Lambert's Bay is a fishing town, with fish-processing industries, 290km/180mi north of Cape Town on the west coast of South Africa. There has hitherto been little tourist development in this area, but this is due to change, and there is already accommodation for visitors in modest hotels and guest houses. Many South Africans
are attracted to Lambert's Bay by the busy life round the harbor and the freshly caught fish served in the restaurants (for example the well-known Muisbosskerm beach restaurant, 5km/3mi south of the town). A major annual event is the Crayfish Festival at the end of November.
The town lies in a 30km/19 mi long coastal strip of very sandy soil in which only drought-loving plants flourish. In spring, however, this ''sandveld'' is transformed into a sea of blossom.
The town is named after Sir Robert Lambert, naval officer in charge of the region in 1820-21. The bay was the scene of the only naval battle of the Boer War, when General Hertzog's fleet opened fire on a British warship, the ''Sybille''