Gansbaai Snapshot
For a town synonymous with adrenaline and the great white shark, Gansbaai is a tad desolate. Not that this has stopped migrating Gautengers from buying homes and setting up shop – over the past few years, the number of businesses has exploded, the local council has employed its first traffic cops, and come Sunday the NG Kerk is so jam-packed you can’t see the dominee. While Gansbaai itself may be nondescript, the jagged coastline extending from De Kelders to Pearly Beach has both beauty and a haunting past. It is a long, fairly undeveloped stretch of coastal fynbos, rocky coves, abundant marine life, facebrick holiday homes and sad shipwrecks.
Things To Do
- Visit Danger Point Lighthouse and spare a thought for the many lives lost along this brutal coastline. At low tide, the infamous Birkenhead Rock stands visible a kilometre or so out to sea – Nature giving Man the symbolic middle finger?
- For safe swimming, Stanford’s Cove, Pearly Beach and Uilenskraalmond are the best options. Pearly Beach, in particular, is made for long walks.
- Locals will argue that Gansbaai has more whales than Hermanus. The best place and time to prove this is on the rocky cliffs above De Kelders, from June to November.
- De Kelders is also famous for its caves, where Stone Age archaeological deposits have been discovered.
- Q: What has two legs and an arm? A: A Gansbaai great white. Hee, hee! You too can pay to be human bait on a great white shark tour to Dyers Island. En route to “Shark Alley”, you will have the opportunity to see Jackass penguins, Cape fur seals, a diverse bird population and your life, pass before you. Actually, if truth be told, shark diving is a low risk activity and a unique opportunity to get a close-up view of these fascinating creatures from the safety of a reinforced steel cage. Google Gansbaai Tourism to put you in touch with one of several operators vying for your custom.
- The Duiwelsgat hiking trail is a pleasant 7km coastal meander between Gansbaai and De Kelders.
- We hear that Gansbaai has been trying to break away from its image as a great white macho hangout, and ex-shark operators might soon be kneeling in heather explaining the botanical intricacies of cross-pollination. Watch this space…
Klein Paradijs Country Retreat
Gansbaai, Western Cape
21km from Gansbaai, just across the way from Pearly Beach and set amidst swathes of fynbos and grassland, Klein Paradijs, as the name suggests is just that, paradise! Recognised as a voluntary conserv...
Rate Guide
From R870 to R2200, depending on unit, guests and time of year
Tierfontein Rondawel
Gansbaai, Western Cape
Surrounded by indigenous trees and birdsong, a tranquil lily pond to the front and a pretty view onto the valley, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spot to get away from it all. This is a n...
Rate Guide
R1000 nightly for the rondawel
Witkrans Farm Accommodation
Gansbaai, Western Cape
Witkrans is a nature-lovers paradise, that judging by the glowing guest reviews certainly strikes a strong cord among its happy visitors. Owned by the Privett family - themselves involved in a number...
Rate Guide
From R1500, depending on unit, guests and time of year
Fountainbush Cottage
Gansbaai, Western Cape
Here’s a Overberg getaway that's rave reviews have "Take me!" splashed all over them. With attention to simple detail, a decent price tag, plenty of farm action for the kids, oodles of comfort ...
Rate Guide
R1600 nightly for the cottage.
Berg n Dal Heritage Farm
Gansbaai, Western Cape
Tucked away in the Uilenkraal Valley, not too far from Gansbaai (15km), Berg n Dal Heritage Farm lies slapbang in the middle of outdoor Nirvana. It's a place where you can either roll out of bed and h...
Rate Guide
From R800 to R1600, depending on unit, guests and time of year
Where You'll Also Find Us
Arniston (Waenhuiskrans) • Barrydale • Beaufort West • Betty's Bay • Bonnievale • Bot River • Bredasdorp • Caledon • Calitzdorp • Cape Agulhas and Struisbaai • Cape Town area • Ceres • Citrusdal • Clanwilliam & Cederberg • Darling • De Rust • Franschhoek • Gansbaai • George • Grabouw & Elgin Valley • Greyton • Heidelberg • Hermanus • Knysna • Ladismith • Laingsburg • Lamberts Bay • Langebaan • Malgas • Matjiesfontein • McGregor • Montagu • Mossel Bay • Napier • Oudtshoorn • Paarl • Paternoster • Plettenberg Bay • Porterville • Prince Albert • Pringle Bay • Pringle Bay, Betty's Bay and Kleinmond • Riebeek West and Riebeek-Kasteel • Riversdale • Riviersonderend • Robertson • St Helena Bay • Stanford • Stilbaai • Strand, Gordon's Bay and Somerset West • Swellendam • Tulbagh • Uniondale • Velddrif • Vermaaklikheid • Wellington • Wilderness • Witsand • Worcester & Hex Valley • Yzerfontein • Baviaanskloof • Cape St Francis • Cape St Francis & St Francis Bay • East London • Graaff-Reinet • Hogsback • Jeffreys Bay • Makhanda (Grahamstown) • Middelburg • Nieu-Bethesda • Rhodes • Sutherland