Where to picnic in Plettenberg Bay

There’s nothing like a morning or an afternoon out in the fresh ocean air to work up an appetite!

In Plett, we’re fortunate to be able to either stroll right into a restaurant off the beach or pack a pleasantly packaged picnic or fabulously messy feast right there on the beach or along the coastline.

Here are some favourite options for a picnic in Plettenberg Bay. Sun-kissed afternoons and orange-pink sunsets make filling a basket with goodies and heading out just about the perfect way to say farewell to the day. A few essentials: water, sunscreen, napkins and, of course, something to put your trash in – please.

Keurbooms

Cape Nature’s World Heritage Site can be explored in a number of ways: take a stroll along the bank (there are picnic spots just off the N2), book a river cruise, kayak tour or stand-up paddling experience. The nature reserve, at a relatively small 740ha is near pristine and a sanctuary for indigenous trees including the Cape beech, giant stinkwood and the magnificent Outeniqua yellowwood.

Birders will find great pleasure in sighting the Knysna turaco and woodpecker, sunbird species, kingfishers and more and, if you’re headed up to Whiskey Creek – a lone leopard has been spotted on the banks on more than one occasion – the rarest of the African Big Five right there on the riverbank of Keurbooms River Nature Reserve. Find out more…

Picnic in Plett on the Keurbooms River

Robberg Nature Reserve

No picnic list would be complete without including Robberg Nature Reserve, also a World Heritage Site and a national No picnic list of Plett would be complete without including our jewel: Robberg Nature Reserve. Robberg is a World Heritage Site, national monument and – thanks to the historical Nelson Bay Cave – a part of the Cradle of Human Culture Route.

The parking lot – which offers braai facilities and an epic sunset view along the coastline – is the picnic spot for Plett residents at the end of a long week. If you’re feeling more active, head on down to the Gap and onto the tombolo beach for a seaside picnic – you won’t be disappointed. Please note that there are no water points on the reserve and that it closes at sunset so, if you go exploring, you’ll need to allow for time to hike back to the parking lot. Find out more…

Picnic in Plett at Robberg Nature Reserve

Lookout Beach

Oh, the memories! Lookout Beach is a Plett institution: memories of ice cream melting in a cone, sand-coated sunscreen and endless waves breaking along the shore. Lookout Beach has been the holiday home of many a South African and is as lovely today as it was 50 years ago.

The nearby lagoon makes it an ideal beach for the family with littler children and there’s plenty of space to spread out and build a sandcastle. Either pack a picnic to enjoy under the umbrella or pop in at the Lookout Deck or Grand Africa Beach Lookout Beach for a fabulously tasty treat. Find out more…

Picnic in Plett at Lookout Beach

Nature’s Valley

Lovely Nature’s Valley stretches luxuriantly along the Tsitsikamma coastline with the Otter Trail to the east and Salt River to the west, it’s a place of quiet beauty and serenity. Set up your picnic along the beach or lagoon and, if you’re well-packed for a hike, head along the coast to the magical paradise that is Salt River Mouth.

It’s best to research your route to Salt River before you but if you can get through the hike, it’s one of the loveliest spaces on the Garden Route – untouched, uninhabited, wild, and beautiful. Find out more…

Picnic at Nature’s Valley

Kranshoek

This largely undiscovered picnic spot has some of the best views you’ll find along this coastline: fynbos covered cliffs give way to a startlingly dramatic ocean (very different from the gentle, sweeping beaches of the bay). If you’re hiking, the coastal trail is quite strenuous and it’s best to check ahead of time if the trail is open (This is a South African National Parks site within the Garden Route National Park), however, the 1km forest trail is perfect for the whole family.

Picnic tables and braais await to feed faces after the walks. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, SANparks recently launched a new zipline adventure nearby, so you can fly across a gorge with even more gorgeous sea views and the ocean breeze in your hair! Find out more about Kranshoek and Harkerville…

Kranshoek from the viewpoint, on the Harkerville trail

Tsitsikamma

Tsitsikamma National Park is Africa’s oldest Marine Protected Area and, if you have the time, it’s only 67km from Plettenberg Bay, and well worth the trip! The Storms River Mouth section of the national park is the most magical of settings for a day trip. Lilies cling to a cliff’s edge misted by ocean spray, the suspension bridges sway above the entrance to the Storms River Gorge and the picnic areas are well-established and maintained. With a snorkeling trail, scuba diving, kayak and lilo adventure and hiking, plan for a full day out and stock that picnic basket!