South Africa is renowned to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. And now it's not only just the locals testifying to this. Recently 23 South African beaches were awarded Blue Flag status.

Blue Flag status is awarded to beaches that meet excellence in the areas of safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards.

The beaches may not be the traditional palm-lined, coconut strewn beaches of some of the more famous tropical islands. What make South African beaches so popular, besides the beautiful white sand are the people.

Year Round Beach Bums

Not only are the beaches beautiful, but the people on the beaches considered to be gorgeous too! Visitors flock from far and wide to the beautiful beaches of Cape Town during the hottest part of the summer every year from December to March. The sea around Cape Town is cold and refreshing during the often sweltering temperatures.

Clifton and Camps bay are Cape Town's most popular beaches and the hangout of models and the who's who of Cape Town.

If swimming with birds of a different feather is your cup of tea, try Boulders Beach where for a small entry fee, you would be allowed to frolic with the Penguins. Should you be interested in spotting larger sea life, we recommend that you head to the coastal town of Hermanus.

From Cape Town you will pass the wine-route on the way to Hermanus and can stock up on some of the great wines from this region and explore the scenic wine estates. Hermanus has been made famous by the whales that frequent in large numbers every year. Visitors flock to the area to see how many different whale species they can spot. The town even has a festival that coincides with the coming of the whales each year, which is usually around August.

If you're not one for cold water, head further up towards the KwaZulu Natal coast towards Durban. The waters are comfortable for swimming and dolphins can often be seen playing in the surf.

Sea Adventure

Durban is also home to one of South Africa's first Aquarium theme park where visitors (that are brave enough) may swim with the sharks (in separate tanks divided by a sheet of glass) and also learn more about the fascinating life within the South African seas.

If you'd rather be having adventure above the ocean than below, grab a surfboard and head for Jeffrey's Bay, or J-Bay as the local surfers call it which is considered to be the surfing Mecca of South Africa.

Heading back down the coast towards the southern most seas of Africa, Cape Aghulas, the experience mentioned above is pretty tame compared to shark cage diving with the colossal Great White's.

Road Trips

Experiencing South Africa by road, especially if you have a well planned route is probably one of the best ways to experience the beauty of this country.

Blue Flag beaches to include for your road trip from Cape Town to Durban:

• Clifton 4th beach, Cape Town
• Bikini beach, Gordon's Bay
• Grotto beach, Hermanus
• Dolphin beach, Jeffery's Bay
• King's beach, Port Elizabeth
• Gonubie beach, East London
• Lucien beach, KZN South Coast
• South Beach, Durban
• Umhlanga Rocks Main beach