Langebaan Houseboat Retreat
Kraal Bay is a delightful, little bay at the southern end of the West Coast National Park.
The best time to visit this area is during the school holidays and out of season – if you are looking for a peaceful and tranquil experience. This bay isn’t really known of yet and you may find yourself enjoying the Kraal Bay beach all to yourself, which is a major rarity in this day and age. However there is a much larger and better reason to go, of course.
The evening view could be quite different to the one you wake up to.
The freezing cold Atlantic along the West Coast is an absolute must for crayfish diving, so pack a decent wet-suit and a bottle of Old Brown Sherry or two, cause you will need it! However, this is not the case at Kraal Bay, since the water remains shallow for quite a while and is warmed by the sun. The azure colour of this warm water will leave you feeling as though you’ve landed in the Mediterranean or Caribbean.
The West Coast National Park closes to the public by sunset if you aren’t staying in the park and unfortunately the accommodation options are no where near Kraal Bay. Although, all is not lost -they do offer accommodation on their houseboats moored in the bay. If you are a part of a large group, go for the Nirvana, an up-market 400m houseboat, with nine cabins and can sleep 22 people. This boat is kitted with a kitchen on both the lower and upper deck and a fireplace in the lounge to keep the cold West Coast nights at bay.
If you are looking for something a little more intimate, you can hire the smaller Larus, which has three cabins and sleeps six people. The bay is positioned in a way that it’s fairly sheltered, although the boats do move around on their moorings.
The park is filled with wild life, such as ostrich, caracal, red harte-beest or eland and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to spot them from the boats. An added bonus is that the water is clear enough to see all the magnificent schools of fish swimming past the boat.
Once the park is closed, the place becomes yours – just you and the wildlife. The best part is falling asleep and waking up with a gentle sea breeze on your face, as the water laps against the hull. The mornings are wonderful for taking a refreshing swim before enjoying a breakfast on the deck. Just try not to sleep in too late or your peace will be taken over by the tourists encroaching on your views.
SANpark’s Website
Tel: +27 (0)21 526 0432
Fax: +27 (0)21 526 0311
Email
| More info on the town of Langebaan | More info on the West Coast area |
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