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.

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 far-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 - Nov 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 people 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.

Highlights

  • The perfect destination for people who want to combine some beach time with other activities.
  • Endless stretches of beautiful South African coastline are remarkably free from tourist development.
  • Very easy to combine with a safari, especially in Kwa-Zulu Natal
  • The only beach destination in Southern and East Africa which is not priced in Dollars or Euros - so your money goes further.

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. You can imagine the excitement! Thank you for your hard work to make this a fantastic safari. " Mrs Brigitte, USA

Mr Guy Crabb - Ginny

"Ginny listened to what we wanted and delivered an itinerary that pretty much blew us away. " Mr Guy Crabb

Thanks for setting up the most glorious flowers trip for us!

"From start to finish we experienced fantastic service from Cedarberg Africa especially from Sonja. The itinerary was perfect, accommodation was great and the suggestions of things to see were very useful. We especially liked the variety of accommodation you set up from glamping to some awesome 5 star establishments. Thank you. We have already provided your company details with other friends who have expressed an interest in using your services. And we may be calling on you again for assistance in setting up our future trips, some being a wine farm tour in the Cape and a trip to Namibia (southern section) – but that is in the future. Thank you once again for your professionalism and passion in the services you offer. " Davies & Edwards family
 

Ginny Russell

Co-founder & Director

Hi I'm Ginny, I'm here to help you plan your ideal holiday experience

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Did you know
  • SizeSouth Africa's coastline is 2,800 km long
  • Water TemperatureRanges from a freezing 14C in Cape Town to 22-24C in northern KwaZulu Natal.

Accommodation

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Vacation of a lifetime

"Milandi and the Cedarberg team not only planned each detail but also gave us helpful tips in advance to help us prepare for our holiday. Once in SA, there was never a need to contact Cedarberg because each day’s activities went off without a hitch " Mr & Mrs La Doe, USA

Seamless arrangements

"We were often posting on Facebook during our travels and many of our friends were asking who arranged our trip, so don’t be surprised to get a few referrals. Again, thank you so much for your time and effort with our trip! " Ms Tammy

10 out of 10 for everything

"The holiday was exceptionally good and we all enjoyed every moment, especially my son Stephen (10 years old). The fact that Stephen enjoyed it says a lot since he is a seasoned traveller (as are most expat kids) having been to almost 20 countries already in his lifetime. We returned with more than a thousand photos and wonderful memories of what Africa can offer at its best " Family De Waal,