View across hotel roofs and palm trees to the bay of Mossel Bay in the evening

Day trip · Close by

Hartenbos

Five kilometres of sand, and somewhere in the middle of it a water slide squeaks. Hartenbos is where South African families have taken their holidays since 1936, ten minutes by car from Mossel Bay.

By nine in the morning the first umbrellas are up, and down at the river fathers are unloading pedal boats. Hartenbos lies directly north of Mossel Bay at the mouth of the Hartenbos River and is a holiday village at heart: in 1936 the Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging, the ATKV, bought a farm here and cut it into plots for holiday houses. The resort with its amphitheatre, heated pool and funfair still belongs to the association. The beach holds full Blue Flag status for the 2025/26 season (August 2026), and lifeguards are on duty in December and January.

north of the Dias Museum, about ten minutes
10 km
full status 2025/26 (August 2026)
Blue Flag
the ATKV buys the farm
1936
of beach
5 km

Over the December holidays the families arrive from inland, and then the flea market, the slide and the restaurants are packed. Outside the holidays you have the beach almost to yourself. For anyone staying in Mossel Bay, Hartenbos is the place for an afternoon when the children want more than the tidal pool at the Point. Stay until evening. The sun sets behind the dunes and the bay lies in the backlight.

View across hotel roofs and palm trees to the bay of Mossel Bay in the evening
Evening over the bay: the beach at Hartenbos starts on the far side.
Time needed
half a day
Cost
beach free, slide and funfair extra
When
all year, lifeguards in December and January
From Mossel Bay
10 km, 10 minutes

Our tipGo on a weekday and outside the school holidays. Then the beach is yours and there is no queue for the slide. South African summer holidays run from mid December to mid January.

Hartenbos: frequently asked questions

How far is Hartenbos from Mossel Bay?

About ten kilometres north of the centre, roughly ten minutes on the Louis Fourie Road or the N2. Hartenbos sits at the mouth of the Hartenbos River, directly behind the bay of Mossel Bay.

Is Hartenbos a good beach for children?

Yes. The beach at Hartenbos holds full Blue Flag status for the 2025/26 season (August 2026), lifeguards are on duty in December and January, and the ATKV resort has a water slide, a heated pool and pedal boats on the river.

What is the ATKV resort in Hartenbos?

A holiday resort belonging to the Afrikaans cultural association ATKV, which bought the farm Hartenbos in 1936 and divided it into plots for holiday houses. An amphitheatre, a funfair and flea markets came later. That makes Hartenbos the classic family seaside town next to Mossel Bay.