Witsand

Witsand is a popular vacation town with safe and tranquil beaches and it's situated at the mouth of the Breede River. The beach town is located 300 km from Cape Town on your way to the Garden Route. Here you will find the largest concentration of Southern Right Whales in the entire South African coastline. Mating and breeding season is between June and November and on a good day you can see as much as 50 from the shore. A variety of bird life can be found along the Breed River and fishing is popular in the area. The De Hoop Nature Reserve is situated close by and the De Mond Nature Reserve (managed as a satellite of De Hoop) is located at the mouth of the Heuningnes River. The Whale Trail is a very popular hiking trail in the area. Witsand got its name from the bleached white sand found here due to an underground water mass influencing the iron oxide coating of the sand.

On the N2 national highway 2.5 hrs form Cape Town in an easterly direction. Take the Witsand / Port Beaufort turnoff and drive 34km to reach the coastal town.

The nearest hospital is in Riversdale (+27(0)28 713 244). NSRI: +27(0)82 990 5978.

“In the 17th century, the Spanish navigator Manuel De Mesquita Perestrello, named the Bay St. Sebastian’s Bay. A Scottish Captain Benjamin Moodie established the Port Beaufort Trading Company there, opening the bay for trade. In the early 20th century, settlers started building homes at the Breede River mouth on land owned by the Moodie family. The village White Sands was built on the farm Westfield, in St Sebastian’s Bay The small coastal town of Witsand was proclaimed in 1909.” - Chris Smit, 2024/08/16

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