Things to do near
Great Brak River
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling
distance.
Beaches
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Mossel Bay (3.3 km from Great Brak River) Eiland Beach, located near the Great Brak River Mouth, features a 600 m long swimming area, and a 800 m long river-front swimming area near the river.
Beaches
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Tergniet (4.7 km from Great Brak River) Tergniet Beach is a popular beach for families offering safe swimming and a tidal pool. This beautiful, clean beach has lifesavers on duty during the December and January holidays. Keen beach hikers should try to catch the low tide and walk from Hartenbos to Tergeniet. Southern Right Whales are frequently seen from July through to November.
Beaches
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Rheebok (7.1 km from Great Brak River) Rheebok Beach is one of many stunning, clean beaches along the Garden Route offering a tidal pool and safe swimming. Lifesavers are on duty during the December and January holidays to ensure that beachgoers are safe. From July through to November visitors can spot magnificent Southern Right Whales. Dolphins and seals can frequently be seen throughout the year.
Beaches
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Outeniqua Strand (7.1 km from Great Brak River) Located between Mossel Bay and George, Outeniqua Beach is a 6 km long beach, comprising 4 swimming areas.
Facilities include ablutions and plentiful parking at the various entry points to the sand.
Nature Reserves
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Little Brak (9 km from Great Brak River) Home to rhino, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, eland, bontebuck and numerous antelope, Botlierskop provides visitors the opportunity to view free roaming wildlife from the safety of 4x4 vehicles in the Garden Route.
Named for one of the dramatic rock formations on the reserve, the beautiful setting is also the sanctuary for two elephants that joined the Botlierskop team, Sam and Tsotsi, rescued orphans from the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe. Guests are able to experience riding on elephant back and interacting with these remarkable creatures.
Knowledgeable guides share the wonders of Botlierskop and up close encounters with four rescued and rehabilitated lions, rhino, buffalo, giraffe and many of the 1 800 animals.
Beaches
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Little Brak (9.8 km from Great Brak River) The lovely Little Brak Beach and Little Brak River mouth are both just 6 km from Mossel Bay. The golden sandy beach is immaculate and perfect for long romantic strolls. The river is great for water sports such as water skiing, canoeing, boating and fishing. During the winter months the coastline is a prime spot for whale watching.
Beaches
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Glentana (10.4 km from Great Brak River) The unspoilt beach of Glentana offers a wonderfully scenic hiking trail to an atmospheric old shipwreck. One of the main attractions of this coastline is the prevalence of whales, dolphins and seals in the surf. Southern Right Whales can be seen from July through to November.
Hiking Trail
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Glentana (10.5 km from Great Brak River) Plan to do this easy walk at low tide to maximize the therapeutic effect of sun, sea and sand. Park at the Sea Side Caf in Little Brak and start walking along the beach in an easterly direction. Leave your troubles behind, lope along the sand and explore the rocky caves and numerous shipwrecks.
Duration: 3 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 6 km
Beaches
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Hartenbos (14.9 km from Great Brak River) Hartenbos Beach near Mossel Bay is a wide sandy beach that’s perfect for families, swimming, surfing and walking. Near the beach are many restaurants, shops and a heated indoor swimming pool.
Wheelchair access to the beach is via a number of ramps. The public ablutions and other facilities are excellent and there is adequate parking.
Popular Attractions
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Hartenbos (15 km from Great Brak River) A trip to Hartenbos during summer cannot be complete without a visit to the wildly entertaining Hartenbos Water park. For friends and family, nothing beats the thrill and fun of a water slide. From big to small, Hartenbos Water Park has something for everyone to enjoy.
Open times:
Monday to Thursday: 9:00 - 16:00;
Friday to Saturday: 9:00 - 17:00;
Sunday: 10:00 - 16:00.
Nature Reserves
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George (15.4 km from Great Brak River) Forest, ferns, fynbos and mountains will knock your socks off in this magnificent Garden Route reserve.
The Outeniqua Nature Reserve lies near George and is easily accessible from Mossel Bay, Knysna and Oudtshoorn.
The 38 000-hectare reserve is set in the rugged Outeniqua Mountain ranges which run parallel to the coastline. It lies between the high-rainfall coastal region and the dry Little Karoo. As a result the plant life is diverse, with the moist southern slopes predominantly covered with beautiful mountain fynbos. In September and October the proteas and ericas cloak the hillsides with spectacular blooms. The northern slopes are much drier, covered with hardy, interesting Karoo veldt.
Bushmen paintings of animals, hunters and honeycombs may be found on secluded rock faces throughout the reserve, providing clues to their culture and lifestyle in this region. The Attakwaskloof in the west carries the historical trails of elephant herds that no longer roam here. There’s also evidence of early explorers and settlers carved into the rocks by ox-wagons trekking over the craggy mountain range.
Animals to spot include klipspringer, grey rhebuck, small rodents, baboon and the elusive leopard. Large birds of prey including the black eagle are frequently seen. Cape sugarbirds, glittering sunbirds and other fynbos species can often be seen flitting between protea bushes.
A number of day hikes depart from the reserve office in Witfontein. Be prepared for extremely changeable weather. Those who really want to get away from it all can do the two-day Tierkop Trail and sleep in the rudimentary hut on Tierkop peak.
Galleries and Museums
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Hartenbos (16.2 km from Great Brak River) History buffs and anyone keen to get clued up about South Africa’s heritage should make this museum part of their Garden Route itinerary.
The Hartenbos Museum is one of the oldest museums in Mossel Bay and focuses on the Great Trek. Interesting dioramas and exhibitions showcase beautiful antiquities that give evidence of the lifestyle of the Voortrekker pioneers during the mid 1800s.
A notable feature is the commemoration hall for the 1938 Symbolic Ox Wagon Trek and a remarkable exhibit of a typical traditional store.
Majuba Avenue, Hartenbos
+27 (0)44 695 2183
Popular Attractions
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Diaz Beach (17.3 km from Great Brak River) Diaz Beach Water World is part of the Diaz Beach Hotel & Resort, offering a totally fun experience for young and old.
This is a great place to take the kids, and if you're in need of some cooling during the summer heat, then Diaz Beach Water World may be the best alternative to the beach.
Beaches
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Mossel Bay (17.3 km from Great Brak River) The Point is a happening, vibey beach and dramatic rocky point within central Mossel Bay. Here you can stroll for 3 kilometers along a walkway across the rocky coastline or venture on the 15 kilometer long St Blaize hiking trail to Dana Bay. Kids enjoy the sandy play areas and small tidal pool on the beach. There's also a long, natural tidal pool great for swimming in front of the Point Hotel. Home to numerous restaurants, bars, an aquarium, the Khoi-San Cave and St Blaize Lighthouse, The Point also has some great waves. Two popular restaurants look right onto the spectacular surfing spots. So after shredding the waves you can kick back and grab some grub while watching the action!
Popular Attractions
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Mossel Bay (17.4 km from Great Brak River) Mossel Bay lies on the other side of the protruding peninsula of Cape St Blaize, a rocky headland that has long been a danger to ships at night. This dramatic spot houses the elegant white Victorian lighthouse that still functions as a beacon to navigators.
Built in 1864, Cape St Blaize Lighthouse was one of the only two lighthouses manned 24 hours daily on the South African Coastline. Until the late 1970s a clockwork system turned the lens and required a lighthouse keeper to wind it up every three hours.
Now fully automated, a team of lighthouse keepers are still employed to keep a constant radio watch and undertake regular meteorological duties.
Open to visitors Monday to Friday from 10:00 – 12:00 and again from 12:30 – 15:00, closed on weekends and public holidays.
Montagu Street (The Point), CBD, Mossel Bay
+27 (0) 44 690 3015