Seeing Gansbaai: Cave, Cliffs and Lighthouse

Sights Along the Coast

Gansbaai’s sights sit close together between Kleinbaai and De Kelders, with a few further afield. Costs are in rand (R), and several sights open only on set days, so check before driving out.

Klipgat Cave and Walker Bay Nature Reserve

  • Management: CapeNature. Gates open 07:00 to 19:00 at De Kelders (the Klipgat Cave gate), Uilkraalsmond and Stanford.
  • Fees: from R70 for adults and R50 for children aged 4 to 17.
  • Payment: cashless since 2 February 2026. Use a card or mobile payment, or pre-book on capenature.co.za. Cash is refused at the gate.
  • The cave: two chambers, reached along a boardwalk with some rock-hopping.
  • Age: people sheltered here in the Middle Stone Age, with estimates of roughly 65,000 to 85,000 years that differ between sources. A later herder layer from the Khoe is 1,600 to 2,000 years old.

Whales From the Cliffs

The cliff path at De Kelders is free to walk. Southern right whales swim close to the rocks roughly from June to November, and a few operators extend that to December. The reserve itself lists offshore sightings from about August to November. Binoculars help, and patience helps more.

Danger Point Lighthouse

The 1895 tower is octagonal, 18 m tall and has 99 steps. It does not keep regular weekday hours and opens only on scheduled open days or weekends, recently from 10:00 to 14:45. Entry is R20 for visitors aged 18 and over, R10 for ages 10 to 17 and free for children under 10. Donations are welcome, and you pay by cash or EFT. Gansbaai Tourism, on 072 291 5564, can confirm the next date.

The waters off Danger Point are where HMS Birkenhead went down on 26 February 1852 after striking Birkenhead Rock, with more than 400 lives lost. Visit the point with respect, and keep away from the water’s edge, since reefs and rips remain dangerous.

Dyer Island and Geyser Rock

About 8 km offshore, these two provincial reserves can be viewed only from a licensed boat, usually from Kleinbaai. There is no public landing. Geyser Rock holds a seal colony in the tens of thousands, and the channel between the islands is called Shark Alley.

Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas is a long day trip, about 110 km and 2 hours by sealed road. Its 1848 lighthouse is in a precinct that reopened in April 2026. Ask SANParks about the entry fee and opening hours. The road by Elim and Baardskeerdersbos is gravel and slower.

Read more: Gansbaai walking tours for coastal trails, or day trips for places further away.

Read the CapeNature Walker Bay page and the lighthouse tour notes , and look for guided tours on Viator .