PLETTENBERG BAY
According to many South Africans, Plettenberg Bay is the jewel of the Garden Route and the most fashionable spot along the South Cape Coast. Plettenberg Bay is also called the Riviera of Africa which is certainly no exaggeration.
Plettenberg Bay (known locally as 'Plett') is characterised by sweeping, unspoilt golden beaches, a dramatic rocky peninsula called Robberg Peninsula which is famous for its Cape Fur Seal population, lagoons and estuaries, towering indigenous forests and unpolluted rivers and sea.
Originally christened "Bahia Formosa" (beautiful bay) by 15th Century Portuguese explorers, Plettenberg Bay was also the site of South Africa's first white "settlement" - established 20 years before Jan van Riebeeck's arrival in Table Bay (Cape Town). When the Portuguese vessel São Goncalo was wrecked in the bay in 1630 the crew came ashore and lived there for about eight months during which they built two smaller boats out of the wreckage and once finished, continued their voyage.
Its current name was given in November 1778 when the governor of the Cape Province JOACHIM Ammema van Plettenberg visited the then rather small village. He erected the historic demarcation stone of the Dutch East India Company, known as the Van Plettenberg Beacon, on the same site as it stands today. (The original stone has been removed to the Cultural History Museum in Cape Town – a replica now stands on the original site overlooking the bay.)
Since then "Plett" has developed into a beautiful, modern town that combines buzzing activity with a peaceful environment, and is a perfect holiday destination for exploring, watching or just relaxing.
With fabulous beaches stretching for miles, whole neighbourhoods of beautiful summer homes, a couple of championship golf courses and world class polo fields, "Plett" is also the playground of the rich and famous.
But don't worry, there’s more to "Plett" than glitz and glamour. It’s one of the best boat based whale and dolphin watching destinations in the world. It offers an incredible variety of outdoor activities seldom seen in one area and is the adventure capital of South Africa.
"Plett" is absolutely stuffed with great restaurants, pubs and wonderful little coffee shops. The many creative locals that have chosen to live in this little paradise create a constant supply of innovative crafts, foods and clothing that supply the numerous shops for you to discover.
With its exceptional Mediterranean Maritime climate, influenced by the warm Agulhas current meeting the temperate Benguela current, Plettenberg Bay offers warm summers and mild winters, with 300 days of sunshine during the year and water temperatures between 14 and 23 degrees Celsius.
The indigenous forests at the feet of the fabled Outeniqua and Tsitsikamma mountains paint a dramatic background to the blue waters of the bay. These unique forests offer the nature lover world-renowned hiking trails and an exciting opportunity to see the last remaining forest elephants of South Africa. The entire area teems with bird life and nearly 300 species are to be found in the great variety of habitats ranging from fynbos to forest to wetlands.
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