Gansbaai

With its eye-popping setting between the roaring swells of the South African Cape and the sweeping Fynbos-clad hills of the Overberg District, it’s hardly surprising that Gansbaai has emerged as the premiere outdoorsy destination around Cape Town in recent decades, offering everything from whale watching to caving, shark diving to off-road tractor drives. Trekking opportunities abound, and anyone looking to do a little exploring should ask their Gansbaai tourist guide about excursions to the Klipgat Caves near De Kelders, or hiking outings to the windswept heaths and hills that loom all around. Many visitors opt to make the trek to nearby Danger Point Peninsula, where the wrecks of various ships lay rusting beneath the swells, now inhabited by an octagonal lighthouse and harems of seals. Close by, the rugged rises of Dyer Island play host to babbling crowds of African penguins and curious Cape fur seals by the thousand, and the occasional ominous drifting fin of a great white shark at the well named Shark Alley. But adventure sports aside, this little enclave of the Western Cape has its moments of rugged beauty, its picturesque coastline from the seaside village of Franskraal to the white sands of Pearly beach idyllic for fishing, pubbing and relaxing days of sun and sand.