December 2025 & January 2026

Footprints in the Sand & Colours in the Sky

We have finally reached the last post of our wild camping series along the West Coast of South Africa. In today’s post, we just want to share a few photos of our beach strolls. Oh yes, and those lovely sunsets – each one was different, but we were amazed every time at how beautiful they were.

There were a few mornings when we got out of our tent and our campsite was shrouded in mist. With the damp mistiness around us, it was always great to just sit in our camping chairs and see the world waking up.

Early morning mist

The mist is slowly lifting

By mid-morning, the mist had moved back to the horizon

Around lunchtime, the sky was blue, the sea calm and the sun warm. That was usually an indication that we should go for our daily stroll on the beach.

A beautiful day at Waterval on the West Coast

In front of our campsite were rocks, but not far from there were beautiful sandy beaches. Usually, it was just the two of us on the beach, which of course made it so much more enjoyable.

On our way to the beach

Relaxing stroll on the beach

Waves find their way to the beach through the rocks

The birds that you see the most here are, of course, sea gulls. They are often found in large numbers, particularly along rocky shorelines.

Sea gulls on the rocks

Apart from the seagulls, we also regularly saw kelp that had washed up on the beach. This usually happens after a heavy storm or rough sea conditions. This phenomenon is particularly common in coastal areas where kelp forests are located.

Walking through kelp on the beach

Except for the sea gulls and kelp, we also saw many other interesting things on the beach – colourful coral, weird shells, and jelly-like blobs. There is definitely not a dull moment when walking on a beach on the West Coast of South Africa.

Colourful coral and kelp

*A shell … or something

* Thanks to Jude (Cornwall in Colours) for identifying the shell as an empty egg case, called the ‘Mermaid’s Purse’.

This is probably family of a jellyfish

A pretty coral ‘bouquet’

Among the mussel shells on the beach, we also found quite a few beach plants and even small bushes of flowers.

Pretty things on the beach

Sometimes we would sit on the rocks and watch the waves roll onto the beach, and other times we would relax on the beach with our toes in the soft sea sand. Our beach strolls are definitely some of my best memories from our wild camping adventure.

It was never difficult to find a rock to watch the waves

Pristine beaches

I think my favourite time of day was when the sun threw glitters over the ocean during late afternoon. That was always the perfect time to grab a chair and just sit and watch as the spectacle unfolded.

With or without clouds – it was always pretty

The sunsets along the West Coast are a breathtaking blend of serenity and drama. On some evenings, soft clouds would scatter across the horizon, catching the fading light in pastel shades of pink, peach and even lavender.

Clouds in the sky made stunning sunsets

There’s that sparkling ocean once again

While other nights, the sky cleared completely, allowing the sun to dip into the ocean in a blaze of gold and fiery orange.

The sky turns into the same colour as our campfire

Even when the bright colours are gone, it’s still beautiful

When the sun finally set, the mist slowly returned

We have often seen the last sun of the day dipped behind the neatly stacked rocks at our campsite.

The sun behind our campsite’s stacked rocks

As I mentioned earlier in the post, no sunset was the same. Isn’t it wonderful how something that occurs every single day can look so different?

Orange, pink and blue

Is it orange, yellow or gold?

On the morning we packed up, we often paused to watch the sun trying to drive away the mist clouds. The streak of blue sky was a promise of a warm day – I can’t say we were excited to leave this beautiful place.

Last morning at our campsite

We had a wonderful time along the West Coast. Two weeks of absolute tranquility were enough to prepare us for the new year and its challenges. We hope you enjoyed our wild camping adventure with us.

We are going to miss those beautiful sunsets and sitting around the campfire