Gordon’s Bay – Heart of the Cape!

Gordon’s Bay is centrally located close to Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Hermanus. Heart of the Cape, at least 40 things to do within 40km!

Exploring the Cape and you don’t like packing and unpacking every day to see another destination? Stay in one of the many Guesthouses, B&B’s, Boutique Hotels, Self Catering Suites or Apartments and explore all the famous places like Hermanus, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, Cape Town, Muizenberg and Kalk Bay, from one place, all in a one hour drive.

Explore Gordon’s Bay Surroundings

It is not about what to do but how much time do you have? We claim that Gordon’s Bay is in the Heart of the Cape. Central in the Cape, only an hour away, from Hermanus, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Cape Town, the quaint seaside village of Gordons Bay is close to Cape Town tourist attractions and is the answer to your holiday destination dreams!

Gordon’s Bay is sunny! South Africa is on the Southern Hemisphere. Gordon’s Bay is north-facing which means sun all day long. Europeans could get confused since they are used to south-facing to get sun but remember, coming from Europe, you crossed the Equator!

Gordon’s Bay, your closest stay to Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Hermanus and Cape Town Airport and the ideal seaside holiday destination in the Cape! At least 40 things to do within 40km!

You can explore Gordon’s Bay and surroundings in different ways. We have a list of specific points of interest and tourist destinations or you can just pick one of our four tours that will bring you around the many things to see and do around Gordon’s Bay.

There are four routes starting from or finishing in Gordon’s Bay.

• The famous Whale route to Hermanus over Clarence Drive with spectacular views;
• 4 Passes route through the Wine and Fruit lands that surrounds us;
• The Wine route from Sir Lowry’s Pass, Somerset to Stellenbosch and Franschoek;
• Bay route taking you along False Bay to quaint places like Muizenberg, Kalk-Bay up to Simons Town and Cape Point!

False Bay has warmer water compared with Atlantic Beaches in Cape Town!
Sea temperature in summer often reaches 22 °C (72 °F) in False Bay due to the South Easter wind blowing the warm Agulhas into False Bay. Whereas on the Atlantic beaches (in the City of Cape Town) the same wind pulls the warm surface water away from the coast, and this is replaced by very cold water from great depths, usually 6 – 14 °C (45 – 57 °F).

Things To Do and Explore in and around Gordon’s Bay

Besides the tours starting from or finisingin in Gordon’s Bay, here are the boxes to tick from the bucket list:

Whale and Dolphin Watching from ashore

Just outside Gordon’s Bay you will find our Whale Lookout Points. The Whale Walk ending at the Whale Outlook Point on Suikerbossie Road or go up to the Steenbras Lookout Point. Both have parking facilities, benches to watch over the ocean of False Bay and be lucky to spot the Dolphins and Whales. The whale season is between June and December every year.

Take a Hike

If you come for a hike, you came to the right area. We have our own Danie Miller hike, just up Aurora Road or Suikerbossie Road. The Danie Miller Hiking Trail will surprise you with the most spectacular views of Gordon’s Bay, False Bay, Helderberg Area and our harbour. It has a wide variety of indigenous plants, small streams and is a contour walk for young and old and follows the contour above the top houses along the length of Gordon’s Bay just below the anchor. The trial is about 2.9km long and takes about 2 hours to walk.

Stunning Views

Not in for a hike but just want to see where everyone talks about? Steenbras Lookout Point or the Sir Lowrys Pass Lookout at the N2 will give you that WOW moment for that beautiful picture capturing everything we are blessed with in the Cape.

Swim in a natural pool under a waterfall

Not the ordinary hike. Crystal Pools starts around the corner at the start of Clarence Drive. An intermediate hike of about 45 minutes brings you the first natural pool with a waterfall. Permits (R70) are required to enter the trails which are closed from May to the end of October due to winter flooding.

Dope on a Rope

What name is Kamikaze Kanyon for an Abseil experience? Experience a full day of adventure with a 65 metre waterfall abseil, canyoning (also known as kloofing) with jumps from 3 to 22 metres high and a beautiful hike. Yes, this is also Crystal Pools. This exhilarating canyoning trip is ideal for novice to seasoned adrenaline junkies and offers striking views.

Photo & Contact: https://abseilafrica.co.za/

Meet new friends in Primate Centre

Monkey Town Primate Centre, located on the N2 in Somerset West is a Wildlife Centre for monkeys and apes as well as a large variety of other species of animals. There are more than 250 primates and 26 different exotic species of monkeys and apes including Tammy, Ruby, and Sunny, our famous chimp sisters.

Monkey Town is not just a primate centre but also a wildlife centre with over 700 animals in total to admire.

Photo & Contact: https://www.monkeys.co.za/

Make your hole in one

South Africa is recognised internationally as a “Favoured Golf Destination”. Gordon’s Bay, with two 18 hole Championship Courses within a fifteen minute drive (no pun intended!), five more within 30 minutes, and a further seventeen more within one hour, can confidently lay claim to being the perfect base from which to explore and experience, the wide variety of terrain and settings, “off-course” experiences, friendly atmosphere and value for money that golf in the Western Cape provides. We have listed the nearest 7 for you below!

Fish your own meal

Gordon’s Bay has two harbours and ofcourse they have the famous Dolosse’s. Angling is a local sport so why don’t you join them. There are different bait shops in Gordon’s Bay. It was not for nothing that Gordon’s Bay was named Fischhoek or Vissersbaai when it was discovered! Use the Fishing Reminder for the proper time to throw out that line! Beyond Blue Charters can accommodate 4 guests with a maximum of 8 guests together with crew of Skipper and First Mate.

Photo: https://beyondbluecharters.co.za/gallery/

Help the Cheetahs

Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West / Strand is an education and community-based programme created to raise awareness of the plight of the cheetah and to campaign for its survival. It took 4 million years of evolution for the cheetah to become the exceptional animal it is today and only 100 years for man to place it on the endangered list. This Selfie is the money worth!

Photo: http://www.onlyadayaway.com/visiting-a-cheetah-outreach/

Hire a bicycle

Hire a bicycle and experience the splendour of the Western Cape in a most unique way. Rentabicycle based in Gordon’s Bay not only rents out bikes but also offers four different routes in the area. Have different and eye opening experience of South Africa’s culture and natural beauty by bicycle. Cycle with view!

Photo: http://www.rentabicycle.co.za

Penguins watching you

Betty’s Bay – on the Clarence Drive Route – only 30 minutes from Gordon’s Bay has Stoney Point. Most tourist know Boulders Beach in Simons Town and that is why Stoney Point in Betty’s Bay is a much more natural setting to let the Penguins watch you. You might spot Dassies and Turtle’s as well. Don’t spread the word, this is a hidden gem!

Photo: https://www.capeclick.co.za

Magnificent Sunsets

Gordon’s Bay is famous for the spectacular sunsets! Watch as the sun slips behind the indigo-coloured Table Mountain Range across the Bay and the sky lights up. Tones of peach, apricot, gold maroon and violet swirl in amazing cloud patterns and shine on the Helderberg Mountains, which reflect pink hues onto the patchwork of vineyards in the Helderberg wine region.

If there is one thing that Gordon’s Bay is known for and also the number one local sport: Sunset photo’s! Hundreds have been taken and all unique and beautiful. Every day a new painting. From our Outlook Points, the harbour, the beach, our restaurants at Beach Road, your apartment or room, there is hardly no place where you can watch the star at the center of our Solar System.

Celebrate Wine-O-Clock

With about 20 vineyards within a 30 minute drive from Gordon’s Bay, There is no excuse to miss Wine-O-Clock. The idea of rewarding yourself after a day’s hard graft with a goldfish bowl  could become an experience visiting one these of estate’s that service wine-tasting or even better, wine-pairing. The first ones just outside Gordon’s Bay are Idiom in Sir Lowry’s Pass, Onderkloof and Waterkloof in the direction of Somerset and Lourensford and Vergelegen in Somerset. The list continues in the direction of Stellenbosch.

Photo: http://idiom.co.za

Zip a Line

Lonely Planet listed Cape Canopy Tour, located in the Elgin Valley near Grabouw and scaling the rugged Hottentots Holland mountains in the Cape Nature reserve of the same name, as second on the list of the world’s hottest new tourism experiences for 2015. Cape Canopy Tour was the only African attraction to make the list! It has been described by Lonely Planet as “vertigo-tinged fun” and “an exciting aerial perspective”.

Our unique two harbours with typical South African Dolosse’s

Unique in South-Africa, Gordon’s Bay boasts two harbours. Our picturesque Gordon’s Bay Harbour and the Blue Flag-rated Harbour Island Marina where large cruisers and other sea craft are safely moored offering a delightful setting for seaside dining and sipping the excellent local wines.

What can be more South African than Dolosse? Not only were they invented in South Africa, but we have a long history with Sangoma’s who also throw the Dolosse.
Those huge and oddly named concrete creations used to absorb and dissipate the energy of the seas, which are mostly found at the entrances to ports and harbours, although they also find use elsewhere where scour protection is required.

The Dolosse at our Old Harbour are symbolic on so many levels. Perfect selfie backdrop with the setting of sun or a moody ocean but also knowing that they serve to shelter from a storm, sign for family values, used for angler perches.Rugged, handsome and honest, down to Earth.

Chill at the weekend market(s)

Good food, delicious drinks, lively tunes and brilliant company. ROOT44 knows South Africans enjoy nothing more. The perfect all-weather setting where you, friends and family can come together rain or shine. A market with a difference: housed in sturdy, super cosy marquees (which means rain is never an issue), and surrounded by gorgeous vineyards and trees, we offer funky live entertainment, craft and homeware stalls perfect for leisurely browsing, and an awesome selection of edible and drinkable treats.

The Blaauwklippen Family Market has become renowned for being the best way to spend a Sunday in the Western Cape. Not only are there a wide range of mouth-watering foods and creative crafts, but there’s also fantastic entertainment and plenty of space for the kids to run free and play.

If you’re looking to appease your appetite there’s plenty to please, whether it be banting burgers, scrumptious samosas or any of the incredible international cuisine on offer; Greek kebabs, German Flammkuchen, Chinese dumplings and more! All this paired perfectly with Blaauwklippen wines, live music from the very best talented local musicians, to ensure a toe-tapping good time!

Elgin Railway Market in Grabouw, is the brainchild of businessman Roger Orpen, who converted the old apple warehouse into a bustling steampunk station market boasting local vendors, live music and a gateway to the beautiful Overberg town.

Inspired by the barn’s railway-side setting, Orpen took his creative cues from the invention of steam and the industrial age, milestones accompanied by the rapid development of rail networks across the world. Creating a beautiful space where art deco meets Victorian, the Market is unlike any other in South Africa. The whistle and steam of the arriving train is a must-see for children (and adults) and a bucket list experience for the passengers who sign up to take the ride. Visitors to the market can greet the train on the station platform or view its arrival from the Market’s leisure deck overlooking the railway.