Western Cape – South Africa

Nostalgia is not the only reason to visit West Coast National Park

We enter at the Langebaan Gate after waiting in queue for a while for other tourists ahead of us to enter. It is Saturday after all, a popular time during one of the busiest seasons of the year. The spring flower season.

The road sweeps down towards the lagoon. A beautiful vista catches our eyes. But that is not what holds our attention. Across the turquoise water towards a cluster of houses, our gaze rests on a place where our roots run deep. But first, time to explore before we meet friends there.

Magnificent vista as you enter the West Coast National Park of the Langebaan Lagoon

The West Coast National Park, a nature reserve, wraps itself around the Langebaan Lagoon, the jewel of the western coastline of South Africa. The lagoon is a marine protected area. The dunes are home to rare fynbos, feathered residents and other fauna and flora.

Seeberg Viewing Point

Our first stop is at a massive round granite boulder with a restored stone cottage perched on top. This magnificent viewpoint at Seeberg has the best full circle panoramic vista of most of the national park. One can even see the Atlantic Ocean. Inside the cottage you can read about shipwrecks and pirates, settlements and farms and whaling stations of days gone by.

The spring flowers are spectacular at this point but naturally the spot is popular and the parking area is full.

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Restored stone cottage at Seeberg Lookout

Geelbek Visitors Centre

We move on and leisurely drive past cyclists and other day visitors. We bypass Geelbek Restaurant and Visitors Centre. After all, that is not our goal for today. Normally it is worth stopping because you can learn more about the history of the park, including Eve’s Footprints, the fauna and flora as well as the hiking trails. There is also a bird hide.

Churchhaven

Eventually we reach Churchhaven where our friends give us access. This private retreat has been like a second home to us for many years, although we haven’t been back for a while. It is also where Paul and I first met, spending many hours, no days and years, on the edge of the lagoon with friends and family.

Churchhaven was a modest fishing village in the 1800’s. It is situated on a picturesque, isolated stretch of sand. Today the revamped fishermen’s cottages on a section of land next to the Langebaan Lagoon are privately owned. A spot where people take refuge albeit recreationally and temporarily, but surreptitiously like fugitives. Back in the day and even now it is off the grid living but with a few more mod cons added to make life comfortable at these holiday homes.

Still a haven, it has changed but has retained some of its charm, enough for reminiscing and amusing ourselves with the past. Priceless memories of growing up and growing old. Fun with friends and family time filled with laughter and tears, salty sails and startling leaps when stepping on wriggly sand sharks. A few weddings and unfortunately funerals too. A cherished place that will forever have a deep yet tender place in our hearts forever.

All to soon a good few hours have gone by and we leave, but not before we take a detour to the Postberg Section.

Once again we see a multitude of cars and families enjoying the day at various picnic spots and driving in earnest to bask in the glory of the annual flowers. We decide to leave them to it and amble back to our campsite in St Helena Bay for the night.

“Stofbergsfontein – and its better-known sister village of Churchhaven – developed during the 1800s and 1900s as small fishing villages along the western side of the Langebaan Lagoon.
The community developed a way of living that was marked by modesty, self-reliance and environmental sustainability. They built their own homes using local materials, grew their own gardens, gathered veldkos, hunted and fished. They built their own church and a one-room schoolhouse.
Due to a combination of relative isolation, modest resources, a love for the way of life…. And probably the fact that the farm was owned collectively by a number of families with no individual titles to land…. the community changed little over the years.”

— The Heritage Portal

Facts about the West Coast National Park and Langebaan Lagoon

The West Coast National Park is a nature reserve and the Langebaan Lagoon is a marine protected area. A tranquil lagoon on one side with a strip of Strandveld dune that protects it from crashing seas. The Park which stretches from Yzerfontein to Langebaan was established in 1985 and belongs to SanParks.

The saltmarshes and wetlands have no freshwater rivers feeding into the lagoon and the ecosystem is of great significance in the preservation of the endemic fauna and flora.

The offshore islands just off the park and Saldanha Bay are just as important as they provide essential nesting areas for numerous red-listed pelagic birds.

The Lagoon is divided into three recreational zones.

Zone A is situated opposite the small town of Langebaan and next to Saldanha Bay. It is mostly outside the West Coast National Park and is a controlled area that allows most water sports such as kitesurfing, motorised boating, water skiing, kayaking and recreational fishing.

Zone B within the park is a restricted area and allows sailing, canoeing but no power boats or angling.

Zone C also within the park and the southernmost section is a sanctuary and protected area. Access to the water is prohibited.

There are two gates to enter at West Coast National Park. The Southern Gate off the R27 that gives access from the southern section of the park and the Langebaan Gate which is near the Langebaan village and gives access from the northern (and eastern) section of the park. It is one of the smaller parks of South Africa at about 362 square kilometres. One can drive through the park within a couple of hours and enter at one gate then exit at the other.

What you can do in the West Coast National Park and on the Langebaan Lagoon

Although this trip did not include a stop at each and every spot in the park and do everything, we were glad we had the opportunity to visit. There are activities for the entire family to enjoy at West Coast National Park.

Please note that a conservation fee is payable upon entering the park. Alternatively South African residents can use their annual Wild Card.

Scout for Tortoises

Caution: Tortoises have the right of way, so keep your eyes peeled and avoid driving over them. That goes for any other critters too. Please do not pick the tortoises up either.

Visit during the spring flower season to view the natural display of flowers

The Park is a huge attraction between August and September for spring flowers growing in the wild. If there have been good seasonal rains in the winter months the flowers are spectacular. Although it is so popular, the flowers are there for a short period during the year and these two months are the only time that the Postberg Section of the park is open to the public to view this section of the park.

Dunes, fynbos and flowers in the West Coast National Park

Walk or hike the coastal dunes and on the beach

There are a few short and longer marked trails in the park. Some include circular dune walks in Strandveld or on the beach and vary from half, one to two days. Some are pre-booked guided walks.

Picnic in the park

Have a picnic or braai (barbeque) at one of the numerous picnic spots in the park, such as Tsaarsbank, Kraailbaai and Plankiesbaai.

Follow the MTB trails

Follow the route markers on your mountain bike on one of the cycling routes in the park. All routes are near the Langebaan gate. For more information enquire at the office.

Watch waders, pelagic and other species of birds

Two bird hides are found near Geelbek Restaurant and Visitors Centre but those are not the only places to see these feathered varieties. Throughout the park there are opportunities to see other species.

Watch whales and dolphins along the coast

During August and September at the Tsaarsbank section of the park you might be lucky to see spectacular displays of the Southern Right whales as they swim along the coastline. Keep an eye open for dolphins frolicking in the ocean too.

Spot a few wild animals

Although not essentially a game park, you might be lucky to see a few mammals such as red hartebeest, Cape grysbok, eland, caracal and even the little rock hyrax or mongooses and a few other species.

Drift on the water near Kraalbaai

Permanently moored houseboats at Kraalbaai within Zone A are available for accommodation. For more information and bookings contact Kraailbaai Luxury Houseboats.

Visit Geelbek Restaurant and Visitors Centre

Find out about the fauna, flora and cultural history at the Visitors centre.

A restored Cape Dutch building and national monument is home to the Geelbek Restaurant where you can enjoy a meal. The homestead is thought to have been erected by Alexander van Breda in 1860.

Follow the ancient footprints of Eve

A 2.5 day guided trail of 30 kilometres will allow you to experience the similar route a young woman took 117 000 years ago. Is this Eve? Apparently it is believed that this could be from whom all human life descended. The original fossilised footprints were found in rock in 1995 at Kraalbaai. The replica is housed at Geelbek Information Centre.

For more information about Eve's Trail and how to book, visit Cape Biosphere Trails

A scenic view of the houseboats in Kraalbaai

Get your feet wet at Preekstoel

Stick your toes in the water at Preekstoel, a rock that is shaped like a pulpit at Kraalbaai. If it is high tide, there might not be a patch of dry sand to walk on.

Langebaan Lagoon with the Preekstoel rock

Where is West Coast National Park?

The Park is on the West Coast of the Western Cape, about 100 kilometres north of Cape Town off the R27 highway. Most of the park is tarred, however a section at Postberg is gravel.

Download the Map and guide of the West Coast National Park here.

West Coast National Park Accommodation:

There are no camping spots in the park but there are numerous options of accommodation which you can find here.

Outside the park there are nearby villages where you can find other accommodation options.

Booking.com

A visit to the park is not just for our selfish indulgence of nostalgia. Its endless beauty and diversity coupled with an aquamarine jewel of a lagoon against a backdrop of white sand dunes and green fynbos is a paradise that must be seen but preserved. Explore the landscape, discover its history or sit back and relax whilst admiring captivating views in the West Coast National Park.