River and Beach Activities
Lamberts Bay beach is a wide stretch of white sand that will suffice for any avid sunbather. Watersports include surfing, swimming and kite-surfing.
The bay is regarded as one of the best places to spot dolphins all year round and you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the mammals frollicing in the ocean anywhere along the bay. Between August and November you can take a boat cruise to see Southern right whales up close, as they come to the bay that time of year to mate and calve.
Lamberts Bay is flanked by the Olifants River, so visitors will find a range of activities there as well. Help catch your own lobster, the cuisine for which the area is most famous for, or throw in a lazy line upriver. There is a rustic bush camp at which to overnight if following the loops of the Olifants River. Sundowner cruises as well as seafood dinners and lunches aboard can also be arranged. And on those days when the weather fails to cooperate, 4x4 beach trips and coastal runs are organised instead.
4x4 Routes
One of the 4x4 routes, the ‘desert trail’, is set on 250 hectares just outside Lamberts Bay. It comprises of a series of dunes that become increasingly taxing as you progress. Your guide will choose any one of a number of routes through the dunes. These vary according to the weather and season, and due to the fact the dunes are constantly shifting, some working knowledge of sand driving is necessary (or a more experienced driver in the passenger seat). Getting airborne on a dune crest or applying sudden brakes and sliding down a steep dune can damage your vehicle.
The Boegoeberg 4x4 trail is located on the Lambertshoek Farm and extends 25 km through mountain passes, loose rock, sandy parts and river crossings. You’ll have breath-taking views of Lamberts Bay, Elands Bay and Graafwater, as well as the wonders of the Cederberg Mountain Range.
Bird Island Nature Reserve
Bird Island Nature Reserve in Lamberts Bay is a bird lover’s paradise. It offers visitors the opportunity to see a range of birds up close, such as the blue-eyed Cape gannet, Cormorants and other seabirds. Penguins and Cape fur seals can also be spotted around the island. The reserve is one of the only six sites in the world where Cape gannets breed. There are well-situated lookout points where visitors can watch the birds interact and perform their unique mating rituals. There is also interesting information about the birds at the lookout points. The reserve has an aquarium, auditorium, penguin pool, curio shop and coffee shop.