Robberg Nature Reserve

Robberg is a blade of rock running four kilometres into the sea at Plettenberg Bay, and the walk along it is one of the best day hikes on this coast. Three routes share the start and then split: a short loop on the landward end, a middle circuit, and the full circumnavigation out to the point, along the seaward cliffs and back over a sand spit to an island tied to the peninsula by a tombolo. A Cape fur seal colony lives on the rocks below the path, loud and visible; great whites hunt them, and sightings from the cliff happen. Nelson Bay Cave, a large shelter in the cliff face, holds an archaeological sequence going back roughly 120,000 years, with shell middens showing coastal people were eating seafood here far earlier than was once assumed. Southern rights and humpbacks pass close in winter and spring.

History

The Robberg Nature Reserve, of 1.96 km2, was established on 1 August 1980, and the marine protected area around it was set up on 2 September 1998 (Wikipedia, Robberg Nature Reserve and Marine Protected Area).

What you'll find

• The four-kilometre point - a rock peninsula walked to its tip on cliff paths.
• The seal colony - Cape fur seals below the path, with sharks hunting offshore.
• Nelson Bay Cave - a shelter with about 120,000 years of occupation evidence.
• The tombolo - the sand bar tying the island to the peninsula end.

When to go

All year; June to November for whales. Two hours for the middle loop, four for the full point.

Practical notes

The full circuit is rocky, exposed and takes longer than people expect - the gate closes and rangers check. Sections are slippery and there are unfenced drops. No water on the route. High seas close the sand-spit section. Wind is constant on the seaward side.

Nearby

Plettenberg Bay is minutes away; Keurbooms lagoon is east.

Key facts