Beaches in Eastern Cape

Paradise Beach is a long sandy beach situated between Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay (7kms west of Jeffrey’s Bay and 7kms east of St Francis Bay). It’s actually a suburb of J’bay but is relatively untouched by development.

Surrounded by nature reserves and estuaries, you can often spot tiny buck, tortoises, numerous birds, rabbits, mongoose and otters - all much loved by locals.

It’s an awesome spot for windsurfers and kite boarders with good wind all year round. A not-yet-discovered amazing wind- and kite surfing spot!

Paradise Beach is one of the coastal towns where you are guaranteed to spend a relaxing day on a pristine white beach. The name explains it all… it really feels like paradise.

All the rage for swimming, sunbathing and body surfing, Hobie Beach is the venue for the annual Splash Festival as well as the Beach Volleyball and World Boardsailing Championships.

The calm seas, blissfully warm water (between 18 to 21 degrees in summer) and beaches patrolled by professional lifeguards provide the perfect combination for a family holiday. Hobie Beach is a good choice for swimming or simply sunbathing but if you’re a water sports junkie there’s no end to the thrills here - choose from scuba diving, windsurfing, kiting, surfing, jet skiing or surf skiing.

At low tide the Shark Rock Pier side of Hobie Beach is a great place to explore, offering sheltered rock pools with interesting inter-tidal sea life. Kids love spending time here looking for creatures like starfish and octopus. Hobie Beach is situated in Summerstrand which is an ideal base from which to explore Port Elizabeth and its beautiful coastline.

One of South Africa's Blue Flag beaches, Gonubie Beach is one of the best secrets of the Sunshine Coast. Access to this beach is along a 500 meter long raised boardwalk leading down to a beautiful tidal pool. The boardwalk is a fantastic lookout spot for watching dolphins and whales as well as surfers and windsurfers. Gonubie lagoon is popular with families, providing kids with many hours of fascinating exploration as they discover small fish, shells and other marine creatures.

Situated only eight kilometers from East London, the coastal village of Gonubie is often considered to be a suburb of the city. But the chilled vibe and awesome scenery of Gonubie belies this. Lying on the estuary of the Gonubie River and enjoying a wonderful climate, Gonubie is a small piece of paradise on the Eastern Cape Coast.

At the mouth of the Maitland river lies a magnificent bathing beach backed by huge sand dunes stretching for about 5 kilometers west from Beachview to beyond Blue Water Bay. Kids love the dunes for tobogganing and sandboarding. Maitland River Beach is ideal for leisurely strolls along the waters edge where you can collect sand mussels.