Melkbos is a beautiful seaside town of 12,000 people (2011) on the north-western fringe of the Cape Town Metropolis. It is well known for its tranquility, wide white beach, water-sports and west-coast hospitality. It is an easy getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Beach at Melkbosstrand

The village, named after the milkwood trees growing to its north, is washed by the Atlantic ocean on its west side and has the Blouberg mountain on its eastern side. Its full name is Melkbosstrand, but most people refer to it as Melkbos.

Get in

From Cape Town, travel north on the R27 (the west coast road) past Milnerton and Tableview. Turn left at the traffic lights just after Atlantic Beach golf course. The highly touristic West Coast Region officially begins at Melkbosstrand with the "Cape to Namibia" scenic highway N7 and the West Coast Route R27 starting off there.

The MyCiTi Rapid Transit route T03 goes to Melbos.

Get around

Nearby suburbs of Cape Town are:

• Parklands,
• Blouberg,
• Table view &
• Milnerton

See

• Beach
• Atlantic Beach Golf Course
• 1 Cape Town Ostrich Ranch, Van Schoorsdrif Rd, Philadelphia, ☏ +27 21 972 1955. In addition to ostriches, the ranch has goats, geese and cheetahs. You can feed the ostriches too. Free entry. (updated Feb 2020)

Do

All kinds of water sports are popular, including surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, bodyboarding, swimming and boating.

Koeberg Nuclear Power Station

• 1 Koeberg Nuclear Power Station and Nature Reserve, ☏ +27 21 550-4667. The 3000-hectare buffer zone around the power station has been converted to a nature reserve with Bontebok, Zebra, Genet, Steenbok and many other antelope. You can walk or use the mountain bike trail. Bring photo ID for access. Free.  
• Whale watching. The surrounding bay and warm waters are a favourite spot for whale watchers, when the gracious cetaceans, on their way round the Cape, repair in the sound that separates the village from Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned from 1964 to 1982. (updated Feb 2020)
• 2 Capaia Winery, Botterberg Road, Philadelphia village, ☏ +27 21 972 1081. Try the Sauvignon Blanc. (updated Feb 2020)
• 3 Cape Town Polo Club, Van Schoorsdrif Rd, Durbanville, ☏ +27 21 972 1669. (updated Feb 2020)
• Diving. Divers may attempt to look for a host of shipwrecks dating to the late 15th century. (updated Feb 2020)
• Surfing. World-famous surfing spot Big Bay lies five kilometres away, south of a continuous line of unspoiled beaches which are a popular location for international film shoots. (updated Feb 2020)

Eat

• Eastern Fusion, Miramar Centre, 26 Beach Rd, ☏ +27 21 553-3666. Thai, Chinese and Japanese specialities. Always reliable and good value. 
• 1 Café Orca, 88 Beach Rd, ☏ +27 21 553 4120. Possibly the oldest "fish and chips" restaurant and raw bar on the Atlantic seaboard north of Cape Town (updated Feb 2020)

Go next

• Namaqualand - The world-famous Spring (September) Wild Flowers area begins in the outlying fields of Melkbosstrand, and stretches all the way to the Namaqualand region. See the official West Coast Tourism website for more information.
• West Coast National Park - known for its birdlife and flowers. Within the park is a major historical manor house, Geelbek (named after a local wild duck species) and once upon a time a playground for the Johannesburg mining aristocracy of the 1900s. Not very far, in a quiet vale, lies the beautifully preserved De Groene Kloof Mission of Mamre, established in 1808 and still serving the local community of faithful.