Sea and weather conditions and the rocky coastline make up a bad combination for passing ships, but a good reason to have a fine lighthouse positioned there.

It was here in 1852 that the H.M.S. Birkenhead struck an uncharted rock, one and a half kilometres off Danger Point and sank, with 445 souls on board. The Birkenhead rock as it is now called has claimed many a vessel. The Birkenhead Memorial is also located on site.

The lighthouse was commissioned on 1 January 1895 and has proved to be very beneficial to passing shipping. It is a white octagonal masonry tower, 18,3 meters in height and its light can be seen for 25 sea miles.

We all know about the BIG 5 but what about the BIG 2 – whales and sharks.

Gansbaai offers some of the finest boat-based and land based whale watching in the world with some spectacular sightings being seen of the Southern Right Whale from the safety of a boat, whilst great white sharks can be viewed up close by undertaking a cage dive.

Tours for shark and whale watching can be arranged from the harbour. The area is renowned for its hundreds of species of fynbos and protea. Hiking, fishing, sailing, surfing, boat cruises, hot springs and sight seeing tours are just some of the many activities available in the area.
 

 
How to get there:
 

Latitude: 34° 37’ 48,8” S
Longitude: 19° 18’ 10,9” E

Take the N2 from Cape Town and branch off onto the R44 at Somerset West to take in beautiful scenery to Gansbaai, passing Gordon’s Bay, Bettys Bay and Hermanus en route.

Danger Point Lighthouse lies approximately 10 kilometres to the south west of Gansbaai, a small fishing village on the Atlantic side of Cape Agulhas. The lighthouse is positioned on the end of a small peninsula called Danger Point.
 

On offer:

• Guided tours of the lighthouse

• Curios and memorabilia on sale

• Self-catering accommodation - 1 self-catering cottage accommodating 4 persons

Accommodation:

Gale Force

2 x Bedrooms / One Bath Room and an en-suite
1 x Queen size bed
2 x ¾ beds