A working fishing village on the Southern Hemisphere’s longest beach.
Struisbaai sits in the Cape Agulhas Local Municipality, about 200km southeast of Cape Town and just 4km from the southernmost point of the African continent. It's an old fishing village that, for many years, sported a beautiful natural harbour — and while some development has taken place, Struisbaai remains relatively untouched by over-development. Many fishermen still live here, though the town is now equally known for fishing, horseriding, hiking, paintball, quad-biking and diving.
The exact origin of the name is debated — some say it comes from the thatch (“strooi”) roofs of the fishermen's cottages, others point to the ostriches (“struisvogel”) that once roamed here, while a third theory ties it to an old Dutch word for “huge,” fitting for the longest beach in the Southern Hemisphere.
Watch traditional fishing boats bring in the daily catch, buy fresh fish straight off the boats, and look out for the resident stingray affectionately known as “Parrie.”
Walk, drive, or ride a stretch of the longest beach in the Southern Hemisphere — soft white sand for as far as you can see.
A row of whitewashed, thatched cottages recognised as national monuments — a living piece of the town’s fishing heritage.
An annual celebration of the local catch, with food stalls, artists and musical performers.
An active-holiday base — deep-sea fishing charters, beach horse rides, quad trails and diving are all on the doorstep.
