Once the ‘ugly duckling’ of its Garden Route relations, Mossel Bay is now reeling in local and international tourists.
In fact, it was recently named – for the second time – the Western Cape’s ‘Town of the Year’.
Visitors come for the beaches, surf, fishing, the Oystercatcher Trail, whale watching, skydiving, quadbikes… Catherine Hofmeyr added shark-cage diving and sandboarding to her activity list.
I went to Mossel Bay specifically to dive with great white sharks. I got bitten – by a honey badger.
Okay, I guess that needs a bit of explaining. Let’s start with the great white sharks.
I joined White Shark Africa and a cosmopolitan group of shark huggers aboard the cat Shark Warrior, for the short cruise to Seal Island, home to a barking, milling colony of Cape fur seals.
First a chum trail of fish blood and minced fish was scooped into the water. We waited, sweating and wondering if it was wise to have signed that indemnity form after all. Suddenly a black fin broke the surface.
‘Okay divers, kit up, first six into the cage,’ came the instruction. The steel cage is fixed to the side of the boat with enough headroom for divers to breathe at the surface. The bait line was played out, attached to a float. We masked divers clambered in and waited in the chilly water.
‘Shark from the left, divers down,’ came the next barked instruction. I took a deep breath and submerged. From the depths emerged the ocean’s super predator, jaws open, beady eyes fixed on the bait.
With awesome power it gripped the bait and kept on coming, straight at the cage. Instinctively I braced for impact, but it veered away at the last moment. It was so close I could have touched it. My adrenaline was still surging as the next shark cruised slowly past, eyeing us cage dwellers with only passing interest.
We saw seven sharks in total, ranging from 2,5 to 3,5 metres long. Not every outing is so lucky but White Shark Africa has a high success rate.
None of which explains how I got bitten by a honey badger. That happened a day later at Jukani Predator Park (now moved to The Crags, Plettenberg Bay), where visitors get as close to the world’s big cats as they can without actually becoming lunch – although I was perhaps an appetiser. Jukani, you see, also has a snake park and a badger in a walled enclosure. While I was distracted, taking pictures, the stealthy blighter snuck up from behind, clawed up the wall and sank his incisors into my elbow. It was quite a job to shake him off.
My daughter Kira has always wanted to see a tiger. At Jukani she not only got to see Juka, a pukka Bengal tiger, but white tigers and lions as well. Timing our visit for the 16h00 feeding time, we also saw Queenie the lioness, hyenas, wild dogs, caracals and a black leopard sinking their teeth into sides of venison – and two fussy cheetahs eating chicken delicately off plates. Jukani’s a great experience for children – just don’t let them run near the enclosures at feeding time – or rest their arms on the badger cage.
Catch a ride
Arguably the most popular ride on the entire Garden Route is the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe, a historical steam train which runs between the Transport Museum in George and the Dias Museum Complex in Mossel Bay, passing spectacular coastal scenery as you chuff-chuff along.
Before departing the transport museum, check out the coach princesses Elizabeth and Margaret travelled in during their visit to South Africa in 1947. Sadly, due to the withdrawal of Transnet, the Choo-Tjoe faces an uncertain future so the service may be limited in the coming months.
If you do make it to Santos Beach by train, you’re in the right place to catch the Romanza, a beautiful, old two-masted motor yacht, for a spot of whale watching (June to October) or a trip out to see the antics of the smelly seal colony on Seal Island – or a romantic sunset cruise (November to April).
Step up the pace with a helicopter ride with MacYoung Helicopters – a short flip won’t break the holiday budget. I was whisked along the spectacular cliffs of the Oystercatcher Trail and then over Pinnacle Point Golf Course, described by its designer Peter Matkovitch as ‘the most dramatic golf course site I’ve ever encountered anywhere in the world’. I waved to surfers riding the Point, then we looked for great whites off Dias Beach before returning to the local airfield -Mossel Bay in 15 minutes flat.
I waved to surfers riding the Point, then we looked for great whites off Dias Beach
Inner Pool and Outer Pool at Mossel Bay Point are renowned surf breaks and the venue for numerous surf contests. Outer Pool can get quite gnarly and is definitely not for beginners.
If you’re a novice, Billeon Surf and Sand, a surf and sandboarding school, will show you where and how to get up and riding. Billeon recently added sandboarding to the repertoire.
Instructor Leon van Rensburg had me up and skimming down the dauntingly steep Dragon Dune at Vleesbaai while my youngsters, Tom and Kira, had the time of their lives on a smaller dune. But what skims down has to come up – by slogging on foot.
Too adrenaline-charged for you? Slow down the pace at Outeniqua Moon Percheron Stud and Guest Farm by returning to the bygone age of horse drawn transport. Climb aboard a jauntily painted cart and let big Bobby, the Percheron carthorse, pull you on a leisurely ride through rolling hills of coastal fynbos, stopping for tea and cake.
If you like the company of big beasts, go for a picnic and elephant ride with pachyderms Sam and Tsotsi at nearby Botlierskop Private Game Reserve.
Catch some living maritime history
History – okay, okay, don’t groan just yet. The Dias Museum Complex is no dust-gathering old edifice to the dead. How many museums can there be with a real ship inside? The maritime section houses a replica of the caravel on which Bartolomeu Dias sailed to Mossel Bay back in 1488. No limp model, this wooden ship was built in Portugal and sailed to Mossel Bay, arriving in 1988, amid much pomp and ceremony, to commemorate the 500th year of Dias’s historical voyage. Visitors can clamber onboard to view the sailing life of the 15th century. How she came to be berthed inside a building is quite a story.
Staying with things nautical, the Cape St Blaize Lighthouse has been a beacon to navigators since 1864. It’s open to visitors Mondays to Fridays (no public holidays) and well worth a visit, particularly for the view from the tower. The lighthouse and museum are part of the ‘Explore Mossel Bay on Foot’, a self-guided walk that starts at the tourism office (collect an information pamphlet) and includes nearly 50 places of interest – some of which serve food.
Slumber with the sea in your ears
I can’t think of any coastal town that offers as many accommodation options beside the sea as Mossel Bay does. The relatively new four-star The Point Hotel (judged an AA Accommodation Awards finalist last year) occupies a commanding position on the rocks overlooking a natural rock pool.
So close is the sea that huge breakers invaded the lowest floor during a freak storm a few years back – book an upstairs room just in case. On misty nights you’ll hear the foghorn but the attentive staff at The Point ‘provide earplugs’ for your comfort. Enjoy breakfast on The Lighthouse Restaurant deck or a massage therapy in the comfort of your room while the breakers pound outside the window.
A short stroll from The Point is the new and funky Point Village Hotel. It offers en suite rooms with kitchenettes as well as apartments with full kitchens, ideal for a family stay – all individually decorated in fresh and modern design, and at a good price. Breakfast at Delfino’s as the sun rises out of the sea to greet you or tuck into an excellent seafood platter at The King Fisher, just two of seven restaurants within walking distance.
The adjacent Point Village Self Catering offers character cottages for hire. Step off your porch onto sand and into the surf or braai while the surfers do battle with the breakers at Outer Pool. There’s also the popular Point Caravan Park with sea views from most sites – book well in advance if you want to camp around Christmas time.
Named as one of the world’s most eccentric places to stay, the Santos Express offers budget living on a train. Instead of a locomotive at the head, there’s a bar and restaurant, so this train’s not going anywhere. You’ll be able to step off the train directly onto Santos Beach come morning.
When you’re next on the N2, deviate a while. Mossel Bay’s more than PetroSA and gas pipelines. Where else can you sleep with a foghorn, surf a sand dune, get closely acquainted with great white sharks and Bengal tigers, and receive the unwanted attentions of a honey badger? Oh, and the seafood’s pretty darn good too.
More for adrenaline junkies…
- Tame the dunes on the Vleesbaai 4×4 Dune Route, tel 044-699-1107 or cell 082-784-8238.
- Skydive in tandem with Skydive Mossel Bay, cell 082-824-8599.
- Hook a fish with Mossel Bay Deepsea Adventures, cell 072-454-2988.
- Abseil, climb or scuba with Adventure’s Edge Dive and Outdoor Centre, tel 044-692-0313.
- Quadbike at Rietvlei with Rietvlei Quad Adventures, cell 083-459-3936.
- Shoot the Dias Beach Supertubes.
…and for the more timid
Take a cultural tour with Back Road Safaris, tel 044-690-8150 or meet the rabbits and foals at Harry Giddy Park.
Travel Planner
Visit Mossel Bay
Pop in at the excellent tourism office on the corner of Market and Church Streets. Tel 044-691-2202, Website.
What to do
- Billeon Surf and Sand, Tel 044-691 -3811 or cell 082-971-1405, www.billeon.com.
- Botlierskop Private Game Reserve, near Little Brak, for game drives, horse and elephant rides. Tel 044-696-6055, website.
- Dias Museum Complex, Tel 044-691-1067, website.
- Jukani Predator Park is signposted south of Mossel Bay on the N2. Tel 044-698-2004, website.
- Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe, Booking essential on Tel 044-801-8288.
- Outeniqua Moon Percheron Stud and Guest Farm, Booking essential on tel 044-631-0093, cell 082-564-9782, website.
- Oystercatcher Trail, four-day portaged trail from Mossel Bay to Gouritsmond. Tel 044-699-1204, website.
- Romonza yacht cruises, Tel 044-690-3101, cell 082-701-9031, website.
- Tee off with views of the sea from every green at Mossel Bay Golf Club, tel 044-691-2379, or the spectacular Pinnacle Point, tel 044-693-3438.
- White Shark Africa, Participants don’t need diving experience. Tel 044-691-3796, website.
Where to stay
- Point Caravan Park, Tel 044-690-3501, website.
- Point Village Hotel, Tel 044-690-3156, website.
- Point Village Self Catering, Tel 044-690-7782, website.
- Santos Express, Tel 044-691-1995, website.
- The Point Hotel, Tel 044-691-3512, website.
Where to eat
- Delfino’s, espresso bar and pizzeria, tel 044-690-5247.
- Go to Cafe Gannet for a seafood extravaganza, tel 044-691-1885.
- Rosenheim Deli & Bistro for traditional German delicacies made on the premises by fleischmaster Franz Eismayr, tel 044-690-4485.
- The King Fisher for seafood and sushi, tel 044-690-6390.
- The Lighthouse Restaurant at The Point Hotel, tel 044-691-3512.
- Sea Gypsy Cafe at the quay, tel 044-690-5496.
Get more online…
Text by Catherine Hofmeyr. Article taken from the October 2010 edition of Getaway magazine.
| More info on the town of Mossel Bay | More info on the Garden Route area |
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