With roughly 2.800km of coastline, South Africa has no shortage of beaches and travelers are spoilt for choice. Along this coastline you can find thousands of beaches, from the popular city beaches of Cape Town and Durban, to the sandy stretches and idyllic coves of the Garden Route and the Wild Coast. With azure rolling waves, white sands and green scenery, some of these beaches can really compete with the most beautiful beaches in the world.

These beaches provide all sorts of activities, such as swimming, sunbathing, walking, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving and more. But not all of these beaches are suitable for all of these activities. When it comes to swimming, the warmer the waters, the more pleasant it is for us. Along the west coast of South Africa runs the colder current of the Atlantic Ocean, while the south and east coast benefit the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean. Swimming in the colder waters of the Atlantic Ocean can be quite a challenge and sometimes dangerous.

The Western Cape province is one of South Africa’s most popular destinations. Among other reasons, beaches are one of them. The Garden Route region has seemingly endless beaches alongside lagoons, mountains and forests. While the coastline of Cape Town is said to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. And if you look at the beaches of Camps Bay, Clifton or Llundudno, you will understand what they mean.

The Eastern Cape province offers diverse landscapes with stunning coastlines. Traveling from the last stretch of the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth and the Wild Coast, the coastline changes from rocky and rugged to pristine and sandy. The beaches also change in this rhythm, from dotted bays to long stretches with coastal dunes.

The Kwazulu-Natal coastline stretches from the popular South Coast to the subtropical north. Having a subtropical climate, this coastline is a year round destination with warm waters in any season. The further north of Durban you go, the less crowded the beaches become.

Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach is probably the most famous beach of South Africa and that is due to its local residents, the African Penguins. Besides these celebrities, the beach itself is quite beautiful. When you read about ‘Boulders Beach’, you are actually talking about 4 beaches; Foxy Beach, Middle Beach, 1st Beach and Boulders Beach. Of these 4 beaches, only Foxy Beach can’t be accessed by humans.

Dias Beach

Dias Beach lies between the famous Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. The cool ocean currents from Antarctica flow passed here, so this is not a beach for swimming. Located between huge rocky sandstone cliffs with beautiful colors, 2 pinnacles standing out of the white sand and blue water rushing on the shores, this beach is a perfect place to relax. Although the landmarks in the area are really crowded, this beach is not. Most of the time you will have it all to yourself, with the occasional baboons.

Grotto Beach

Grotto Beach can be divided into 2 areas. There is a blue flag area to the northwest, on the shores of the city Hermanus. This is the smallest of the 2, about 1 km (0.6 mi) in length, and this is where most of the tourists come to enjoy the sun, the beach and the water. The other area, from the mouth of the Klein River to the city De Kelders, is much longer. With a length of 17 km (11 mi), this beach is located on the shores of the Walker Bay Nature Reserve and doesn’t receive a lot of tourists.

Kariega Beach

Kariega Beach is located on the southern side of the city Kenton-On-Sea, between the two tidal rivers Kariega River and the Bushmans River. The Kariega River side is the most popular and provides beautiful golden sandy banks. When you travel down to the Bushmans River side the beach becomes more rocky and rugged. This is where you will find beautiful rock formations on the beach that stretch into the ocean and the idyllic Shelley Bay.

Keurbooms Beach

Keurbooms Beach is a little bit wilder and more pristine than other Plettenberg Bay beaches, nonetheless very beautiful and less crowded. This beach begins at the Keurbooms River mouth and runs roughly 7.5 km (4.7 mi) to the northeast. The white sandy beach is sheltered by mountains, covered with indigenous greenery, that seem to hug the coastline.

Long Beach

Between the cities of Kommetjie and Chapmans Peak, the beautiful sandy Long Beach stretches over 5 km (3.1 mi). From the southern end of the elevated Chapmans Peak Drive you will get a magnificent view on the beach and the nature. The waves here are perfect for surfing, most of the time there is a strong wind and the cold water of the Atlantic Ocean does not make Long Beach a sunbathing beach. This is where you come to get a breath of fresh air, walk up and down the powdered sand and enjoy the mountains in the backdrop.

Lookout Beach

When you are standing on the beach, it looks seemingly-endless because the Keurbooms Beach is right next to it, but the 2 beaches are separated by the Keurbooms River. The mouth of the river creates a lagoon with a lot of sand banks and standing water. These standing pools of water, but also the warm Indian Ocean, invite you to take a dive. With a scenery of a long pristine beach, the city of Plettenberg against the hills and the mountains of the Garden Route in the back, Lookout beach is worth checking out.

Myoli Beach

Myoli Beach lies on the shores of Sedgefield and is a beautiful sandy beach with some high dunes on the edge. Sedgefield is hardly visible from this pristine beach, the only things you will see and hear are the waves, the beach, sandy dunes, fossilized dunes and a lot of low vegetation on the dunes.

Nature's Valley Beach

When you are in the area of Plettenberg Bay, Nature’s Valley Beach is definitely worth a visit. This beautiful stretch of beach is perfect for walks, sunbathing, swimming and other forms of recreation. The beach is located between the Groot River mouth and the Salt River mouth. With huge indigenous trees in the surrounding forests, crystal clear rivers, a lagoon and isolated sands, it is no wonder this beach has been declared as one of the most beautiful in South Africa.