Family friendly in Plettenberg Bay

PLETT TOURISM

You can explore Plett’s beautiful sandy beaches and the lagoon. Take one of the hikes at Robberg Nature Reserve. Learn to surf at a proper surf school. Rent a boat and go up the Keurbooms River. Grab the bait and tackle and head to Lookout for some fishing. Take golf lessons for kids at the Plettenberg Bay Golf Club. Or rent the family SUP (stand up paddle).

Live entertainment is also plentiful in December. The Beacon Isle Resort hosts weekly Goodluck Summer concerts and will this year be featuring Majozi, Matthew Mole and other phenomenal names. The new venue, CoCo Valley, will host the “We love Summer” concert series. And don’t forget this year’s Goldfish in the Park family event.

Plett has a few great shops for kids. The Cycle Shop has an incredible selection of bikes and accessories. Summer Sands has you covered for beach toys. Visit one of the Crush Surf shops for an amazing selection of clothing, shoes, and swimming costumes for boys and girls. And, to reward patient kids for going along with their parents’ shopping adventures, Ice Palazzo is just the thing – voted by children “most likely shop to go to when in Plett”.

Plett Summer means lots of kid-friendly events to mark the festive season. Check the Plett Tourism website for the daily calendar of events over the holidays.

Adventure Land

Your kids won’t want to leave this place, which is open seven days a week and set in a beautiful natural setting on a 24 hectare estate.

Relax on the large lawns or on one of the wooden decks. Enjoy a picnic or have a braai and watch your family and friends enjoy the water activities and playground. For the hungry, there is a take-away kiosk.

Activities at Adventure Land:

•           Supertube – One of the most popular rides, with a 75m supertube that thrills you with twists and turns and finally spits you out into a pool of gushing water.

•           2 Lane Racer – Challenge your friends and family to a race and fly over humps and almost lift off as you zoom towards the finish line.

•           Kamikzazi slide – Not for the faint-hearted and designed for the speed freaks. This slide takes you to new levels of excitement as you feel yourself sliding on air.

•           Free Fall slide – For the ultimate rush, drop down a 12m free fall slide.

•           Raging Rapid Tube ride – Rush down the raging rapids, fly around the corners and finally slow down as you calmly float into the main pool.

•           Mini-Supertube – The mini-supertube caters for the youngster and the more calm at heart.

•           Kiddies Slides & Pool – Designed for your little ones. The rides are a kid’s delight.

Centrally situated between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna, with easy access off the N2. https://www.adventurelandplett.co.za//index.php; Tel: (044) 532-7869; info@adventurelandplett.co.za

Wild Waters

Wild Waters Fun Park is open weekdays from 12:00 -17:00 and weekends from 10:00. Fun for the whole family with water slides, mini golf, kiddie play area, swimming pool, grass for tanning, trampolines and more. info@wildwatersplett.co.za; Tel: (044) 533-3815; 8 Green Point Ave, Plettenberg Bay.

Learn to Surf

Learn to Surf Plett, offers surfing and stand-up paddle boarding instruction and lessons to locals and visitors of all ages. Being fanatical surfers themselves, means the teachers’ passion for surfing reaches all those they teach and ensures that they put everything in to getting you up, riding waves and discovering the joy of harnessing nature’s energy. https://learntosurfplett.co.za/; Bookings: 082-436-6410.

Plett Winelands

Many Plett wine estates now have tasting facilities and delightful restaurants attached, making a meander through the Plett Winelands a good choice for any sunny summer afternoon. As Plettenberg Bay is a popular MCC (bubbly) region, you may wish to take a comfortable, fascinating and fun tour of the Plett wine region. Other options include a horse trail and carriage ride through the Plett winelands. http://www.plettwinetours.com/

Ocean Sailing Charters

Ocean Sailing Charters offers the ultimate in luxury catamaran sailing. Enjoy a thrilling entry into the surf by tender, then board Ocean Rhythm, a 44ft yacht. Explore the beauty of Plettenberg Bay’s coastline and marine life as you sail into the sunset. Take the helm and learn the basics of sailing, put out a line on the trawl. www.oceansailingcharters.co.za

Africanyon Adventures

Kloofing in South Africa is known elsewhere as canyoning or canyoneering. Canyoning is “the sport of travelling down a river situated in a canyon, by a variety of means including scrambling, floating, swimming and abseiling”. It includes swimming through mountain pools, abseiling in and around waterfalls, rock-hopping and, if you opt for the 4hr Canyon Adventure, enjoying the thrill of the rockpool zipline. www.africanyon.com

Canopy Tours

Enjoy the unequalled beauty of the indigenous forest high up on 10 treetop platforms. Gently glide along in a harness, on steel cables 30 metres above the forest floor. Birdlife is abundant (including Knysna Loeries and the elusive Narina Trojan), and your guides will explain the ecology of the lush primeval forest. Safety is paramount, and the system has been built to the highest civil engineering standards. Guides are fully-trained professionals. www.stormsriver.com

The Elephant Sanctuary

Elephant Sanctuary has African elephants and offers an interactive elephant experience, elephant back riding and overnight accommodation. It offers hands-on educational elephant interactions. www.elephantsanctuary.co.za

List of other child-friendly adventure activities

Puzzle Park – Walk the maze – www.plettpuzzlepark.co.za

WildX Adventures – Paintball – https://www.wildx.co.za/

SUP – Learn to stand up paddle – learntosurfplett.co.za/

Tsitsikamma Treetop Canopy Tours – www.canopytour.co.za

Waterworld – Swimming and putt putt golf

Blue Flag and other beaches

•           Keurbooms Beach. Blue Flag Status

•           Lookout Beach. Blue Flag Status

•           Nature’s Valley Beach

•           Robberg 5 Beach. Blue Flag Status.

•           Singing Kettle Beach. Blue Flag Status.

•           The Dunes Beach. Blue Flag Status.

•           Central Beach

•           Poortjies Lagoon

Staying kosher in Plettenberg Bay this summer

The Island Diner at the Beacon Isle Hotel is the only kosher restaurant under the supervision of the Cape Town Beth Din along the Garden Route. It offers a sit-down menu from December – February. Contact Joan for any kashrut questions; 073-140-5553. The Island Diner; jorge@islanddiner.co.za; +27 (0)44 533 3545 | +27 (0)83 327 5724.

The Melville’s Corner Spar carries a large selection of kosher and halal food items during the months of December and January. The Beacon Isle Spar, Pick n Pay and Woolworths also carry a small selection of kosher items throughout the year and include more stock during the months of December and January.

There is a mikvah in Plett. Contact Joan Estrin on +27 (0)44 533 5740. Joan also runs the kosher B&B, Urban Plett. 

There is a shul in Plett on Longships Drive. They are also available for kosher catering.