Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay is where the Garden Route starts, and it is a working town - harbour, fuel terminal, industry - as well as a holiday one, which keeps it cheaper and less polished than Knysna or Plettenberg. The bay faces east and is sheltered from the prevailing wind, so the swimming beaches are calm and the water is warmer than anywhere west of here. The St Blaize trail runs about thirteen kilometres along the cliffs from the lighthouse at Cape St Blaize to Dana Bay, high above the sea the whole way, and it is one of the better day walks on this coast. Further along the cliffs are the caves at Pinnacle Point, where excavation has found evidence of shellfish gathering, pigment use and heat-treated stone tools from roughly 160,000 years ago - among the earliest such evidence anywhere - though access is restricted and by guided tour only.

History

Archaeological deposits here go back more than 164,000 years. Bartolomeu Dias landed on 3 February 1488, the first Europeans on South African soil, and Vasco da Gama traded for cattle with the Khoi here in 1497; the first permanent European building, a granary, went up in 1787, and the offshore gas fields found in 1969 brought a gas-to-liquids refinery (Wikipedia, Mossel Bay).

What to look for

• The St Blaize trail - thirteen kilometres of clifftop path above the sea.
• Sheltered warm beaches - an east-facing bay out of the prevailing wind.
• The Pinnacle Point caves - very early evidence of shellfish use and pigment, by guided tour.
• A working harbour town - industry alongside the holiday front.

When to go

All year; December to March for swimming. Two days. The cliff trail is best early.

What to expect

It is an industrial town in parts and less scenic than the Garden Route further east. Cave tours are limited, weather-dependent and must be booked. The cliff trail is exposed with no water. Peak season crowds the beaches.

Nearby

George and the Outeniqua pass are east; Oudtshoorn is north over the mountains.

Key facts