Victoria Bay / South Africa

We spent one quick night in Victoria Bay along our Durban to Cape Town road trip. We opted for the highly recommended Vic Bay Surfari up on the hill, a five minute drive from the cove, but there is also one row of beach homes tucked at the base of the mountain literally right next to the surf zone (someone recommended Lands End to us). Surfari Lodge’s deck view, flat screen TV and sleek wooden furniture felt glamorous compared to the broken-in surf shacks we’d become accustomed to. If you’re there just to surf, probably best to stay down by the beach. If you’re there for leisurely vacation, Surfari it is.

We surfed one evening and the waves were breaking off the end of the rocks and also closer to shore. For surfing closer to shore, just hop in at the beach and watch out for the fishermen casting into the surf zone! For surfing off the rocks, walk all the way out to where the paved road ends and climb down onto the rocks and paddle out from there. Timing is key, as you could get washed right over the jetty, and it’s a bit difficult to see the approaching waves. The mountains surrounding the beach make it feel like a secret cove. We heard from a local that the older locals have never seen a shark before and that the sharks instead hang out by a river mouth up the coast a ways. That made us relax a little.

At a glance…

• Stay at Vic Bay Surfari or Lands End.
• Go to the beach!
• Eat in Wilderness, where there are more options. We ate at Salina’s, which requires nicer clothes than sandals and tees.
• Tips – if you drive to the beach, the woman behind the snack counter often will hold keys, but only during business hours.