LANGEBAAN

Panoramic view of Langebaan (as seen from Postberg Nature Reserve)

Before we get to the fun things to do in Langebaan – here is a bit of history on the town itself:

Langebaan, known as the jewel of the West Coast, is about 20km/74 miles from Cape Town and situated along the beautiful Langebaan Lagoon.

Langebaan Lagoon is a large saltwater lagoon – no river runs into it, and it’s one of only three lagoons world-wide not fed by fresh water

The town is fortunate to enjoy almost year-round sunshine – the winters are never very cold and summer has long sunny days. It’s the southeasterly wind in summer months that make Langebaan a popular and world-class town for especially windsurfing and kitesurfing.

Langebaan officially existed for just over 100 years, but farmers and fishermen inhabited this area for much longer

History told us that the town originated on a farm called De Stompe Hoek that was first called Geytenbergsfontein.

LANGEBAAN – THE NAME?

There are various interpretations as to how Langebaan got its name. The most popular explanation is that the Dutch seafarers, who entered the lagoon to repair and clean their ships, named it after the long strip of calm water formed by the lagoon.

Long white beaches at Langebaan
Cargo vessels at the bay of Saldanha, with the lagoon to the left

Schaapen Island, close to the beach of Langebaan, was used as a stop-over to do repairs to ships. It was also used as a place of grazing for sheep that were returned to Cape Town by the VOC (The Dutch East India Company). This makes Langebaan one of the oldest towns in South Africa with a history dating back to more than 400 years.

Today, Langebaan is a popular weekend and holiday destination. It’s a place where you can enjoy the sun, sea and surf and it offers a wide variety of fun stuff to do.

Beaches have soft and fine white sand

Shark Bay, on the edge of Langebaan, has a lovely beach and is in close proximity to the West Coast National Park. The name (Shark Bay) might sound a bit scary, but don’t worry – it comes from its numerous and harmless sand-sharks (and not the greater and whiter variety). The shallow blue water makes this the perfect beach to fish and kitesurf.

Turquoise water at Shark Bay
Sunset at Shark Bay
Secluded beach at Shark Bay

In springtime, Langebaan changes into a colourful carpet of flowers. It’s definitely worth visiting Langebaan in August and September to see the flowers blooming. You can also see a previous post (POSTBERG NATURE RESERVE) of our visit to this reserve during springtime.

Wild spring flowers at Shark Bay

To take long walks on the beach along the lagoon, is one of our favourite things to do here in Langebaan. Whether it’s early in the morning or late afternoon, it is a tranquil time and there are few things better to do.

Take a stroll on the beach at Langebaan Lagoon

So, without further ado, herewith our list of:

10 Fun things to do in Langebaan:

  • Kayaking on the Langebaan lagoon (click here)
  • Wind- and kite surfing (click here)
  • Fishing (click here)
  • Swimming & yachting at Langebaan beach & lagoon (click here)
  • Visit the West Coast National Park all year round and the flower paradise of Postberg Nature Reserve in August and September (click here)
  • Visit Club Mykonos Casino – Greek inspired accommodation with plenty of entertainment (click here)
  • Dining at the many restaurants in Langebaan (click here)
  • Shopping – the Laguna Mall is a favourite place to visit. You will also find many curio shops close to the lagoon, as well as coffee- and other speciality shops (click here)
  • Take a few road trips to neighbouring towns (within 15-60km) – like Paternoster, Velddrif, Port Owen, Laaiplek, Jacobsbaai, Saldanha Bay, Yzerfontein & Darling. There are also a few camping spots and other surprises (click here)
  • And finally, let’s get back to some exercise – like playing golf. The golf course was created by the famous South African golf legend, Gary Player. There is also a fun Mashie golf course for families

In the next few posts, we’ll tell you more (along with lots of photos) about all these activities.

Sunset over Langebaan Lagoon