May 2026

The white beaches of Struisbaai and Where two oceans meet at Cape Agulhas

No visit to the Overberg region (or Arniston where we stayed for a couple of days) is complete if you haven’t made a trip to the southernmost point of Africa, known as Cape Agulhas.

Struisbaai:

And fortunately, to get to Cape Agulhas, you will also drive through the beautiful coastal town of Struisbaai, which is just 4km/2.5 miles from Cape Agulhas. Struisbaai is an old fishing village with long white beaches and a beautiful natural harbour. The old, white-washed fisherman’s cottages at the entrance to Struisbaai are national monuments and this is where we made our first stop.

White-washed fisherman’s cottages in Struisbaai

We decided, before we drove to the southernmost point of Africa, to first visit Struisbaai’s quaint little harbour.

Fishing boats at the harbour in Struisbaai

Struisbaai has a natural harbour

The harbour was originally built in 1959 and expanded in 1990. The presence of the colourful fishing boats is synonymous with Struisbaai’s fishing character, and it is especially during the summer months that there is a lot of activity here when fishermen bring their catch from the sea back to the harbour.

Struisbaai harbour

Colourful fishing boats

It was a little chilly to buy ice-cream – there is a small stand which I presume is quite busy during the summer. We rather opted for a takeaway coffee at the Struisbaai Harbour Cafe. After that, we walked to the end of the breakwater where there is a small lighthouse (not sure if this is still in a working condition). A few fishermen were enjoying the morning, while we enjoyed the views.

Time for a photo at one of the famous yellow frames at the beginning of the breakwater

Small lighthouse at the end of the breakwater

At the end of the breakwater, there are some lovely views towards the fishing boats

Beautiful white sandy beach

More fishing boats

A fishing boat filled with birds

Sometimes visitors may see Struisbaai’s friendly resident stingray, called Parrie. There are actually quite a few stingrays and apparently, they swim very close to where people can visibly see them in the shallow water, but we were not so lucky and continued to the boardwalk.

No sign of Parrie the stingray, but we got another beautiful view of the harbour

Walking on the boardwalk

Last view of the ocean before we left Struisbaai harbour

After we wiped the sea sand off our shoes, we got back into our ‘bakkie’ and drove the short distance to Cape Agulhas.

The small town of Agulhas in the distance

Cape Agulhas:

A bit of history: The name Cape Agulhas comes from the Portuguese navigators who called it Cabo das Agulhas—Portuguese for “Cape of Needles” – after noticing that around the year 1500 the direction of magnetic north (and therefore the compass needle) coincided with true north in the region. (Source: Wikipedia)

A couple of years ago, we visited the lighthouse and museum at Cape Agulhas. The 71 steps take you all the way to the top of the lighthouse, from where there is a beautiful view. Since I had that issue with my back and leg, we decided not to visit the lighthouse, but rather drive straight to the southernmost point.

Lighthouse and museum at Cape Agulhas

At the southernmost point of Africa there are usually many visitors (read: tour buses). But we were very lucky that there was not a single tourist (or bus) in sight. We could take photos to our heart’s content while enjoying the sea views.

Marker at Cape Agulhas indicates the official dividing line between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans

Somewhere out there, two oceans meet each other

Standing at the southernmost point of Africa

It was then that I decided to jump into the air, spread my legs and lift my arms, to show my joy by standing (at the same time) in two different oceans – and that was the final blow to my pinched sciatic nerve. This jump just escalated my pain and ensured that for the next six weeks I could basically do nothing. Getting old is not for sissies!

Ouch!

The wild Indian & Atlantic Ocean

From here we walked over to the ‘Map of Africa’. This stone map monument artistically represents the African continent and is 18 metres from north to south.

I’m standing somewhere in North Africa

Aerial view of the map on the information board at the monument

Meanwhile, a light shower passed, and we decided to look for a place to enjoy lunch. But not before we stopped once more to take a few photos of the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse. The lighthouse, built in 1848, plays a crucial role in navigating ships through treacherous conditions at the southernmost point of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.

Cape Agulhas Lighthouse

The lighthouse is built in the classic Egyptian Pharos style

The light rain caused most of the visitors to flock to the restaurants and we decided to drive to Struisbaai where the chance of getting an open table at a restaurant was better. On the way there, we saw the historic Anglican Church in Struisbaai, which has also been declared a national monument. While Berto took photos of the church, I found a takeaway restaurant that still had a table available. The crispy fish cakes and chips were delicious.

Historic Anglican Church in Struisbaai

Anglican Church

Light lunch

Between sunshine and dodging raindrops, we loved our time at Struisbaai’s charming harbour and the southernmost point of Africa at Cape Agulhas. We will most likely visit this part of South Africa again – it is that beautiful.