Mossel Bay Holidays

Beach days and active adventures are some of the best things to do in Mossel Bay, but the attractions don’t end there. Walk to Cape St. Blaize and the 21-metre-tall lighthouse, which has kept sailors safe since 1864. The tower is open between April and October and has some of the best views across the Garden Route. Find Stone Age fossils at the caves of Pinnacle Point, one of Earth’s oldest human sites.

Check out the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex and learn about the Mossel Bay region at the Granary, its Portuguese seafaring history at the Maritime Museum, and how locals have built industries around its indigenous molluscs at the Shell Museum and Aquarium. Watch whales from a nearby perch, see the reconstructed freshwater spring, and witness the 500-year-old Post Office Tree. Looking for something really quirky? How about the 640 exhibits of the Janine Iron & Washing Museum?

Mossel Bay is home to some of the finest beaches in South Africa, making it one of the best places to stay and relax on a Garden Route road trip. Warm sea and soft sands at the edge of the Indian Ocean are just the opening acts of this region’s Blue Flag beaches. Santos, a short stroll from downtown, is a community hub of live entertainment, food markets, and festivals, with watersports available from the shore.

Diaz offers a long stretch of sand with plenty of shaded spots and waves that are perfect for beginner and advanced surfers. Further along the bay sits Hartenbos, a riverside community with soft sands and some of the best swimming waters in the country. Dolphins and seals can be seen from many Mossel Bay beaches, while visitors between June and November might also catch whales passing close to shore.

Stretching for over a kilometre and dipping through the waves below, Mossel Bay Zipline is the longest over-ocean zipline in the world. Soaring over the sea at 50 mph is only one of the adrenaline thrills this stunning beachside destination has to offer. Skydive from 10,000 feet. Cage dive with great white sharks.

Sand-board on the Dragon Dune. Ride a speedboat in the Indian Ocean, parasail above it, or bounce into it from the Fat Boys Blob Launcher. Try your hand at deep-sea fishing, learn to sail, or enjoy a family day out at Diaz Water Park. Back on dry land, the St. Blaize Hiking Trail runs over eight miles out and back along the craggy coastline as cute dassies scramble around the rocks and birds from eagles and goshawks to wood owls and colourful turaco fly above.

A temperate climate and minimal rainfall make Mossel Bay and the wider Garden Route a great year-round destination. October to April are the warmest months, with daytime temperatures reaching as high as 25°C and nights rarely falling below the mid-teens. May to September still offer pleasant temperatures during the day but can become cold in the evening, with warm jackets recommended.

July and August are likely to see the most rainfall, but long downpours are rare at any time. Peak visitor months are the British summer holidays of July and August, with the lowest numbers in November and December. Whale-watching season lasts from June to November.