General Information

Climate

Mossel Bay is synonymous with good weather - perfect for enjoying our beaches and the great outdoors. Average Temperatures in summer (September - April) range between 26°C (day) and 12°C (night), and in winter between 18°C (day) and 8°C (night). Mossel Bay has an average of 320 sunny days per year. Rain falls mostly at night and mostly during summer.

Communications

One of the most popular Mossel Bay attractions is the Post Office , which is estimated to be more than 800 years old and has been declared a National Monument. It is underneath this milkwood tree where Pedro dAtaide left a letter in 1500 in a seamans boot for passing ships. Letters are still posted there today in a seamans boot! There are several establishments offering administrative business services as well as internet access.

Foreign Exchange

All of South Africa's major commercial banks have branches in Mossel Bay with foreign exchange facilities. Strategically-placed ATMs (automatic teller machines), which accept most major bank and credit cards, are situated outside the branches and also in major shopping precincts. They offer 24-hour service, 365 days of the year. Unfortunately Mossel Bay has no independent Bureaux de Change.
Banking hours from Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 3:30, Saturday: 8:30 - 11:00

Getting to Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay is situated on the N2 highway that runs along the southern coast of South Africa, in the Western Cape Province.
To get here by bus or coach contact the Central Booking Office for Baz Bus, Intercape, SA Roadlink and Greyhound: Voorbaai Truckport (Telephone: 044 695 1172)
By air: Mossel Bay is served by a domestic airport at George (with connecting flights to all major centres in South Africa) - and there's the Mossel Bay Airfield for private, non-scheduled flights. For more information contact George Airport (40 km from Mossel Bay central). Flight enquiries: 044 876 9310.

Medical Facilities & Health Precautions

What to Do in Mossel Bay

Many people who come to Mossel Bay come for the Beaches - but everyone stays for the attractions and adventures, the entertainment, the museums, the culture, the arts & crafts and, of course, the shopping.

Beaches: 24 km of sandy beaches - and that's just some of them. Because Mossel Bay lies on the Southern Cape's Garden Route Coast. And that means hundreds of kilometres of wild and unspoiled coastline just waiting to be discovered

Golf: At Mossel Bay Golf Club you can see the sea from every green. And within an hour's drive of the town centre, you'll find some of the finest courses in Africa - including Fancourt, which hosted the President's Cup in 2003

Adventures: You an adrenaline junky? No worries - because Mossel Bay is an outdoor destination. Sailing, 4x4 trails, quad bikes, hiking, bungi jumping, bridge swings, mountain biking, hiking (including portered hiking trails) ... the list goes on and on...

Whale Watching: All southern right whales agree: Mossel Bay has the perfect combination of depth and shelter for romance - and for safe and easy calving. That's why all people agree - Mossel Bay is the perfect place for whale watching (which is especially good in whale season - May to October)

Museums and Culture: It was in Mossel Bay that Europeans first landed on South African soil and many of the exhibits in the Dias Museum complex are dedicated to the meeting of cultures which has continued here down the centuries.
There's a superb shell museum, a Braille trail, an ethno-botanical garden, the famous Post Office Tree, art exhibitions...

Arts and Crafts: The beauty and the calm atmosphere of Mossel Bay provide hundreds of artists and crafters with the inspiration they need to produce first-class work. Finding them - and meeting them in their galleries, shops and studios - is part of the fun.

Shopping & Entertainment: The only Casino in the Southern Cape; a popular theatre; annual events (flower shows in September, the Mossel Bay Pro-Am Golf Tournament in September, regular bikers' rallies, sailing regattas)... You'll run out of time in Mossel Bay long before you run out of things to do...

Where to Eat

• Admirals Restaurant at the Casino
  The Admirals restaurant is adjacent to the Garden Route Casino with a beautiful view over the sea. Buffet of 120 dishes.
  1 Pinnacle Point Road, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 693 3900
• Bahia Dos Vaqueiros
  Indulge your senses at our Fine dining restaurant, which offers unsurpassed views and a unique fresco "Fantasy Of The World". Enjoy the ambiance and intimate atmosphere. Savour the executive chef's contemporary specialities in this luxurious environment.
  In the Diaz Strand Hotel, Diaz Beach, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 692 8400
• Cafe Gannet Seafood Restaurant
  Mossel Bay's Seafood House. Daily specials with a difference. Alfresco dining with seaviews, wild oysters, mussels, sole, crayfish, fresh linefish and meat dishes, available daily from 7am till late, seven days a week!
  Market Street, CBD, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 691 1885 Fax: +27 (0)44 691 3104
• Cafe Havana
  True to the Cuban spirit, we are situated just of the main road in Mossel Bay, overlooking the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Come enjoy lunch or dinner from our spectacular menu with a huge variety of traditional Cuban dishes, or for the not so hungry, enjoy a tapas with a Cuban cocktail on our wooden deck. After your wonderful meal, move to our cigar lounge with it's tranquil atmosphere and burning fireplace and indulge in a Cuban cigar.
  38 Marsh Street, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 690 4640 Fax: +27 (0)44 690 4640
  
• China Restaurant
  Seats up to 50 people,corporate lunches&dinners,Functions,buffet. Good Friends,Good Food&Great Memories!
  97 Marsh Street, CBD, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 691 3629 Fax: +27 (0)44 691 3629
• De Vette Mossel Beach Seafood Restaurant
  Kick off your shoes at this informal seafood restaurant, right on the beach along an isolated coast between Kleinbrak and Grootbrak. Eat for 3 hours as much as you like- or can! " The only way to really enjoy seafood, is in abundance, sand under your feet, the smell of the ocean in your nostrils- on the beach!" We offer much more than merely excellent seafood in abundance- this is an experience, in unusual and informal surroundings. Reservations essential: Please phone 079 339 0170 Only operational from 05 December till mid April.
  Souwesia, Great Brak River, Mobile: +27 (0)79 339 0170
• Delfinos Restaurant
  This restaurant is situated at the beach front. Feel free to come and experience the wonderful food we have on offer whilst watching the whales at play in the waves. We serve a large variety of foods, specializing in sea food and pizza.
  P.O. Box 2292, Mossel Bay, 6500 - Point Road, The Point, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 690 5247 Fax: +27 (0)44 690 5247 Mobile: +27 (0)82 951 3051
• Garden Route Boutique Hotel & Spa
  This heavenly retreat has sixteen en-suite rooms all overlooking the warm Indian Ocean, individually decorated in timeless elegance.Enjoying food prepared with passion and reckless abandonment at the Whispering Waves Restaurant. Or experience the art of health and beauty at the Boutique Spa.
  P.O Box 350, Mossel Bay, 6500 - Beach Boulevard East, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 692 8600 Fax: +27 (0)44 692 8608 Mobile: +27 (0)83 422 8211
• Kingfisher Restaurant
  Perfect seafront setting at the point, serving a wide variety of superb Seafood as well as Ostrich Steaks and Spare ribs.
  P.O. Box 2287, Mossel Bay, 6500 - Point Village, The Point, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 690 6390 Fax: +27 (0)44 690 6390 Mobile: +27 (0)83 277 5112
• Moss-Vis
  Fish & Chips Take Aways
  P.O Box 1563, Mossel Bay, 6500 - 95 Marsh Street, CBD, Mossel Bay
  Phone: +27 (0)44 690 3389 Mobile: +27 (0)73 879 9809
• Mosselkraker
  Mosselkraker provides every customer with high quality food in an serene atmosphere.Wooden bookshelves with wine exhibitions and heavy portraits contribute to the beautiful decor. An enclosed deck ensures open-air dinners in the summer and a warm area in the winter.The menu ranges from delectable seafood to light meals. Business hours : Mo - So 8am tot late. Full parking area in front of the Hartenbos heated pool.
  P.O Box 2071, Mossel Bay, 6500 - Hartenbos Main Beach, Hartenbos, Phone: +27 (0)44 695 1524 Fax: +27 (0)44 695 1524
• Santos Express
  Air conditioned and outdoor restaurant located on a real train overlooking the Santos beach. We have a delightful affordable cosmopolitan menu.
  Munro Road, Santos, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 691 1995 Fax: +27 (0)44 691 1995
• Santos Pavilion Restaurant
  We invite you to Come and Enjoy a Relaxed Atmosphere, Fine Food and Generous Hospitality at the Pavilion ... with a View that goes on Forever ! We Offer a Wide Selection of Starters, Salads, Combo Meals, Pizza, Grills, Chicken, Seafood, Tramezzinis & Burgers.
  P.O Box 2071, Mossel Bay, 6500 - Santos Beach, Santos, Mossel Bay, Phone: +27 (0)44 690 4567 Fax: +27 (0)44 690 3430 Mobile: +27 (0)84 811 0539
• Sea Gypsy Cafe
  A friendly, funky, vibey, restaurant and bar built next to the harbour wall. Anything closer to the waves is still swimming. An unforgettable experience.
  Suite 262 Postnet, Private Bag X5, Mossel Bay, 6500 - Quay 4, Mossel Bay Harbour, CBD, Mossel Bay
  Phone: 27044690549 Fax: 27044690549 Mobile: +27 (0)72 658 9385
• Stonehill Restaurant
  Stonehill Restaurant is situated just off the N2 main Road. It's open 7days a week. Mon- Sat 17h00 till late, Sun- Lunch only. Recently voted as one of SA's Top 100 restaurants.
  PO BOX 23, Little Brak River, 6503 - R102, Little Brak River, Phone: +27 (0)44 696 6501 Fax: +27 (0)86 610 3396
  

Remember, in South Africa the service charge is not automatically added onto the bill. It is customary to tip your waiter/waitress a minimum of 10%.

TOURIST INFORMATION

Mossel Bay Tourism's Information Centre on the corner of Market and Church Streets (in the Central Business District) offers maps, brochures and general information as well as tourist assistance and assistance with making reservations for accommodation and adventures.

Mossel Bay Tourism
Telephone +27(0)44 691 2202
Fax +27(0)44 690 3077
GPS Coordinates 34o 10.876 South; 22o 8.578 East