Things to do near
Gamtoos Mouth
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling
distance.
Animal Parks
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Thornhill (7.3 km from Gamtoos Mouth) African Dawn is set in a tranquil valley. This beautiful bird and wildlife sanctuary features an endangered cat breeding program and rehabilitation centre. The on-site restaurant offers good meals.
Open daily 09:00 - 17:00.
Nature Reserves
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Jeffreys Bay (12.1 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Enjoy clip clopping along untouched beaches and through indigenous vegetation with well-schooled horses and experienced guides. All rides start on the farm Papiesfontein between the Gamtoos and Kabeljous Rivers, 10 km from Jeffreys Bay.
The 13 km trail leads over pretty dunes to the river mouth and a long stretch of beach – perfect for an exhilarating gallop. Along the way you’ll see abundant birdlife, animals and marine life. Bookings are essential.
Popular Attractions
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Jeffreys Bay (15 km from Gamtoos Mouth) So you’re visiting J-Bay and can’t surf or skate? Why not try sandboarding. Skilled instructors will be on hand to teach you the basics and in no time you’ll be flying down the dunes.
Popular Attractions
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Jeffreys Bay (15.1 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Learn the basics of kite boarding in Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay. Keen learners from all over the world come here to experience the perfect waves and adrenalin rush. Dedicated and skilled instructors teach beginners the techniques in no time at all.
Popular Attractions
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Jeffreys Bay (15.7 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Explore reefs teeming with soft coral, ragged tooth sharks, fishes, dolphins and whales. JBay Dive School offers Scuba diving courses, dive charters, dive equipment, sales and air fills. The school can be found on the main beach next to launch site (opposite Training Edge Gym).
Popular Attractions
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Jeffreys Bay (15.7 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Enter a whole new wonderful world – under the sea with Steve Potts’s dive charter and Scuba diving school. You’ll be in good hands; Steve has more than 4000 dives and is one of CMAS-ISA's top instructors.
Courses include 1 Star, 2 Star, 3 Star, Dive Masters, Nitrox, Advanced Nitrox, Rescue, O2 Administration, Night Diver, Wreck Diver, 2 Star Instructor and Compressor Operator.
Beaches
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Jeffreys Bay (15.7 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Dolphin Beach is home to the legendary surfing spot Supertubes, known as the best wave in Africa and one of the top five right-hand breaks in the world. And it’s also home to Billabong Pro, now a qualifying series.
Achieving Blue Flag status, the beautiful wide sandy beach is very popular with families and holidaymakers. The Jeffrey’s Bay Shell Museum, a public information kiosk and a number of restaurants and shops are very close.
Dolphin Beach is great for lengthy beach walks, stretching all the way to the Gamtoos River and beyond. There’s also an amazing reef to snorkel on calm days.
Lifeguards and security are on duty during high season (November to end April).
Fun Parks
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Jeffreys Bay (16.4 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Funky Frogs is a play centre situated in Fountains Mall. There’s so much for your pipsqueak to do – the Island Jumping Castle, various jungle gyms, scooter track and a variety of educational toys. Grab a coffee and relax while watching your little one having fun or escape to shop unencumbered or enjoy a quiet meal at one of the surrounding restaurants.
Golf Courses
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Jeffreys Bay (16.4 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Enjoy a lovely round of golf here at the Jeffreys Bay Golf Club, which features beautiful views over the ocean.
Jeffreys Bay is well-known as a top surfing spot along the east coast, however, if you're also a golf enthusiast, Jeffreys Bay Golf Club is the place to head to. This is a 9-hole course with kikuyu fairways and bayview greens. Visitors are welcome.
Galleries and Museums
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Jeffreys Bay (17.7 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Only a surfer truly knows the feeling! If you’re in ‘J-Bay’ to catch the tubes or even if you’ve never tried surfing, the Quicksilver Store on De Gama Road is worth a visit. It is home to the highly informative Jeffrey’s Bay Surf Museum which tells the story of how surfing started in J-Bay and how the town has developed over the past 50 years.
There are many reasons why this surf-driven town just had to have a surf museum. Essentially, Jeffrey’s Bay is one of the top surfing destinations on the planet. Supertubes, the famous point break right-hander, is the dream destination of every young surfer – the perfect wave often accompanied by dolphins.
J-Bay is the place where the top 44 international surfers compete every year for the WCT world contest surfing tour. Along with local lore, the museum also documents the history of surfing globally and pays tribute to many pioneers and legends.
Walk through this museum and feel the magic that exists between the surfer and the ocean.
Entrance to the museum is free! Open Monday to Friday 09:00 – 17:00, Saturday 09:00 – 14:00 and Sunday 09:00 – 13:00.
+27 (0) 84 240 1741
Nature Reserves
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Port Elizabeth (18.4 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Van Staden's Wild Flower Reserve was established in 1951 and is situated 40 km from Port Elizabeth. It is one of the top places to see lowland fynbos, flowering proteas and a variety of other endemic fynbos. Visitors can see a large variety of vegetation in the various habitats of the escarpment. There is an abundance of succulents, ericas, leucadendrons, and other indigenous flora.
The reserve aims to protect the large variety of bird, plant and animal species within the area. Bird watchers can feast their eyes on more than 170 bird species and a number of raptors frolicking in their natural habitat along the rocky gorge. This includes the forest buzzard, jackal buzzard, booted eagle, African crowned eagle, peregrine falcon, black sparrowhawk, and lanner falcon. There is an indigenous coastal forest along the gorge of Van Staden's River. It is home to the Knysna turaco, the Knysna warbler, and the sombre greenbul, among many others.
There is also a nursery in the reserve which sells indigenous flora, and scenic picnic sites on the plateau that are perfect for relaxing over a meal. There are two hiking trails for those who want to explore the reserve. The River Walk is four kilometres long and the Forest Walk is six kilometres. Mountain bikers can explore the plateau section of the reserve, and there are easier sections which are ideal for families to cycle on.
Beaches
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Blue Horizon Bay (18.5 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Van Stadens Beach lies at the mouth of the Van Stadens River and has a wonderful lagoon for swimming, fishing and paddleboats. Tall dunes offer some fun sand boarding. The river is suitable for small boats to navigate upstream to the gorge. Lifeguards are on duty over the peak holiday season.
Beaches
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Paradise Beach (23.1 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Paradise Beach is a long sandy beach situated between Jeffreys Bay and 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 place for windsurfers and kite boarders with good wind all year round. A not-yet-discovered windsurfing 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.
Golf Courses
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Hankey (24.9 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Hankey Country Club's course is rated as one of the best 9-hole courses in the country. This charming old club in the Gamtoos Valley plays host each year to the Hadeda tournament.
Animal Parks
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Jeffreys Bay (25.5 km from Gamtoos Mouth) Happy Hippo Play Farm is just a short 8 km drive from Jeffreys Bay. Kids can enjoy feeding the farm animals and play in the vast open spaces and on the jungle gym. Parents are welcome to kick back with a cup of tea or coffee under a shaded area with stunning views of the Seekoei River. Their onsite nursery sells mostly indigenous plants.
Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.