Stilbaai. Western Cape. South Africa

Stilbaai. Western Cape. South Africa
Stilbaai is a charming seaside village along the Western Cape Garden Route. It is close to the towns of Jongensfontein and Melkhoutfontein along the banks of the Goukou River estuary, where it meets the warm Indian Ocean on the Southern Cape coast of South Africa.
Stilbaai is 26 kilometres from the N2 between Mossel Bay and Riversdale. It can also be reached by air and sea. The local airstrip can accommodate small aircraft. while George airport, which handles normal passenger aircraft, is 150 km away. Stilbaai also boasts a fishing harbour.
The shallow bay and the clean sandy beaches make Stilbaai the perfect holiday destination. (There are 4 beaches with Blue Flag status during the December - January season). The estuary creates a large lagoon and the Goukou river is navigable upstream for fifteen kilometers.
Every water-related activity is available. This includes swimming, surfing, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, kite surfing and angling. There are also walking trails and of course, just plain old sunbathing.
Other sporting activities are also available. These include golf, tennis, bowls, jukskei, squash, cycling and mountain biking.
Public services include medical facilities, two franchised grocery shops, restaurants, take-away food outlets, clothing shops, beauty salons, gift shops, hairdressers, and sports shops.
Despite the rapid development in Stilbaai and Jongensfontein, well-balanced commercial interests are maintained, and our natural environment is fervently protected. The permanent population of Stilbaai and the two adjacent villages, Jongensfontein and Melkhoutfontein, amounts to approximately 7000.
The popularity of Stilbaai, as one of the best tourist destinations on the Garden Route, is well established and continues to grow. but it remains a pollution-free, safe, and peaceful place to spend your holiday.
Stilbaai is host to a number of interesting archaeological sites, including ancient fish traps thought to have been built by early ancestors of the Khoi people of the Southern Cape, and a shell landfill that has been carbon dated to around 1000 BC.
Another archaeological site is situated in a group of caves at Blombos cave, about 12 kilometres from Stilbaai. Artifacts found at Blombos have been carbon dated to around 77,000 BP, making it the oldest known human settlement today.