South Africa Beach Holidays

Let the cool seas of the Cape dissipate the summer heat or head to the Indian Ocean for year-round warmth.

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Overview

With their crashing breakers, the beaches of South Africa have a very different character to the languid coral-fringed lagoons of the tropical islands that you'll find further north in Africa. Here you'll find no palm-thatched sunshades and calm azure waters. And even surprisingly few beach 'resorts' in South Africa. Absent too are the souvenir and coconut-touting beach hawkers. But what you DO get is some unsurprisingly unspoilt stretches of sand and crashing waves.

South Africa Beach Holidays - Best time to visit?

The first thing to clear up is that most of South Africa is NOT a year-round beach holiday destination. The Cape, for example, has a distinct winter climate from May to August. Still great for leisurely beach walks. But not for slathering on the sun block. So if you want a classic beach holiday in August, then you'll need to head to northern beaches of KwaZulu Natal

So how do the locals enjoy the beach? And how and where can sun-starved westerners join in?

South Africa beach holidays - Garden Route

South Africa Beach Holidays in Summer - November to March

The long summer holiday season is Christmas when it is hot and sunny in South Africa. At this time, you'll have to vie with locals for the best places to stay, restaurant bookings and spots on the beach. But once the South Africans head back to work and school in early January, South Africa's beaches are surprisingly quiet.

But even in the height of summer, don’t expect the sea temperature in the Western Cape to be anything less than bracing. The cold Benguela current means that the Atlantic waters on the south & west coasts (around Cape Town and Hermanus) are always cold, typically from 14C to 19C. (Though global warming has led to warmer waters recently). The sea temperatures rise as you head east beyond Cape Agulhas (the 'starting' point for the Indian Ocean) so that on the Garden Route you can enjoy a reasonable 21-22C rising up to very pleasant 24-25C in KwaZulu Natal.

South Africa beach holidays - Wilderness beach

Beach Holidays in South Africa in Winter & Spring - June to Sept

If you are visiting South Africa in winter - which is the best time to enjoy a safari - then head north to the Indian Ocean coast of KwaZulu Natal or at least to the Wild Coast of Eastern Cape.

South Africa beach holidays - KwaZulu Natal

Where have all the South Africa beach resorts gone?

South Africa doesn’t really ‘do’ beach resorts. We don't really know why. Perhaps it's something to do with the value of the real estate on the beachfront? Or that there's so much to see on safari, and elsewhere, that very few international visitors come for a 'week on the beach'? The benefit is that the shoreline outside urban areas has not suffered over-development.

So if you want a resort, with all the bells and whistles, then look at Mauritius and Mozambique. However we do have a small selection of prime beach hotels and lodges mentioned below.

WHAT AN AMAZING SAFARI! An outstanding job!
"WHAT AN AMAZING SAFARI! What an outstanding job you did! From the arrival of the guests to the end of the safari. I’ll speak on my behalf and let the other guests speak for themselv ..." - Mrs Carol Ndungu
A quite outstanding holiday
"We have just returned from a quite outstanding holiday. Milandi listened to what we wanted and organised it perfectly. The standard of the whole trip was even better than we expected and the itiner ..." - Mr Allan Cole
Holiday of a lifetime
"Just wanted to write a quick note to say a big thank you for all your help in arranging what was a fantastic trip for the three of us. My dad loved every minute of it. And said it was a holiday of ..." - Jo & Family
Everything was brilliant
"Ginny Russell and the Cedarberg team have arranged many trips to Africa for us over the last 25 years. Each holiday has been wonderful and we love planning them with Ginny. When we think Africa &am ..." - Mrs Val Cummins
The trip was a great success, Thanks Cedarberg
"Thanks again to Cedarberg Africa and you Tash for arranging the bookings and being able to respond when delays in transportation became apparent. Again I have appreciated the significant effort tha ..." - Mr R Brandon, USA
 
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Everything worked out perfectly
"Just a quick note to let you know everything worked out perfectly! We had a great time and the accommodations were excellent. We even had two elephants visiting our tent at Simbavati one evening. Y ..." - Mrs Brigitte, USA
Clearly experts on South Africa!
"Very helpful on the phone and by email. Lots of detailed advice and clearly experts on South Africa! Would definitely use again and have already recommended to friends. " - Ms Abrahams, UK
A varied and fantastic holiday that we will never forget
"Milandi interpreted all our needs perfectly and the tailor-made holiday was way beyond our expectations. As a first time visitor to South Africa, we were quite apprehensive about safety, but all th ..." - Mr Andrew Thompson
Excellent attention to detail
"This is the second holiday that Ginny and her team have arranged for us, and once again the service and attention to detail were excellent. Ginny put together a wonderful tailor made itinerary for ..." - Mrs Janet Mudge, UK
Cannot recommend enough
"I cannot recommend Cedarberg Africa enough, and more specifically, Mari Jacobs. I knew nothing about Africa and I thought it would be a wonderful place to go for our 2-week honeymoon. A co-worker h ..." - Mrs Denise Rehrig, USA
 
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Kate Bergh

AFRICAN TRAVEL SPECIALIST

Hi I'm Kate, I'm here to help you plan your ideal holiday experience GET IN TOUCH