Clifton Beachfront Bouldering

Clifton is an affluent suburb of Cape Town popular with tourists, vacationers, and locals alike. Located south of the larger neighborhood of Sea Point, Clifton is well known for its 4 scenic white-sand beaches that are loosely divided by large boulders which jut directly out of the sand. The imposing boulders are a distinctive feature of the cape coast and offer abundant climbing with a wide range of difficulties and styles. The Clifton beachfront is accessible to the public and is known for being safe, clean, and popular in summer. The southernmost beach is known as 4th beach or the "family beach". Walking north at low tide you can easily access 3rd, 2nd, and 1st beaches. Although some boulders here show signs of previous ascents, there is little documentation on the bouldering in Clifton online. As such, there are many opportunities for new route development here.

The beach is shaded during the morning and gets peak sun in the early afternoon with sunsets over the ocean. While you will almost certainly boulder alone in Clifton, the beaches themselves can be quite crowded on the weekends. Climb in the morning or on weekdays to avoid large groups.

The rounded boulders on the Clifton beachfront are composed of cape granite and are studded with many large white feldspar inclusions (2-5 cm). These inclusions make for interesting slab climbing on many of the boulders while others offer interesting crack features and huecos. The intense ocean weathering and granite composition make for clean, strong rock with almost no choss. Bouldering pads (and to some extend climbing shoes) may not be necessary as most falls land you on some of the softest sand in the Western Province.