Plettenberg Bay

Plettenberg Bay, nicknamed Plet or Plett, is a resort town with mountains, white sand and crystal-blue water making it one of the country’s top local tourist spots. It was originally named Bahia Formosa (“beautiful bay”) by early Portuguese explorers. Plettenberg Bay hosts one of the largest seagull breeding colonies along the South African coast at the mouth of the Keurbooms River, named after the indigenous keurboom tree. There are many pelagic birds in the area as well as the endangered African oystercatcher which live along the shores. Plettenberg Bay also boasts three species of dolphins which visit the bay throughout the year, these being the bottlenosed dolphin, the common dolphin and the endangered humpback dolphin. The Robberg Nature & Marine Reserve is 9km southeast of Plettenberg Bay, and protects a 4km-long peninsula with a rugged coastline of cliffs and rocks. There are three circular walks of increasing difficulty, with rich intertidal marine life and coastal-dune fynbos (endemic vegetation made up of heather-like shrubs), but it’s very rocky and not for the unfit or anyone with knee problems!

Monkeyland and Bird of Eden is superb and ‘must-see’ in the area.