South Africa's West Coast

West Coast is the district between the Cape in the south and Northern Cape Province on the border with Namibia and Botswana. With just nine inhabitants per square kilometre, this is a sparsely populated area of bleak savannah backed by ragged mountains. Further north it gets drier and hotter, but West Coast also means 400km of Atlantic shoreline with prevailing southerly winds in summer and sideshore NW in the winter. Combine that with year-round Antarctic swell at the perfect angle, breaking on rocky points and endless, sandy beaches. The result? Perfect conditions for hardcore road trips. As soon as Cape Town’s Table Mountain disappears in the rear-view mirror, you’re into a completely new world.