Gouritsmond Beach

About Gouritsmond Beach

The Gouritsmond Beach is a Blue Flag one; which means that, in addition to its being extraordinarily beautiful, it offers so much more than just a pretty place to spend a day. In fact, to qualify as a Blue Flag beach, there are more than 30 criteria under the umbrellas of water quality, environment education and management, environmental information, safety, and the services on offer. By adhering to these, the beach becomes a wonderful place for the whole family to swim, play and explore.

The Gouritsmond Beach certainly offers plenty in the way of natural beauty. There are powdery beige sands, and the ocean is deep and surging; its hue changing all the time in response to the sky. Along each end of the curved beach, there are rust-coloured rocks and the rock pools that they home. Fishermen stand on the rocks, while little ones love to climb and explore them.

The water is still relatively warm because this is the Indian Ocean. However, the meeting point of the Indian and Atlantic oceans isn't far off (at Cape Agulhas), which means that the sea is a little cooler than in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The waves are great for surfing, stand-up paddling, kite-surfing and hydrofoiling. When the swell is smaller, this beach is also fantastic for swimming,

The sandy stretch is long enough to work up a sweat on a short jog, or to enjoy a romantic stroll. Building sand castles, catching a tan, or tossing a Frisbee are all part of the Gouritsmond Beach experience. There are ablutions and a small parking area.

Gouritsmond accommodation ranges from campsites to quaint B&B's right on the doorstep of the beaches; from self-catering chalets in the bush to farmhouses in the rolling hills of the Hessequa district on the Garden Route. And it's true that there isn't much to do here. In fact, that's the attraction. Gouritsmond is the place to go when you need to get away from it all, and to refresh your mind and body.