Fisante Kraal Estate

Stilbaai is a happy informal holiday village divided by a large river mouth.

Ideal as a holiday centre with a fine swimming beach, excellent boating on the river and
fishing in the estuary or on the coast. These attractions together with an equable climate
have lured people here for centuries.

Prehistoric man found it a convenient place to live having worked out an ingenious and easy
way of catching fish. He manoeuvred boulders to form low barricades between high and
low water marks. At high tide fish swam in to feed among the rocks and as the tide receded
were trapped in great numbers. These fish traps are still evident today, as are shell middens
where waste was discarded forming a mountain of shells.

Stilbaai lies almost 400 kilometres east of Cape Town, 26 kilometres off the N2 Freeway.
The holiday settlement at the mouth of the Goukou River and the "Bay of Sleeping Beauty"
is an ideal stopover on the way to the Garden Route, especially because of the nice
accommodation it offers. Stillbaai impresses the visitor with its stunningly wide beaches - due to
its position at the rivermouth.

It is a good place for watersports. For surfers it is a favourite destination. The climate is all year round mild with pleasant water temperatures. The peaceful river offers best fishing.

The Vegetation is dominated by Coastal Fynbos with a great variety of species, including
Wild Olives, Candle- and Milkwood and numerous Proteas. The Jagersbosch Botanical Garden
in the centre of renders a good insight into the local flora.

Stillbaai lies on the "Cape Whale Route" (Southern Right Whale), and in season one can virtually
always observe whale mothers playing with their calves. The whale watching point above the
harbour is an excellent spot.

Neighbouring Melkhoutfontein is a little fishing village with an old Anglican church. Well-known
is the Soete-Arbeid Craft Shop, where you can find arts & crafts from local production.
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