My Yzerfontein

Hout Bay? Camps Bay? I’ve found better. Find interest from an ex-Disney, party-animal to set-up a beach club and this town would be the South African Mykonos. Around 85 kilometres from Cape Town Centre, Yzerfontein is a hidden treasure, and it is easy to deduce why it has been kept secret. Named the ‘Pearl’ of the West Coast, this quant sea-side village provides multiple beaches that align clear blue seas. These beaches would quickly defuse any family disputes as a variety of activities are available from surfing to kite surfing to just reading a book. One of these beaches would even satisfy marathon walkers as it boasts a 16 mile stretch. 

If hiking is your go-to, one is able to hike the Schaapeiland Hiking Trail. Wrapping around Yzerfontein, this 2km hike is accessible to all ages with a mixture of terrain from beach to rocks to even mussel shells. You may even be able to spot some Oyster Catcher’s! 

As to where to eat, there are many options available. I recommend going to ‘Beaches,’ which has a beautiful view that overlooks the 16 mile Beach. Food varies from, of course, seafood to vegetarian and poultry. Even if you aren’t peckish at the time, a drink on the veranda is an opportunity that I would not turn down.

You may even be able to spot, what I thought as a very random visitor being a tourist, an ostrich.

Sadly, the coastline is eroding at a shocking rate. The more visits, the better as this coastline is certainly one of nature’s anomaly. Visit in August to November, and you may spot Southern Right Whales or experience the spring flowers. Both, I am told, make Yzerfontein an even more imperative visit.

Written by Isabella Machin