Elands Bay

Elands Bay, about 220 km north of Cape Town near Lambert's Bay, is a West Coast surf town famous for a long, powerful left-hand point break that wraps around a rocky, kelp-fringed outcrop known as Baboon Point. Surf guides describe a hollow take-off and a peeling wall that can run well over a hundred metres, breaking best on cold, clean winter groundswells the Atlantic water here is notably chilly, so a good wetsuit is essential year-round. The wave is frequently rated among the finest left-hand points in the country.

The same headland holds Elands Bay Cave (at Baboon Point / Cape Deseada), a declared heritage site whose walls bear San rock paintings including an eland, other animals and numerous handprints with archaeological excavations indicating human occupation reaching back some 15,000 years. The pairing of a world-class wave and ancient rock art gives Elands Bay a distinctive dual draw for surfers and heritage travellers alike, along an otherwise remote and windswept stretch of coast.