Strand

The town of Strand is situated on the shores of False Bay at

The town of Strand is situated on the shores of False Bay at the foot of the Hottentots Holland Mountains, an easy 40 minute drive from Cape Town. Strand is a bustling metropolis of some 50 000 residents and forms part of the picturesque Helderberg Basin, along with Somerset West and Gordons Bay.

Strand originated some 200 years ago as a holiday and fishing resort and was founded in 1714. Strands main attraction is "the strand" - 5 kilometers of beautiful white sandy beach lapped by the warm waters of False Bay.

The beach at Strand is known to be one of the best and safest bathing areas in South Africa. Facilities on or nearby include Dune Park with a supertube and mini-golf and Harmony Park which boasts a huge tidal pool. Watersports may be conducted from various points along the beach front.

For the sporting enthusiast Strand offers a wide variety of organised sport including a brand new golf course capable of hosting international events; tennis, rugby, squash, jukskei, athletics, and watersports like surfing, sailing, power boating, paddleskiing and boardsailing.

Strand also boasts an olympic sized, covered, centrally heated swimming pool which is open all year round. The coast between the Lourens river mouth and up to Rooi Els is very popular with beach fishermen and rock anglers, whilst organised and social diving activities beckon the more adventurous.

Strand forms an ideal base from which visitors can explore the Cape Peninsula and its environs:

The majestic Peninsula with its renowned coastal drive from Muizemberg to Cape Point to Hout Bay via the magnificent Chapmans Peak to Sea Point;
Cape Town itself with Table Mountain brooding over the city and the vibrant V&A Waterfront;
The West Coast and Swartland;
The scenic Boland with its pinotage of wine routes and with its heart, Stellenbosch a mere 25km away;
The coastal road past Gordons Bay to Bettys Bay and Hermanus, one of the greatest sites for whale watching.

Strand is situated on the shored of False Bay, at the foot of the Hottentots-Holland mountain range. The sheltered waters of False Bay lap at it’s magnificent 5 km stretch of beach, earning the town a reputation for safe bathing, boating and surfing. After being named Van Ryneveld’s Town, the Hottentots Holland-strand, then Somerset Strand and The Strand (1918) it finally became Strand in 1937. From it’s humble beginnings this small resort town has over the years grown into a very popular and flourishing coastal town. The wide and spacious beach, backed by a promenade is considered to be one of the safest bathing beaches along the South African coastline.

GENERAL INFORMATION

How to get there

Cape Town 47 km

ATTRACTIONS

Beaches

This extremely popular beach stretches for 5 km along Melk Bay and offers a variety of attractions, including mini golf, a waterchute and two tridal pools.

Bird Walk

Enjoy a walk along the Lourens River

Strand Pavillion

Upmarket resort on the beachfront, Covered, heated swimming pool

OOSTENBERG

Kuilsrivier, Kraaifontein, Brackenfell

Kuilrivier

Once a cattle post for the Dutch East India Company (1680), Kuilsrivier takes it’s name from a series of pools (‘Kuils’) in the river which flows through the town. The town is located close to the confluence of the Kuils and Bottelary Rivers. ‘De Kuilen’ was sold to Captain Oloff Bergh, the Commander of the Cape Garrison, in 1700 and served as a stopover for travelers on their way to Cape Town. A local council was established in 1926, and during 1950 it became an independent municipality.

Kraaifontein

The town was named after the large number of crows nesting in the trees surrounding a fountain in the area. First establishment as a cattle farm in the late 1600’s. Kraaifontein today is famous for it’s delicious vegetables and fruit, not to mention it’s vineyards.

Accommodation in and around Strand