuck their jackets and ties at lunchtime to jog along the beachfront or catch a quick wave.
Toss a couple of notes to the sand sculptors who create fantastic ephemeral works of art on the beach, buy a basket from the craft sellers, and take a ride in a rickshaw.
To find out more about what lies under the warm Indian Ocean, visit the water rides and aquariums at uShaka Marine World, where you can – literally – swim with the fishes. And before you leave, don’t neglect to get a taste of bunny chow (a hollowed-out half-loaf of bread filled with spicy Indian curry), Durban’s signature contribution to world cuisine.
As well as awesome beach options, there is the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board in Umhlanga Rocks, where you can find out more about these fascinating, beautiful and much-maligned animals. Numerous exclusive golf estates and resorts also lie tucked away behind the dunes.
Most of the Maputaland coast is incorporated into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, formerly the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, which is a World Heritage Site.
This whole area is a paradise of sub-tropical beaches, fabulous wetlands, fascinating cultural destinations and spectacular game reserves, including the exclusive Phinda Private Game Reserve and the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve.
Wherever you choose to go on this beautiful coast, play it safe. Use loads of sunscreen and a hat, save your sundowners for sundown, don’t drink and swim, and be realistic about your abilities. It’s a big ocean out there.
But most important – have fun. Take all your toys – the frisbee, the beach bats, the picnic, the bucket and spade – and all your favourite people, and go back home a few years younger.
WEST COAST
The West Coast is less crowded than most of the coastline in summer. It’s not as lush as the other side of the country, and the water is pretty darn cold, but there are some major attractions.
CAPE TOWN
Cape Town has some of the best beaches in the world, but the water is also pretty chilly. Hang out on Clifton if you want to spot an A-list celebrity, go to Muizenberg if you want to learn to surf, see the penguins on Boulders Beach, or rub shoulders with the local bronzed wrinklies at Fish Hoek, which is possibly the most perfect of South Africa’s beaches.SOUTHERN CAPE
Hermanus on the Southern Cape Coast, which is also called the Overberg, expands to bursting point in the summer months with wall-to-wall people, but some of the other smaller towns are not quite as crowded. Well, only just.THE GARDEN ROUTE
The Garden Route, with its tangled forests and deep river gorges fronting white beaches or craggy headlands, is heaven on earth. The Southern Right whales have gone back to Antarctica for the summer, but there are dolphins aplenty, and you may spot some humpbacks or even Bryde’s whales, either from shore or on a boat trip.
THE EASTERN CAPE
The Eastern Cape is the place for a real beach holiday. Port Elizabeth, East London, Jeffrey’s Bay, Cape St Francis and, to a lesser extent, Port Alfred all revolve around their beaches.Port Elizabeth is family-friendly, with a beach for every reason. If you head out to the wild side near Sardinia Bay, you can find an almost deserted stretch of sand to walk on, even at the height of summer. Close by you’ll find fabulous malaria-free game viewing in the Greater Addo Elephant National Park, as well as a range of smaller private game reserves, including Shamwari and Kwandwe.
THE WILD COAST
The Wild Coast is magic. The climate and vegetation is subtropical, with mangrove forests, turquoise lagoons, long, deserted beaches and small, scattered settlements where people live much the same way as they have for centuries.SOUTH COAST
The South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal consists of a string of beautiful beaches, river mouths and lagoons all fringed by an almost continuous ribbon of coastal development – hotels, malls, housing developments, campsites and small towns.DURBAN
Jeffrey’s
Bay is not the surf capital of South Africa. Durban is. The only surf
museum in the country is here – on the beachfront – and the surf is
great.The beaches are a cultural experience. Bronzed surfers rub broad shoulders while elegant, sari-clad matrons stroll on the sand; bead-bedecked traditional healers collect sea water in plastic bottles, while charismatic preachers perform al fresco baptisms and small children build sand castles.
The city extends virtually to the high water mark and harassed, deskbound wage slaves shuck their jackets and ties at lunchtime to jog along the beachfront or catch a quick wave.
Toss a couple of notes to the sand sculptors who create fantastic ephemeral works of art on the beach, buy a basket from the craft sellers, and take a ride in a rickshaw.
To find out more about what lies under the warm Indian Ocean, visit the water rides and aquariums at uShaka Marine World, where you can – literally – swim with the fishes. And before you leave, don’t neglect to get a taste of bunny chow (a hollowed-out half-loaf of bread filled with spicy Indian curry), Durban’s signature contribution to world cuisine.
THE NORTH COAST
The North Coast is rather like a more refined version of the South Coast. It’s a bit more tropical, and maybe a bit wilder, but the developers seem to have been a tad more restrained – or at least more discerning.As well as awesome beach options, there is the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board in Umhlanga Rocks, where you can find out more about these fascinating, beautiful and much-maligned animals. Numerous exclusive golf estates and resorts also lie tucked away behind the dunes.
MAPUTALAND
Most of the Maputaland coast is incorporated into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, formerly the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, which is a World Heritage Site.
This whole area is a paradise of sub-tropical beaches, fabulous wetlands, fascinating cultural destinations and spectacular game reserves, including the exclusive Phinda Private Game Reserve and the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve.
Wherever you choose to go on this beautiful coast, play it safe. Use loads of sunscreen and a hat, save your sundowners for sundown, don’t drink and swim, and be realistic about your abilities. It’s a big ocean out there.
But most important – have fun. Take all your toys – the frisbee, the beach bats, the picnic, the bucket and spade – and all your favourite people, and go back home a few years younger.
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