Pringle Bay

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Geography and History

Pringle Bay is situated only 85 km from Cape Town in the Westen Cape province of South Africa. Pringle Bay is a charming small coastal village and is situated on the famous Whale Route of the Westen Cape.

The charming village of Pringle Bay is nestled at the foot of the Hangklip Mountain between Betty's Bay and Gordon's Bay where many of the houses are only used as holiday houses by their owners.

Pringle Bay, named after Rear Admiral Thomas Pringle in 1797, is famous for its rocky shores and the cave, "Drostersgat", which was used by prisoners and runaway slaves as a hide-away in the 18th century. The cave is on private ground - it is difficult to find, in a steep inlet washed by the sea and entrance can only be gained by letting yourself down by rope between the slanting rock walls - an isolated and daunting place. A resident of nearby Onrus in the 1890's had visited the cave at Pringle Bay and found skeletons, the remains of game and proof of fires.

Activities

The Pringle Bay beach is pristine and spotless and never crowded, even over Christmas! There is a small lagoon with clear and warm water where the Buffels River enters the sea. The village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and overlooks the Ocean with Cape Point in the distance.

Pringle Bay offers an idyllic outdoor lifestyle and activities in the area include: safe swimming, snorkelling around the many rock pools and crevices on the beach, diving for abalone, rock lobster and crayfish - although you will need a permit to do so - and amazing opportunities for bird watching that include the Sunbird, Sugar bird and the African Black Oystercatcher

Othere places of interest include:

Harold Porter Botanical Gardens: Approximately 9km from the entrance to Pringle Bay. Lovely short walks for old and young alike. Disakloof is an easy walk and a great place to be when the wind is blowing in Pringle Bay. Visit their website at http://www.sanbi.org/haroldporter/mainpage.htm for further information

Kogelberg Nature Reserve: +- 17kms from entrance to Pringle Bay. For all you hiking fanatics, Kogelberg Nature Reserve is a great place to go hiking with both one and two day hikes. For more information contact CapeNature on +27 (0)21 659 3500 or visit the Cape Nature (http://www.capenature.org.za/) website. There is also a mountain bike trail for those who prefer wheels.

The Kogelberg does not have many large animals. There are a few leopards; the Cape clawless otter may be seen in or near water; smaller antelope include klipspringer and grysbok; and baboons, dassies and hares are fairly common. Peregrine falcons, black eagles and fish eagles hunt and nest in and around the reserve. An endemic freshwater crab and the endangered micro-frog are found in the area. A herd of wild horses roam the flats of the Bot River estuary at Rooisand.

Hiking: There are a number of great hikes in this area ranging from short 3hr trips up to a two day excursion. The Palmiet River walk, starting 100m or so on the Betty's Bay side of the bridge, is a good introduction. The walk is an easy three hour walk up the river. Permits are required. During the day they can be purchased at the offices at the start of the trail. A 5-6hr mountain bike route starts at the same point. Contact Cape Nature for more details (028) 271 5138

Penguins at Stony Point: Visit the penguin colony at Stony point in Betty's Bay. Easily accessible and signpost from the road to Betty's Bay.