Gansbaai is named the BIG-2-TOWN after the numerous Great white sharks that cruise in the waters east of Danger Point Peninsula and the many Southern Right Whales that hang out around the shores on the western side of the Danger Point Peninsula between July and December.

The locals still see it as the fishing village it has always been. The harbor is still the point of gravity in town and every local in Gansbaai, whatever his profession, is also a fisherman. If you need a craftsman on the first day of the lobster season, you won't find him. He is at sea, catching lobsters with his neighbours. In almost every drive-way in Gansbaai, you can see a trailer with a boat parked next to the family car.

In spite of the developing tourism industry, the fishing industry is still the economical heart-beat of Gansbaai. The fleet of fishing boats and the fishmeal factory in the harbor employ a substantial number of people. Locals call the occasional typical smell from the fishmeal factory the "smell of money". The Abalone farm, just outside Gansbaai, immediately on the shores of Danger Point Peninsula, produces this traditional local culinary delight in large quantities for the Asian market.

Gansbaai is the point of gravity of the Danger Point Peninsula area. Gansbaai is the place where the banks, petrol stations and most of the shops are. The tourism office can be found in the middle of Main Street. There are various restaurants and bars dotted around Main Street, in the backstreets and in the harbor. It is a very Gansbaai-thing to do: drink the locally brewed Birkenhead beer in a harbor-bar and watch the fishing boats return against the setting sun over Walker Bay.

Gansbaai is an unpretentious town with real people. Newcomers, guests and travelers are traditionally welcomed with open arms as long as they don't tell the locals how to lead their lives ("I do my thing, you do yours, you are welcome"). The fierce independence of the early nomadic fishermen and the nomadic farmers, has anchored itself in the blood of the locals and is a welcome and effective barrier against the artificial elements that often go hand in hand with a developing tourism-industry. Gansbaai is strongly connected to the sea - a working fishing village that will maintain its character.

As a settlement, Gansbaai came into being in the early 1880's. Nomadic fishermen, of whom a gentleman with the name of Cornelis Wessels is claimed to be the first, settled on this coastal stretch of the farm "Strandfontein" (Fountain on the beach). The center point was the freshwater fountain next to the present harbor which provided the small but successful community with drinking water. This fountain was home to wild geese and soon the place was known as "Gansgat" (goose-hole), later changed into the more respectable Gansbaai (Goose bay). The name Wessels and those of other early settlers are still the common names in Gansbaai.

The fountain has recently been restored into its former glory and a plate next to it tells the story of the founding of Gansbaai. Only the geese have not returned (yet).

The "gansgat-community" was not the first of its kind in the immediate area. Already in the early 1800's the first permanent fishing cottages had been built by Khoi-descendants under ancient Milkwoods in Stanfordsbaai, a secluded cove in De Kelders. Human population was not a new thing for the area. Archeological excavations have shown that Klipgat Cave in neighboring De Kelders was inhabited by early modern man 80'000 years ago at a time when Neanderthal man was still the only representative of the genus "homo" in Europe.

Klipgat Cave as well as the more inland Bijnekrans Cave have also shown evidence of a thriving Khoikhoi community of about 2000 years ago. During the ages many people must have walked along the coast from the fresh water fountain in "Gansgat" to Klipgat Cave. Today, the hike from Gansbaai harbour to Klipgat Cave, the "Klipgat Trail", is not only a stunning nature walk along small and larger caves, rocky outcrops and the very special coastal limestone vegetation, but also a walk in time. Maps and information on the Klipgat trail can be obtained from the Tourism Bureau.

Where the coast from Gansbaai to De Kelders is dominated by caves, coves and limestone rock formations towering above the ocean, the coast in an easterly direction is less dramatic and is typified by the rockpools of the shores of Danger Point Peninsula and the endless white sand-beaches beginning at the mouth of the Uilkraals estuary of Franskraal, a popular birding hot-spot. The empty beaches from Franskraal onwards to Pearly Beach, Buffeljagsbaai and Quoin Point are the dream of anyone who wants lonely walks on the beach, but also a paradise for shore- and sea- birds; the rare and endangered Black Oyster Catcher is a common sight. It is no exception to see a Cape fur seal or a Cape clawless otter on these beaches in the early morning. Dyer Island and Geyser Rock, home to 10'000ths of Cape seals and African penguins, can be seen from these shores. Boat-tours from the harbour of Kleinbaai take you around these islands, where a cheerful and noisy group of seals awaits you.

The vast hinterland of Gansbaai can easily compete with the richness of the marine-life in the local waters. Whether you leave Gansbaai from the east or the west, you will quickly hit the "Fynbos-Road", the 100km long scenic stretch of floral abundance from Stanford to Africa's southernmost point, Cape Agulhas. The Fynbos-Road crosses one of the richest parts of the Cape Floral Kingdom, itself the richest (though the smallest) Floral Kingdom on earth. Of the thousands of plant-species along this road, many are strictly confined to this area and some of them are amongst the rarest plants on earth. Thousands and thousands of hectares of plains and mountains in this area are protected in private-and public- conservancies and reserves. Many of these fynbos-estates are open to the public, either for day-visits, hiking-, horse- and 4x4-trails or for residential guests. Special hiking tours are regularly organized for small groups of local enthusiasts and visitors, but personalized guided tours can also be arranged. Ask the Tourism bureau or at Café on Main at the beginning of town for details.

Closer to Gansbaai proper, experienced guides will take you on a tour through Masakhane, the rural and peaceful township of Gansbaai, which you can conclude with a traditional Xhosa culinary experience under the ancient milkwood trees at the local restaurant. From there it is only a short drive to Franskraal where you will find the local museum on the shore. The Strandveld Museum is a little gem in an original fishing cottage with a treasure of stories and relics of the local history. A visit to the lighthouse at the tip of Danger Point Peninsula is also a historical trip; a short distance out to sea is where the famous HMT Birkenhead was wrecked. The Lighthouse is open to the public and one can climb the many steps to the top for a fantastic view.