KAYAKING

A secluded beach which can only be reached by people in the nearby houses … and of course by us on our kayaks!

The Langebaan lagoon is the perfect place to put your kayak in the water and to go for long sessions of paddling, without being bothered by anyone.

Berto is by far the more experienced one when it comes to kayaking … but after I watched him for some time on the lagoon, I was ready to buy my own kayak and to join him. At the moment I prefer the absolute windless days where there are no chances of unsuspected waves!

The yellow (long and narrow) kayak belongs to Berto, while mine is the blue (and more stable) one

The best time of day to take your kayak out on the lagoon, is probably early morning when there is no wind (and less boats). One of the best places to take your kayak into the lagoon, is close to the Langebaan Yacht Club at the main beach. There is ample parking available and you don’t have to carry your kayak that far to get to the water.

Kayaking from the main beach at the Langebaan lagoon

Another good spot to launch your kayak in Langebaan, is at Shark Bay beach. It is however quite a long hike on a boardwalk going down to the beach … and remember that you will have to carry your kayak back UP that boardwalk again when you’re done kayaking 😁.

The beach at Shark Bay
I love kayaking at Shark Bay – the water is fairly shallow and most of the time very calm

The best place however for kayaking in my opinion, is at Kraalbaai (inside the West Coast National Park). We normally leave early morning, after loading the kayaks on our Suzuki Jimny’s roof and drive to Kraalbaai, where we enjoy kayaking for most of the day. It turns out to be always an enjoyable day with friends – we put our beach gazebo up and have a picnic basket close by. When we’re not kayaking (between the house boats in the bay), we are on the beach playing ball games or just relaxing under the gazebo!

Yes, it can be done … 2 kayaks on a Suzuki Jimny
Relaxing under the beach gazebo at Kraalbaai
I’m testing Berto’s kayak … and loving it!
Relaxing in the shallow water of Kraalbaai
Kayaking towards the house boats at Kraalbaai

One of the best things of kayaking is that you can paddle on the lagoon between the sea birds without them even noticing … so, if you are a bird watcher, you can combine this with kayaking.

Birds don’t get spooked easily when a kayak is moving silently pass them

DON’T HAVE YOUR OWN KAYAK?

No problem! You can rent one at the beach – Gravity. You can either take the kayak on your own and kayak around Schaapen Island (close to the beach) or the experienced guides will take you out on a short day trip and reveal the secrets and wonders of the local fauna and flora.

One thing is for sure, a day on a kayak on the Langebaan lagoon, is like medicine for a stressed and tired body … go and experience this fun thing to do in Langebaan!

Tired after a long morning of kayaking, but a great day spent on the Langebaan lagoon