Towns and suburbs

Saldanha

Saldanha Bay, named after Portuguese explorer António de Saldanha, is a historic deep-sea harbour with a rich maritime past, from early Dutch and British settlements to World War II naval activity. Today it offers hiking, whale watching, bird spotting, aquaculture experiences, and the West Coast National Park. Alongside its attractions, residents and visitors have access to essential local contacts, including police, hospitals, schools, and community services, making Saldanha Bay both visitor-friendly and practical for families and travellers.

Saldanha is a coastal town on the West Coast of the Western Cape, about 140 km north of Cape Town along the R27 and R399. It lies on the shores of Saldanha Bay, a large natural harbour between Vredenburg and Langebaan. The town forms part of the Saldanha Bay municipal area and serves nearby areas including White City, Diazville and Jacobsbaai, with harbour, industrial and fishing activities in the surrounding region.

History of Saldanha

Who was Saldanha?

The Bay is named after António de Saldanha, who was captain of a vessel in Albuquerque’s fleet, which visited South Africa in 1503. The name was given to Table Bay, where the ship cast anchor; it was called Aguada de Saldanha (watering place of Saldanha). From 1601, the present town inherited the name.

Disputes over the sheltered deep bay

Diplomat Edmund Roberts visited the Bay in 1833 and reported that it was “well sheltered from violent winds and had sufficient depth of water, but little in the way of agriculture and that few cattle and sheep could feed on the scrubland.

 The Dutch took control of the area in 1677, establishing farms and fishing posts. By the late 1700s, the bay was the scene of clashes between the Dutch and British. In 1781, a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone captured six Dutch East Indiamen in the bay. They had feared an attack on Cape Town and had taken refuge in Saldanha Bay. This was the only achievement of the expedition sent to seize Cape Town during the war of 1781–1783.  The British took control of the area by 1796. 
The potential of a deep-sea harbour at Saldanha was recognised as early as 1907. It is the deepest and safest harbour and is South Africa’s largest natural anchorage. Saldanha Bay is partly protected by a 3.1 km-long artificial breakwater.

Saldanha was significant during World War II. It was used as a convoy staging point, and coastal defences, including artillery positions and a boom defence system, were established to protect the harbour. In 1948, the South African Navy opened its first training base here, later renamed SAS Saldanha, which still trains non-commissioned naval officers, and the South African Military Academy moved here in 1958.

The Sishen-Saldanha iron ore project, with the railway built to transport ore from the mines in the Northern Cape, opened in 1976. A deepwater jetty was constructed to handle large ore carriers. Today, Saldanha’s economy depends on fishing, seafood processing, the steel industry, and the harbour.
Other interesting facts
  • Saldanha Bay was formerly known as Hoedjiesbaai
  • From the 17th century, French seal hunters operated for 150 years. However, the seal population became depleted.
  • During the 19th century,  guano from Malgas Island and penguin eggs from Jutten Island were heavily harvested.
  • During the Second World War, the strategic importance of the bay prompted authorities to build a pipeline to supply water from the Berg River
  • The area also became a base for American, British, and French whalers operating off the South African coast.
  • The grave on Kliprug farm of Simeon Cummings from the ship The Alabama, who accidentally shot himself in the heart (July 1863), is tended by the American government to this day.
  • During a smallpox epidemic that struck the Cape in 1871, patients were shipped to a quarantine camp in Saldanha. There is a cave where it is said a doctor treated sufferers.
  • There is fossil evidence that man may have lived here as many as 117,000 years ago. This unspoilt part of the coast is home to seagulls, cormorants, Cape gannets, duikers and terns. The West Coast Fossil Park has one of the largest displays of late Tertiary vertebrate fossils in the world

The postcode for Saldanha is 7395, and the licence plate prefix is CFG

Things to see and do in Saldanha

  • There are some well-established hiking trails with great vantage points from which to view  Southern Right Whales in the calving season. Read about whales here
  •  Hoedjeskoppie Nature Reserve is located on a hill in the middle of Saldanha. Here, there are some traditional fishermen’s cottages, and you can take in some sweeping views of the surroundings. On a clear day, you can see as far as Table Mountain.
  • The SAS Nature Reserve in the military base has some walking routes that are all bike-friendly. There are stunning views, bird and game spotting, and access to the northern peninsula of Saldanha Bay.
  • Two solitary rocks on the hillside are known as Adam and Eve.
  • West Coast Airshow Saldanha Airport is usually held in March, 084 614 1675
  • Sea farming or aquaculture was started here in the tidal basin in 1982. The cold current makes it ideal for mussels, clams, and oysters that feed on plankton
  • Hoedjieskop Museum, Kildalkey Street. The museum is in an old house up on the hill overlooking the bay.
  • National Marine Week is celebrated every year during the second week of October, its purpose is to create awareness of the maritime and coastal environment and the promotion of sustainable use and conservation
  • Sea Harvest Factory shop, where you can buy fresh fish.

Resources

For permits, fishing rules, shell collecting regulations and other practical outdoor information relevant to Saldanha, see the Colourdots coastal and nature use guide

local WEATHER TODAY

Browse businesses and places to visit in Saldanha

Useful Numbers in Saldanha

Residents and visitors can find important local contact numbers below, including police, medical services, utilities, and community facilities in and around Saldanha Bay

  • Emergency Services

  • Ambulance: 10177 / 022 714 4590
  • Police: 022 714 8333
  • Fire: 022 713 1815
  • Medical
  • Closest hospital: Weskus Fam Med 022 011 0053
    Clinic 022 714 4669
  • Pharmacy; 022 714 2201
  • Municipal & Utilities
  • Municipality; 022 701 7000
  • Water: mun@sbm.gov.za
  • Electricity: mun@sbm.gov.za

  • Transport & Roads

  • Traffic department: 022 701 6900
  • Road Emergencies / SANRAL: 0800 204 204
  • Community & Safety
  • NSRI (Sea Rescue): 087 094 9774
  • Childline South Africa: 116
  • SPCA: west coast 022 289 0998
  • Poison Information Centre: 0861 555 777
  • Local Contacts and Community Resources in Saldanha
  • Tourism – (0)22 714 2088
  • Post office;022 714 1109
  • Library: 027 714 8010
  • Schools in Saldanha
  • Saldanha Primary 022 714 1358
  • Diazville Senior Secondary 022 714 1909
  • Diazville primary 022 714 1645

Other towns in the Municipality include Hopefield, Jacob’s Bay, Langebaan, Paternoster, St Helena Bay and Vredenberg

  • Colourdots is an independent regional information resource for the Western Cape.
    Learn more about the project HERE

Updated January 2026

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