Kleinmond Tourist Attractions
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Kleinmond is a small and not particularly attractive town with a fishing harbor in Sandown Bay, on the coast of the Indian Ocean, but it lies in an area of great natural beauty, the "flower paradise on the Cape". In Sandown Bay itself there are mile-long sandy beaches (though strong currents make bathing dangerous), while inland there is beautiful hill country. There is safe bathing in a lagoon.
Harold Porter National Botanic Garden
At the foot of the Platberg (917m/3,009ft), to the north of Betty's Bay, is the Harold Porter National Botanic Garden (area 189ha/467ac), which is famed for its beautiful wild flowers. Only 5ha/12.5ac of the garden are cultivated; the rest of the area consists of typical Cape fynbos. In January the rare red disa orchids flower here, in March the nerines. Two mountain streams flow through the gardens. During the main flowering season, between October and February, large numbers of birds are attracted to the gardens, including the Cape thrush and various species of woodpeckers and cuckoos. Also to be seen in the gardens are porcupines, mongooses, baboons and (more rarely) leopards.
Coast Road to Gordon's Bay
The coast road (R44) which runs north from Betty's Bay to Gordon's Bay (40km/25m) is of outstanding scenic beauty. Mile-long sandy beaches alternate with stretches of rugged cliffs, and there are wide views over False Bay with the Cape Peninsula in the background.A side road goes off R 44 to Cape Hangklip (453m/1486ft), at the east end of False Bay, with a lighthouse, a number of holiday houses and a hotel.
Kleinmond Coastal Nature Reserve
This nature reserve, to the west of Kleinmond round the mouth of the Palmiet River, was established to protect the vulnerable ecosystem between the hills and the coast. It covers an area of 400ha/1,000ac containing many indigenous species of trees (the milkwood tree being particularly common) and rare Erica and Protea species. A number of hiking trails run through the reserve; especially rewarding is an 8km/5mi long coastal trail from which marine life can also be observed. The reserve is open throughout the year from sunrise to sunset; there is no overnight accommodation.
Betty's Bay
11km/7mi west of Kleinmond is the little holiday resort of Betty's Bay, named after Betty Youlden, daughter of a landowner in the years before the Second World War. This charmingly situated little place consists almost exclusively of privately owned holiday homes.At Betty's Bay is the only penguin reserve on the mainland: on Stony Point is a colony of rare jackass penguins.
