Garden Route Blue Flag beach destination

South Africa boasts 48 Blue Flag beaches along its long coastline, with 17 Blue Flag beaches alone along the Garden Route. 

A further 10 beaches in the Cape Town region received the sought-after accolade, bringing the total to 27. With over 75% of all Blue Flag beaches in South Africa based in the Western Cape and specifically along the Garden Route, it confirms the province’s strong drive as environmentally driven beach destination.  While the Blue Flag beaches are most recognized, Blue Flags status is also awarded to a further 2 marinas and 2 tourism boats along our coastline.

WESSA (the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa) is a South African environmental organization which initiates and supports high impact environmental and conservation projects to promote participation in caring for our planet. 

To be eligible for Blue Flag status, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained.  Blue Flag is a voluntary program, with municipalities, tourism operators and marina’s in 18 coastal municipalities around the country participating.  WESSA is a membership supported non-profit association, and has been operating the Blue Flag programme in South Africa since 2001.  Blue Flag is recognized throughout the world and Blue Flag beaches can be found in over 45 countries worldwide.

Along the Garden Route the following beaches, sites and operators have received Blue Flag status for 2020/2021:

Boat operators which were awarded Blue Flag status:

The full Blue Flag list for 2020/2021 can be found on WESSA’s website: https://wessa.org.za/our-work/sustainable-tourism/blue-flag-south-africa/