Best South Africa Beaches
The Best South African Beaches...
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31. Salt Rock Beach // KwaZulu-Natal
© HelenSTB / CC BY Great for:- Snorkeling
- Swimming
- Surfing
Situated on the soft sands and warm waters of KwaZulu-Natal's Dolphin Coast, part of South Africa's Indian Ocean coastline, Salt Rock Beach is the main beach in a town of the same name. It's just 20 minutes' drive from Durban's King Shaka International Airport.
Both wide and long, this family-friendly beach is suitable for swimming, as well as past times including surfing and stand-up paddleboarding. Salt Rock Beach's safety is… read more »
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32. Lookout Beach // Western Cape
© South African Tourism / CC BY Great for:- Surfing
- Kitesurfing
Situated just a kilometre from the centre of Plettenberg Bay on South Africa's much lauded Garden Route, Lookout Beach is a great all-round beach that meets the needs of even the most diverse of holidaying groups.
The pristine sands of Lookout Beach are wide enough to provide space between groups most of the year, although it can get crowded in peak season around Christmas. That's because the warm Indian Ocean waters… read more »
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33. Keurboomstrand // Western Cape
© michael clarke stuff / CC BY Keurboomstrand is located near the beach town of Plettenberg Bay on South Africa's Western Cape. It is a wide pristine stretch of golden sand along the warm blue waters of the Indian Ocean, and the views of the mountains beyond, thick with trees, are spectacular. This beach gets its name from the native Keurboom Tree, which blooms with pinkish mauve flowers in August and September and then in December.
Towards… read more »
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34. Humewood Beach // Eastern Cape
© ilf_ Situated near Port Elizabeth in Eastern Cape, Humewood Beach is South Africa's longest standing Blue Flag Beach, which means that it is safe, clean, and environmentally responsible. Lifeguards are on duty here so you can safely swim, snorkel and enjoy other activities in the calm, warm blue waters from November through to April.
This beach is family-friendly with its wide stretch of sand and warm waters. If in any doubt about… read more »
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35. Anstey's Beach // KwaZulu-Natal
© dual / CC BY Great for:- Swimming
- Surfing
Situated on the Bluff in Durban, the high-end area south of the city's main beaches, Ansteys Beach lies close to Cave Rock, home to the barrelling wave that has entered the folklore of surfing communities around the world.
Clean and unspoilt, the sand here is comparable in allure to that anywhere else along the Durban coast, while its Indian Ocean waters provide a heady mix of warmth, waves, and water sports,… read more »
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36. Alkantstrand // KwaZulu-Natal
© Rudi Stadler / CC BY Great for:- Swimming
- Surfing
The main beach in Richards Bay, a city that provides a gateway into the province of KwaZulu-Natal, Alkantstrand is made up of idyllic white sand between the blues of the Indian Ocean and lush greens of the region's verdant subtropical flora.
With a name translating from Afrikaans as "both sides of the beach", from the way the warm ocean currents seem to wrap around bathers on the sands, Alkantstrand's cleanliness and… read more »
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37. Addington Beach // KwaZulu-Natal
© South African Tourism / CC BY Great for:- Snorkeling
- Swimming
- Surfing
With a prime location on Durban's Golden Mile next to uShaka Marine World theme park, and just ten minutes from the buzzing restaurants and bars of the city's central business district, Addington Beach is as easy to reach as it is to fall in love with.
Here you'll find a large flat expanse of richly-coloured sand running alongside the warm waters of South Africa's Indian Ocean coastline. The shallow entry… read more »
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38. Maclear Beach // Western Cape
© Vanbasten 23 / CC BY Great for:- Fishing
One of Cape Town's quieter and more secluded beaches, Maclear Beach lies close to Cape Point at the tip of the Cape Peninsula.
Half hidden behind rocky headlands, the beach is a short walk from the car park through native fynbos vegetation, behind the famous Cape Point sign marking the most south-westerly point in Africa.
While facing west and out into the Atlantic means the waters off the white sands of Maclear… read more »
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39. Macassar Beach // Western Cape
South Africa's Macassar Beach is located on the eastern shores of False Bay. A short distance from Cape Town, the beach occupies the most unspoilt area of the bay, sitting in front of a belt of protected dunes four kilometres long.
Macassar Beach itself forms just a part of a continuous ribbon of fine sand that stretches right around this side of False Bay all the way to the resort town… read more »
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40. Glen Beach // Western Cape
© Randall. Lavelot / CC BY Cape Town's Glen Beach is made up of white sand and clean waters beloved of surfers looking to test out their skill on the beach breaks. Lying on the Atlantic coastline of the city, it sits beneath the expensive low-rise homes of the Camp's Bay area, backed by the Lion's Head and Twelve Apostles mountains.
Glen Beach is divided from the more famous Camps Bay Beach by a rocky outcrop… read more »
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41. East Beach, Muizenberg // Western Cape
giesing Great for:- Surfing
- Kitesurfing
Starting its run right next to Muizenberg train station and the amusements at Muizenberg Water Slides, East Beach lies a short distance south of Cape Town at the neck of the Cape Peninsula. Sheltered by the magnificence of False Bay, East Beach is part of a ribbon of light-coloured sand that continues for 20 kilometres around the bay.
The flat, wide beach is good for families looking for a traditional beach… read more »
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42. Diaz Beach // Western Cape
Diaz Beach is an incredible, secluded beach right next to the Cape of Good Hope near Cape Town. You will need to hike for 20 minutes to get to this beach, but when you do, you'll find the scenery mesmerizing. The sandy beach faces into the full force of the Atlantic Ocean with jagged rocks stretching out into the water.
Although the scenery is stunning and the water can look… read more »
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43. Margate Beach // KwaZulu-Natal
© ~ souTH AFRica ~ / CC BY Great for:- Snorkeling
- Swimming
- Surfing
Named rather quaintly – for the comparison ends there – after a beach on the south coast of England, the almost orange sands of Margate Beach in South Africa lie on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal province, around 90 minutes from Durban.
A paved footpath runs along the beach amid the occasional lofty palm swaying gently in the breeze, but it's the warm, sparkling waters of the Indian Ocean that… read more »
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44. Brenton-on-Sea // Western Cape
© Meraj Chhaya / CC BY Great for:- Fishing
Situated on the Garden Route some 15 kilometres west of Knysna in Western Cape province, Brenton-on-Sea Beach extends its light sands for approximately three kilometres.
Largely undeveloped due to official protection afforded to the endangered Brenton Blue butterfly (most easily sighted from the end of October until December), the sound of the warm Indian Ocean waves is likely to be all you'll hear if you decide to pay this idyllic stretch… read more »
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45. Buffalo Bay // Western Cape
© Werner Bayer / CC BY Great for:- Surfing
- Kitesurfing
Buffalo Bay, or Buffelsbaai, is found in the Goukamma Nature Reserve in the Western Cape. Stretching for 14 kilometers this vast beach has incredible white sand and dunes which contrast with the beautiful blue waters of the ocean. With a backdrop of coastal forest the beach here really can feel like a lost paradise.
The beach has plenty of activities to choose from making it a firm favorite with both… read more »
