Jeffrey’s Bay

Jeffrey’s Bay is located on the Garden Route in the Eastern Cape province about 70 kilometers west of Port Elizabeth. It has views of St. Francis Bay with the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, which makes Jeffrey’s Bay a great vacation spot.

This area once belonged to the San, later to the Khoi-San people and because they roamed a lot on the beach they became known as “Strandlopers”. In the area you can still find some San petroglyphs.

Surfers from all over the world come together here to enjoy the sun, sea, golden beaches and legendary waves. It is one of the best surfing locations in the world and the International Billabong surf competition takes place here every year.

This is also a good place for novice (kite) surfers, in addition to waves and wind, there are also numerous instructors who will teach you the intricacies. And where there are beautiful waves, clear water and a wonderful temperature, dolphins will also feel very much at home there.

But besides all the surfing events there are of course other water activities or you can walk along Dolphin Beach in search of beautiful shells. This beach has a blue flag status and that means it is clean, safe and recommended for families. Swimming and sunbathing under the South African sun, what could be better!

Between June and December it is the place to watch the Southern Right Whale and the Humpback whales swim by on their way to warmer waters. Occasionally Orcas and Bryde’s Whales are seen but that is an exception. The Bottle nose and Humpback dolphins are frequently seen here all year round.

The wonderful climate, the sea, dunes, bushveld and forests ensure a bird-rich life in and around Jeffrey’s Bay and 450 different species of feathered friends are found.

In and around Jeffreys Bay, on both sides of the river, a number of protected nature areas are located; the Kabeljous and Seekoei Estuaria and the Noorsekloof nature reserve. So even if you do not like surfing, you can enjoy splendid nature here.

The village offers numerous restaurants from ‘take-away’ to chic, there are coffee shops and shops and schools where you can find instructors for diving, surfing and sand boarding and of course you will find surf shops! You will understand that this is a lively village especially in the summer and very quiet in the winter months.

Every year there is a Shell festival, but if you are not here during that period you can visit the Shell Museum. There is also a surf museum, because where it is a true surfers paradise, something like this should not be missing. Here you will find history about this immensely popular sport.

Another popular sport is golf and the enthusiast of this sport will also find something here. In Jeffrey’s Bay itself you will find the 9 hole Jeffrey’s Bay Golf Club, but if you want to play more on different courses you can go to 2 golf courses in St Francis Bay and 5 golf courses in Port Elizabeth.

Jeffrey’s Bay is also the main road to Tsitsikamma park and the beautiful Garden Route, it is close to Port Elizabeth – if you just want to get into town – and if you would like to see the Big Five or better yet the Big 7 then you are just steps away away from Addo Elephant National Park

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