Muizenberg, South Africa - Unique Places around the World

5. Description

Muizenberg Beach is a seaside community in Cape Town, South Africa. The atmosphere of this Blue Flag Beach evokes a nostalgic ambiance with its Victorian Era style constructions of beach pavilions and bathing huts. Its white sand beach extends across to Gordon's Bay for 25 miles. The beach is also known as a surfing destination throughout South Africa. Muizenberg has a commuter train service that makes it a convenient destination for tourists and locals. Tourist attractions include old structures from colonial days of the Dutch and British occupations. Many students, locals, and tourists flock to this seaside haven, especially between December and March to enjoy their summer vacations.

4. Tourism

Tourists come to Muizenberg for its distinctive colonial atmosphere and fine beach community. The beach is home to a surfing club, a canoe club, and a yacht club. The water here is described as being generally calm and flat enough in most areas for families to enjoy. Still, some areas have strong enough wave action to make for quality longboarding opportunities. The Table Mountain National Park is just behind the beach, and is itself another excellent place to explore. For the average tourist, Muizenberg is an easily accessible destination to arrive at from central Cape Town. There's the choice between taking either the M3, M4, or M5 freeways to access the area by car, and also the MetroRail train which has a fun, 45-minute commute between there and Muizenberg.

3. Uniqueness

Muizenberg boasts of having warm waters on the shores of False Bay. It has long been a traditional summer haunt for families from around Cape Town. Today, it attracts a more varied summer crowd and offers more facilities. Namely, these include swimming pools, waterslides, and a miniature golf course. Rock climbing is another recently added activity, while the village itself offers good eats and other tourist attractions to explore. Staying for periods ranging from several days to a full week is no problem, given the option afforded by the guesthouses' accommodations and the bed and breakfasts in the village. An extended stay also means more opportunities for such activities as birdwatching in the Zandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve, or an evening at the Masque Theatre.

2. Habitat

South Africa is home to many species of animals, and the area around Muizenberg is no exception. These are otters, seals, water mongoose, wildebeest, steenboks and squirrels all to be seen here. Large ocean mammals off the coast include several kinds of whales, dolphins, dwarf sperm whales, and elephant seals. The diversity of fish is represented by eels, silversides, catfish, mullets, bass, salmon, carp, tilapia, and sole. Meanwhile, Muizenberg's reptilian inhabitants include snakes, geckos, skinks, tortoises, terrapins, and chameleons. South Africa has about 19 major types of vegetation zones found in small areas throughout and around the city. These 19 types of vegetation have a diversity of 190 individual kinds plants, many of are endemic to the area. Within a short distance, a visitor can see such an assortment as indigenous shrubs, bushes, trees, and low vegetation species, including those associated with climes ranging from wetlands to forests.

1. Threats

Human impact on the natural environ has come in terms of the community's urbanization, wherein recent residential development has been seen to occur on a quite sizable scale in some areas proximate to False Bay. Much of the coastal areas, though, remain undeveloped and effectively wild today. Muizenberg Beach is also home to a community of white sharks. Although there is a shark watch service meant to alert swimmers, it is best to always be on one's guard. There's also the concern regarding recent strings of cases of muggings in the area. Staying out of unlighted places is an intelligent strategy to avoid becoming a victim. On the other hand, visitors should strive to assist conservation efforts by the city, keeping it clean and orderly as a good guest should. And, if enjoying adult beverages while in Muizenberg, appointing a designated driver is always prudent on a night out.