Vleesbaai

Hidden between Still Bay and Mosselbay near the Gouritz River, you will find the pretty little seaside village called Vleesbaai. The idyllic little town is the perfect place for a beach holiday, with beautiful sunny days, endless beaches and safe swimming. The Fransmans Hoek Nature Reserve is situated nearby, as well as the Reins Nature and Game reserve. It is only a half hours drive from Mosselbay where you will find a shopping mall, restaurants, a Casino, Museums and the famous Post tree.

No alcohol sold in Vleesbaai.

“Vleesbaai is a private beach village situated on the Garden Route, approximately 35 km west of Mossel Bay. The modern history of Vleesbaai can be traced back as far as 1601 when stormy weather forced the Dutch mariner and explorer Paulus van Caerden to seek refuge in the protected bay now known as Vleesbaai. He was so pleased with the well-fed livestock which he was able to trade from the local inhabitants that he named it “Vleys Baeye”, the Old Dutch word for Vleesbaai, directly translated into English as Bay of meat. By the late ninteenth century holiday-makers from as far as Calitzdorp began to visit Vleesbaai for their holidays. They camped near the freshwater fountain at the Tarka ravine and came with donkey-carts and ox-wagons, often accompanied by chickens, sheep and even milch-cows to supplement their food supply. These visitors can be considered as the first proverbial “Vleesbaaiers”. Vleesbaai had its formal beginning as a beach village during the late forties and early fifties of the twentieth century when three owners of land surrounding the bay where the village is today, began to plot and allocate stands for renting to family and friends. One of them was the legendary Gallie Meyer who also donated land for a church-hall. The avenue along the beachfront has been named after him. Legend has it that if he liked you, he would plot your stand with long steps, and if not with short steps. At the end of the sixties the three groups of tenants began to negotiate with the landowners to buy the properties. During the course of time three share block companies, that still exist today, came into being, namely Keerom in 1969, VAB (Vleesbaai Aandeleblok) in 1970 and Visbaai in 1971. The stands were mostly small and not formally plotted. Most of the dwellings were originally asbestos structures, but today many of them have been beautifully restored and upgraded. The remaining smaller homes and narrow streets still give Vleesbaai its quaint and old-fashioned character. Further development with proper planning and under management of homeowner associations followed later – Hoekbaai in 1990, Driehoek in 1996, Karmosyn in 2005 and Kloofsig in 2013. All stands in these developments are freehold and are generally bigger, allowing the building of more modern houses. Today Vleesbaai has 550 stands of which approximately 350 have houses built on them. Most of these houses are vacation homes, although there are about 180 permanent residents, mostly retirees. Vleesbaai has several unique qualities. The village is intimately situated in an amphitheater format in the south-westerly corner of the bay with the result that almost all stands have a beautiful view of the sea and mountain ranges to the north. From your own home you will be able to see whales in the bay during the winter months, schools of dolphins surfing waves, fishing boats seeking refuge against storms, and surfers surfing the awesome waves that Vleesbaai is known for under ideal circumstances. Vleesbaai has no streetlights to spoil the shimmer of moonlight on the ocean or the lights of fishing boats sheltering in the bay. Winter mornings display the most beautiful orange-red sunrises over the sea and mountains in the distance. The scenery of Vleesbaai and surrounds is special. Apart from the bay with the Outeniqua mountains in the background, there are many other scenic elements that make our environment so unique. A rock trail along the sea ends in a beautiful tidal pool, a ravine with walkways next to lush indigenous gardens which lead to a “waterfall”, and the nearby Fransmanshoek peninsula with enormous waves breaking on breathtaking rock formations during rough seas. And then there is the wildlife that you will find in and around the village – species like the Cape grysbok, guinea fowl, pheasant, hare, turtle, Cape eagle-owl, oystercatcher and seagull to name a few. Add to this the intertidal zone rich with black mussel, oyster, periwinkle, starfish, octopus and sea urchin. It is a wonderland waiting to be discovered. Vleesbaai residents not only take pride in their unique village, but are also known for their hospitality to welcome visitors and holiday-makers. A festive atmosphere prevails during holidays when families and friends renew old ties while enjoying late-evening barbeques. Vleesbaai is known for a great variety of activities in its vicinity that make holidays here so exciting. It includes swimming in the sea, canoeing, surfing, hiking and biking trails, fishing, visits to the Fransmanshoek peninsula, the famous Vleesbaai Dune 4×4 route, and much more.(Tsidi Mzansi Historian)” - Chris Smit, 2025/05/12

“Vleesbaai was formerly known as Angra das Vaccas. In 1601, a Dutchman, Paulus van Caerden named it Vleeschbaai when he traded cattle there from the local Khoikhoi.” - Chris Smit, 2024/09/01

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