Sandboarding Cape Town
Just an hour outside of Cape Town, you can go sandboarding with Table Mountain in the background at Atlantis Dunes. My siblings and I used the company Sandboarding Cape Town for our adventure and we had an awesome time!
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Getting to Atlantis Dunes
If you have or are renting your own car, the Google Map directions will lead you correctly to the parking area. A car will come get you to drive you into the dunes.
You can request a ride from Cape Town with Sandboarding Cape Town. There is a minimum fee of R900 or R300 per person. Their site suggests that an uber will cost around R900 one way from Cape Town.
You will have to pay a park entrance fee of R70, regardless of if you’re sandboarding or not.
Sandboarding Cape Town Experiences
There are two ways to sandboard with Sandboarding Cape Town. You’ll get a quick lesson on how to sandboard when you first arrive at the dunes.
I suggest the “Classic Sandboarding” for R600/pp for 2 hours. In this experience, you walk up to the top of the dunes by yourself.
If that sounds too tiring for you (it really isn’t that bad), you can do the “Ultimate 4×4 Sandboarding” experience, which includes a 4×4 car to drive you up to the dunes. This is R900/pp for 2 hours.
You can also add on other experiences like a photoshoot or quad biking.
What’s sandboarding like?
Gosh! So much fun! I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I did. It also helps that it doesn’t hurt that much when you fall. After a quick intro by the crew and a basic lesson, you’ll be off on your own!
I landed on my bottom a couple of times without injury. It took me about 40 minutes to get the hang of it and another 40 to try to sandboard down without falling. In the end, I had gained a lot of confidence.
Your board needs to be waxed every other ride or so and the crew will do this for you when you reach the bottom of the dunes.
Sandboarding Operators
We used Sandboarding Cape Town, but the other operators online also look great so check around for availability if you have a specific date and time in mind.
Book directly with Sandboarding Cape Town here.
Cape Xtreme or Downhill Adventures also recommended companies I saw while at Atlantis Dunes.
Who is sandboarding for?
This is a full-on family and friends activity for ages over 10. Children (and adults who choose it) will be offered a sand sleigh, rather than a board to slide down the sand slopes.
If you have some people in your group who don’t want to sandboard, that’s okay! They can just pay the conservation fee and sit under the shade until your hour is up. My sister did this and she not only took a bunch of pictures of herself, she also was our photographer for these great shots. The time goes by quickly.
Sandboarding Cape Town Tips
- Besides the tent that the Sandboarding Cape Town crew set up, there is no shade. I found the sun quite strong and wore my hate and long sleeves + pants the entire time because I’m paranoid of getting sunburned.
- Sand will get everywhere so you can’t carry your phone in a pocket. It could easily fall out and get lost in the sand.
- Bring lots of water with you.
- Paying with American Cards: I find it impossible to book using my US credit and debit cards when South African vendors require 3D Authentication. Instead, you can usually book the same experiences with sites like Viator or Trip Advisor. This is what I do to get around 3D Authentication. If you can’t book directly, consider using Viator.
- Most operators have a minimum booking of three people so try to join in on an experience that already has some slots booked otherwise you may end up getting refunded.
- During the summer, Sandboarding may only be offered once a day (10am-12pm) due to the heat. In the winter months, you may be able to book a 2pm-4pm slot.
- The boards are like snowboarding boards. Wear running-type shoes.
Other Activities around Atlantis Dunes
On your way back to Cape Town, stop at one of the beaches with Table Mountain in the background. We stopped at Blaauwberg Nature Reserve for some swimming. I should say, an attempt at swimming because the water was freezing. Jafar did get in the water though while Sitara and I sunbathed. There were only a couple of other people with us on the entire stretch of the beach.
We also stopped at Blouberg Beachfront for a closer view of Table Mountain. There are restaurants around Blouberg if you need lunch as well. We ate at Shawarma Express and took our food to the beach; just watch out for greedy seagulls.
Got any questions about Sandboarding Cape Town? Let me know in the comments!