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Explore Summer Africa Guide<br />
Pubs, restaurants, shops and museums are all within walking distance.<br />
Sea temperatures range between a comfortable 20 to 22 degrees<br />
Celsius during the summer months and 13 to 14 degrees Celsius<br />
in winter. Lifeguards are on duty between November and January.<br />
Facilities are excellent and the beach has Blue Flag status along with<br />
several other Mossel Bay beaches.<br />
Hobie Beach, Port Elizabeth<br />
Port Elizabeth, part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, has a string<br />
of popular beaches along its pleasant coastline, but arguably the<br />
most popular is Hobie Beach. In summer you will be challenged to<br />
find an open spot among the many colourful umbrellas packed onto<br />
the beach, which is also the venue for the annual “Splash Festival”,<br />
beach volleyball and world boardsailing championships. Hobie Beach<br />
is a favorite for swimming, sunbathing, body surfing and small-boat<br />
sailing, as its name suggests. The beach has Blue Flag status, meaning it<br />
is safe, clean and has excellent facilities. Right behind the beach is The<br />
Boardwalk and an abundance of restaurants, pubs, shops, a casino, and<br />
an aquarium, while jutting into the sea is the landmark Shark Rock Pier.<br />
2nd Beach, Port St Johns, Eastern<br />
Cape Wild Coast<br />
Popular with backpackers, surfers and locals, 2nd Beach Port St Johns is<br />
less safe or well-serviced than other beaches, with several shark attacks<br />
having taken place here. But what it may lack in safety and amenities,<br />
it certainly makes up for with some of the most spectacular scenery.<br />
If you are looking for an unspoilt beach off the beaten track that will<br />
remind you of the popular movie, The Beach, this is it. Powerful Wild<br />
Coast waves and a river mouth are set off against a backdrop of forests<br />
and green hills dotted with local villagers’ homes. Several backpackers’<br />
lodges are found in the area, as well as some lovely restaurants and<br />
watering holes. Just remember, you may have to share the beach with<br />
some lazy cows from the nearby farming villages.<br />
Bloubergstrand & Big Bay, Cape Town<br />
Extremely popular with families, the young crowd, surfers, kite surfers<br />
and paddle skiers, this beach also offers you the most famous, iconic<br />
view across its calm waters – Robben Island and Table Mountain. It is<br />
easy to reach, with plenty of parking and convenient public transport,<br />
good facilities, and life guards on duty. Adjacent to Big Bay is Eden on<br />
the Bay with its luxury apartments, many fine restaurants, surf shops<br />
and other stores. On windy summer’s days the bay and other nearby<br />
beaches quickly fill up with a multitude of brightly coloured kites with<br />
kite surfers performing tricks and amazing high jumps at breakneck<br />
speed. And of course, after a hard day’s sun and sea there is the nearby,<br />
ever popular Blue Peter Hotel where the beach crowds gather for some<br />
refreshing beer and pizzas. You can also make Big Bay the starting point<br />
of a refreshing 10km beach hike to Melkbosstrand.<br />
Gonubie Beach, East London<br />
Set in a tranquil, almost rural setting at the mouth of the Gonubie<br />
River next to a small village some 10km north of East London, this<br />
42 |ISSUE 4|www.mzanzitravel.co.za | MZANZI TRAVEL
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