The Best Western Cape Beaches

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  • 16. Milnerton Beach

    Milnerton Beach
    © Milnerton Beach / CC BY
    Great for:
    • Surfing
    • Kitesurfing

    You can find Milnerton Beach around 11 kilometres or 20 minutes from the centre of Cape Town in the area known as Blaauwberg. While drawing visitors from right across the region as a result of its fantastic views of Table Mountain, its delightful white sands actually remain something of an open secret.

    Patrolled by lifeguards during the peak December season, the waters here are a little chilly compared to other beaches… read more »

  • 17. Muizenberg

    Muizenberg

    Sitting at the western end of the huge curve of sand that make up False Bay, Muizenberg is rightfully one of Cape Town's best known beaches. The beach is around 200 metres of soft white sand which backs onto the laid back seaside town of Muizenberg.

    The sandy stretch which forms the northern shore of False bay itself goes on for ever. Well around 40km (25 miles) around to Gordons… read more »

  • 18. St James Beach

    St James Beach
    © Lennon Fletcher / CC BY

    The Cape Town suburb of St James is located on the western side of False Bay, at the base of the Cape Peninsula. The name relates to the Roman Catholic churhc of St James which was built here in the 19th century for the Filipino fishermen who worked from adjoining Kalk Bay. With the coming of the railway the area flourished, bcoming something of a seaside resort.

    St James is perhaps… read more »

  • 19. Sandy Bay

    Sandy Bay
    © Gary Bembridge / CC BY

    One of Cape Town's most inacessible beaches it is not entirely surprising that Sandy Bay is also Cape Town's only recognised naturist beach (although it is still unofficial). The beach is located just around the corner from upmarket Llandudno at the base of the rugged peaks of the Twelve Apostles mountains.

    Like neighbouring Llandudno, Sandy Bay is a pretty stretch of white sand strewn with huge slabs of granite. The… read more »

  • 20. Seaforth Beach

    Seaforth Beach
    © Kostas Limitsios / CC BY
    Great for:
    • Swimming

    Though narrow, at 600 metres long Seaforth Beach in the Simons Town suburb of Cape Town has one spectacular surprise for the unprepared – penguins. Best witnessed in the early morning just after sunrise and in the early evening at sunset, African penguins waddle happily along the sands of Seaforth Beach from their better-known colony at nearby Boulders Beach.

    However, that's not the only reason to visit Seaforth Beach if… read more »

  • 21. Macassar Beach

    Macassar Beach

    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 »

  • 22. Glen Beach

    Glen Beach
    © 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 »

  • 23. Maclear Beach

    Maclear Beach
    © 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 »

  • 24. Diaz Beach

    Diaz Beach

    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 »

  • 25. Brenton-on-Sea

    Brenton-on-Sea
    © 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 »

  • 26. Buffalo Bay

    Buffalo Bay
    © 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 »

  • 27. Lookout Beach

    Lookout Beach
    © 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 »

  • 28. Santos Beach

    Santos Beach
    © ZS1TP / CC BY

    Santos Beach is located in Mossel Bay, around 100 miles east of Cape Town. It is one of the most popular spots on the south coast for locals and holiday travelers alike. Besides hanging out on the beach there plenty of activities to enjoy, from checking out the harbour, dolphin and whale watching, snorkeling, swimming, and fishing.

    The golden sands make up wide beaches with plenty of room for walking… read more »

  • 29. Keurboomstrand

    Keurboomstrand
    © 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 »

  • 30. East Beach, Muizenberg

    East Beach, Muizenberg
    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 »