Gouritsmond (also known as Gouritz), is a small coastal town in the Western Cape with a pretty beach, a couple of shops and an exceptional location. It is the place where the long and winding Gourits River finally meets the sea. The town is one of the few small towns in the province where one can experience tranquility and country charm to its fullest.
The Gourits River is one of South Africa’s more interesting waterways. It runs through several different biomes, and supports an amazing range of biodiversity. There is even a plan to create the Gourits River Mega-Park, which would stretch from the river’s source near Dwyka on the N1, all the way through the Klein Karoo to Gouritsmond.
It’s a huge undertaking, and hundreds of local farmers will have to get involved to make the scheme successful. But the fact that they are already talking about this 20-year conservation project fills one with hope for the future.
An interesting thing about the village is that it was once the home of South Africa’s main nuclear testing facility. This hush-hush site was situated between Still Bay and Gouritsmond and, when the facility was quietly closed down in the last decades of the 20th century, a number of private landholders were allowed to buy up the land.
The Gouritsmond Beach is a sandy stretch of extraordinary beauty. It is a Blue Flag beach, and is family-friendly, and kids can safely swim,...