Beaches in Africa

Some of the continent's best beaches are found an easy day or weekend trip from Freetown. Stretching all the way from Freetown to the bottom of the peninsula are white and golden coves of sand backed by palms and rainforest covered mountains. Out towards the Atlantic Ocean the water rolling in is a light see-through blue. Most famous is River No. 2 Beach after Bounty (the chocolate bar) set a 70's commercial here. It turns into a serious party spot on weekends. Closest to Freetown, Lakka Beach is the most convenient, while Tokeh Beach, just past No. 2, is probably our favourite white sands beach on the coast. For a secluded getaway, the last beach on the peninsula's western shore, Bureh Beach, offers perfect golden sand and surfing.

Set on the edge of the Transkei, is the charming village of Chintsa. It is an unspoilt, subtropical piece of the South African coastline, highlighted by a seemingly endless, deserted beach. Many travellers overlook this beautiful nook of the Eastern Cape. Their unawareness is your benefit for it creates an idyllic hidden destination in Chintsa. If your objective is to find a secluded and picturesque corner of South Africa, then look no further.
Chintsa caters to both the active and chilled traveller. For the energetic, there are challenging hikes, great surf breaks and a private game reserve to explore. For the mellow, the empty, sandy beach will be your home. Nestle up against the dunes and spend the day scanning the sea for dolphins and whales. The only problem with Chintsa is that it will ultimately force you to change your itinerary. The village has a wonderful way of ensnaring people and chances are you will spend more time in Chintsa than originally planned.

Kendwa is famous for its long wide sandy beach (that doesn't disappear at high tide). There are a handful of resorts, some very popular with Italian tourists, to the extent that the locals greet any visitor in Italian and the Maasai beach boys speak fluent Italian. Though Kendwa is laid-back and more quiet than partying and bustling Nungwi, a couple of kilometres to the north, there are still parties to be found when the sun sets.

Located smack on the border with Ghana, Lomé is a busy, busy place. The border location makes it brimming with business, and the city's central market is one of the most active in the region. It's also the primary port of the landlocked countries to the north, Burkina Faso and Niger, so the parts of the waterfront are dominated by the large port. Between the harbour and the Ghanaian border is a long sandy beach, where many locals spent their free time. It's too dirty for swimming and too crowded for sunbathing, but there are plenty of small restaurants and drinking holes, where it's easy to waste away an afternoon. Given the city's busy nature, it should come as no surprise that Lomé is also the best place for dining out and nightlife in all of Togo.

Though Lomé is blessed with long wide beaches, most of them are occupied by fishermen, kids playing football, and women doing laundry. Simple bars are the only kind of development on the beaches in the downtown area. You have to pass the harbour, before there are any seaside resorts. The first one is Robinson Plage, 10 minutes drive from Lomé centre, where there are a few low key beachfront resorts. The beach is protected by a small outer reef, making the sea swimable, which is kind of unusually for West African beaches. There are small fishing communities on both sides and the view of the cargo harbour isn't particularly beautiful, but it's a relaxed place to unwind for a few days.