Struisbaai is a coastal village in the Overberg region of the Western Cape in South Africa. This small town is part of the Cape Agulhas Municipality. It is super close to Cape Agulhas just (8km, 4.97 miles) away which is known for being the southernmost point of Africa. When I visited Cape Agulhas I went to Struisbaai because the beach there has soft white sand and it’s much bigger which is great for social distancing.

Where did Struisbaai get it’s name from?

No one knows where the name Struisbaai comes from for sure. There are three different stories behind the name. Strooi is straw in Afrikaans and the fisherman homes have thatched roofs made from straw. So strooibaai became Struisbaai but, I don’t really believe this story. Then there’s the story saying that since ostriches are called struisvogel in Dutch and used to live in Struisbaai the name honours these birds. The last explaination is that the village is named after the old Dutch word for huge since the beaches stretch far and wide in Struisbaai. This explanation is plausible since Struisbaai is home to the longest beach in the Southern Hemisphere.

How do I get to Struisbaai?

Struisbaai is two and a half hours away from Cape Town by car. There is no direct public transport route to Struisbaai. You will have to hire a car and drive there. It is a gorgeous road trip, with mountains, wine estates and lots of interesting places along the route.

Is it safe swim at the beach?

The beach is perfect for swimming especially since the water is warmer than that of the beaches in Cape Town. When I went swimming there wasn’t any lifeguards on duty. But, there are outdoor showers, a in door shower in the ladies room, toilet facilities and a restaurant right on the beach called the Sea Shack.

Where to go eat in Struisbaai?

I had the best calamari, chips and hake at Sea Shack. The restaurant is very laidback and informal. You go to the bar and order drinks, and you go to the food section to order what you want to eat. It is kind of self service. The waiters do bring your food to the table but, you have to first make your order. The decor is a ton of picnic tables under umbrellas and a tarp, with sea sand on the floor. There is no real flooring and the walls do look like a shack. It’s not a fancy place. It’s casual and carefree with delicious food and cold drinks. There is also a section for a live band to play. There was no band when I got there on a Saturday afternoon but I loved the background music which was playing. Tracey Chapman, Sade, Bon Jovi etc. was playing .

There are many restaurants in the main road and many of them serve seafood since it is a coastal village after all.

Fun water sports

You can go body boarding, surfing, kitesurfing and diving at the beach. I saw lots of kids body boarding. There were also many fishermen, and a few kayakers. The waves seemed choppy during the afternoon enough to ride waves definitely not crazy wild though. I felt safe whilst swimming.

View the harbour

Struisbaai has a working harbour where you can watch the fishermen going about their business. The harbour is also known for attracting stingrays which are easy to spot since the water is crystal clear. There are people who feed the stringrays. I’m not entirely comfortable with feeding wildlife since it does change their hunting behaviour and general behaviour. So I have never fed a wild animal in the wild. But, I do see the appeal of it. Still I don’t thing it’s a good idea. Rather just look at these amazing animals, take photos and leave them in peace.

Go Hiking

Cape Agulhas has magnificent hiking trails with sea views and beautiful fynbos (plants and flowers) along the trails. There’s also lots of birds and other small animals along the trails.

Spookdraain and Rasperbank are also pretty hiking trails. I have only see images of these trails. If you want more information please click: https://www.thetrailshop.co.za/spookdraai-rasperbank-trail-lagulhas/

De Mond Nature Reserve is also close by :

Sources:

https://xplorio.com/agulhas/en/about/history/

https://www.thetrailshop.co.za/spookdraai-rasperbank-trail-lagulhas/

https://www.capenature.co.za/reserves/de-mond-nature-reserve/