landmark
Robben Island
Former political prison island off Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, now a UNESCO museum.
11 km · about 20 min drive
AfricaSouth AfricaWestern Cape
Melkbosstrand
Western Cape, South Africa · Africa
About Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand works well as a base: 30 minutes from Sunset Beach, 22km from N1/N4 Cape Town to Kruger.
Melkbosstrand is in Western Cape, South Africa, with about 14,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Sunset Beach, about 15 km away.
Melkbosstrand (Afrikaans for "Milkbush beach") is a coastal town located on the South West Coast of South Africa, 30 km north of Cape Town. It forms part of the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, the municipality governing Cape Town and its greater metropolitan area.
Named after the species of EuphorbiaceaeRead more
bushes which grow on the dunes and give off a milky latexlike substance, it is commonly referred to simply as Melkbos. The town and its 7 kilometre stretch of white sand beach is situated on the Atlantic coast with the Blouberg mountain to the east. The beach is popular with surfers. It is one of the landing points for the South Africa-Far East, South Atlantic/West Africa and Equinao submarine cable systems.
Melkbosstrand is along the Blaauwberg region of the City of Cape Town within which it became incorporated when metropolitan boundaries were redrawn, following the advent of democracy in 1994. Its nearest neighbouring towns are Blouberg to the south and Atlantis to the north-east. Melkbos is protected from urban development owing to its location in an expansive nature conservation zone to the South, insulating it from the Blouberg sprawl, and the security buffer zones of Koeberg nuclear power station to the North and today it remains a pristine seaside resort.
Where to Stay in Melkbosstrand
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Melkbosstrand?
Within an hour or so of Melkbosstrand: Robben Island (11 km), Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (20 km), Two Oceans Aquarium (20 km), N1/N4 Cape Town to Kruger (22 km).
Are there any good drives near Melkbosstrand?
The nearest famous roads are N1/N4 Cape Town to Kruger, Chapman's Peak Drive and Bainskloof Pass.
Where is Melkbosstrand?
Melkbosstrand is in Western Cape, South Africa, about 15 km from Sunset Beach.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 13,542
- Continent
- Africa
- Country
- South Africa
- Region
- Western Cape
- Timezone
- Africa/Johannesburg
- Coordinates
- -33.7261, 18.4429
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in South Africa
112 works from mobiles. Avoid driving at night in rural areas; keep doors locked in cities.
Full driving guide for South AfricaTags
Worth the detour from Melkbosstrand
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
Africa's largest contemporary art museum, carved from a historic grain silo on Cape Town's waterfront.
20 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Two Oceans Aquarium
Cape Town aquarium at the V&A Waterfront showcasing marine life from both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
20 km · about 25 min drive
famous road
N1/N4 Cape Town to Kruger
South Africa's grand traverse from the Cape Winelands across the Karoo to Kruger National Park and its Big Five wildlife.
22 km · about 25 min drive
beach
Clifton Beach
A series of four sheltered, boulder-divided coves in Cape Town renowned for their beauty and calm, clear waters.
24 km · about 30 min drive
beach
Camps Bay Beach
A glamorous Cape Town beach backed by the Twelve Apostles mountain range with palm-lined promenades and Atlantic waves.
26 km · about 30 min drive
landmark
Table Mountain
Flat-topped mountain and iconic natural landmark overlooking Cape Town and the surrounding coastline.
27 km · about 30 min drive
cafe
Chapman's Peak Beach Restaurant
A seaside restaurant at the base of Chapman's Peak Drive near Cape Town, one of the world's most spectacular coastal driving roads carved into cliff faces.
36 km · about 40 min drive
Driving roads near Melkbosstrand
7 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 100km.
- 22 kmN1/N4 Cape Town to KrugerSouth Africa's grand traverse from the Cape Winelands across the Karoo to Kruger National Park and its Big Five wildlife.
- 40 kmChapman's Peak ViewpointA series of pull-offs on one of the world's most scenic coastal drives, hugging the cliffs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek near Cape Town.
- 41 kmChapman's Peak DriveA breathtaking 9-kilometer toll road carved into the near-vertical face of Chapman's Peak between Hout Bay and Noordhoek.
- 60 kmHuguenot TunnelSouth Africa's longest road tunnel, boring 3.9 km through the Du Toitskloof mountains on the N1 near Paarl and bypassing the old scenic pass above it.
- 62 kmBainskloof PassAn 1853 Thomas Bain pass that runs as a narrow ledge blasted into the mountainside above the Witte River, barely altered since construction and now a national monument. The tarred road is single-lane in places with dramatic drop-offs.
- 66 kmClarence Drive (R44)A cliff-hugging coastal road between Gordon's Bay and Rooi-Els along False Bay, rated among the world's great ocean drives, with whale sightings in season.
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