Sun-sea-and-sand fun!

The vibey, picturesque coastal village enjoys mild weather, is a favourite year-round holiday destination, hotspot destination for surfers and a preferred family holiday destination.

Beach, river and lagoon activities abound and the town is renowned for its Beach Touch Rugby held annually on 26 December, which draws participants and spectators from far and wide.

The village is characterised by stretches of sandy white beaches, one of which; Lappiesbaai; has achieved international Blue Flag status.

It is whale-watching, surfing and fishing hotspot and has a small fishing harbour and landing strip for small aircraft. If it’s the elusive Big Wave you’re looking for, look no further than ‘The Point’.

It takes a stretch of the imagination to envisage that, on the other side of the mountain, is the semi-arid Klein Karoo with its world-renowned Cango Caves.

Coastal Jongensfontein is known for its rock pools and surfing and is a scenically splendid coastal village about 10 minutes drive away. Melkhoutfontein is about 7km inland and is home to traditional fisher families.

Birdlife is abundant, with more than 250 species identified in this beautiful part of Hessequa. As part of the World Heritage Cape Floral Kingdom, the town and surrounds has an abundance of flora and more particularly, indigenous Cape Fynbos

Enjoy a memorable and unique experience and feed South Africa’s only tame eels at Palinggat Homestead, where the Tourism Bureau is housed. It is said they have been resident here for 125 years.

Stilbaai forms part of the Whale Coast that stretches from Gourits River Mouth to Witsand and whale-watching has become a huge draw card for tourists and locals alike, between August and November annually. The mighty Southern Right whales migrate to the warm waters to calve and to frolic in the bay.

Fun activities and events:

Activities and attractions include historical exhibitions, nature garden, craft centre, botanical reserve, nature reserves, archaeological tours, boat cruises, surfing, swimming in the tidal pools at Jongensfontein, Various annual festivals such as

In 2010 a new event was introduced in the lead up to the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup™ - the Hessequa Beach Festival and Beach Soccer. A great festival for all ages that includes men’s and ladies’ beach soccer, beach volleyball, a WhoopiBall race and flag sprinting.

Other annual highlights are the Trans Agulhas Inflatable Boat (rubberduck) Race; Food & Wine Festival; Galjoen derby; Pampoenfees (pumpkin festival); X-treme festival and the CMA "Freedom Road Rally" when about 850 bikers from around the country join in for a demonstration and a mass outing to Jongensfontien and Melkhoutfontein.

Eco-adventure:

The scenically splendid region offers several walking and hiking trails and whale-lookout points.

For the culture buff there are ancient fish traps constructed 2000 years ago by the indigenous people called Strandlopers. There are also middens – piles of shells created by the accumulation of mainly mollusks and Middle Age Stone artifacts and replicas of artifacts found in the world-famous Blombos Cave, on display at the Tourism Bureau.

‘Green’ Stilbaai’

The Fynbos Festival of the Garden held at the Tuin-op-die-Brak affords a glimpse into the importance of the region’s fynbos and its possible role in the survival of the human race during a period of extreme cold, which is currently being investigated by archeologists.

The garden is open to the public and various items on the program included ‘Fynbos Panorama’ – an overview of the fynbos biome; History of Fynbos – theory on the role of fynbos in the survival of prehistoric inhabitants of the region; Survival with fynbos – survive living on fynbos only; Cooking with Fynbos – demonstration on the use of fynbos in cooking.

Come and join in the fun-in-the-sun and rich heritage that is Stilbaai!