Half way between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth you will find Mossel Bay – a popular holiday destination in the summer and a quiet, relaxing area in winter.  Another name for Mossel Bay is “Karoo at the sea” because, after Hawaii, it has the mildest ocean climate in the world.   Mossel Bay has a rich and interesting history, and is seen as the historical capital of the Garden Route. The first meeting between Europeans and Africans (the Khoi-San) in Mossel Bay was not exactly a peaceful event. This happened in the year 1488, when Bartholomeu Dias entered the sheltered bay for the first time. He gave the bay the name "Aguada de Sao Bras".   It was only ten years later that Vasco da Gama successfully negotiated a peaceful relationship between Europeans and the Khoi-San in order to trade with jewelry, food and water. For many years the bay was a base for sailors who were on their way to India from Europe, or vice versa.   The first Post Office was founded in Mossel Bay. In 1500, Pedro de Ataide left a letter of great importance in a shoe next to a large Milkwood tree. Many other sailors then copied this method of communication and ships would carry these letters on their travels to Europe or India. This tree, which still exists, is now a landmark in Mossel Bay.   In 1729, the first Settlers reached the bay and in 1734 Mossel Bay was declared as Dutch territory. These Settlers found large amounts of mussels, hence the name “Mossel Bay”. Mossel Bay became an integral link in the Dutch-East Indian Trade Company.   Mossel Bay was seen as an important trade center for grains, fruit, vegetables, meat and wool but activity slowed to a standstill after the first train was used in South Africa.   Due to the findings of large amounts of natural gases a few kilometers outside Mossel Bay, a large refinery was built in Mossel Bay in the 20th century.     Please visit:   Knysna - Plettenberg Bay - Mossel Bay - Port Elizabeth - George - Tsitsikamma Park - Wilderness - Oudtshoorn - Otter Trail - Cango Caves       South Africa Cape Town Guest Houses Accommodation Immigration White Shark Cage Diving Hotels Car Hire Property Garden Route Car Rental Camps Bay Hotel Garden Route Cape Town South Africa  South Africa  Cape Town Guesthouses  Cape Town Hotels  Cape Town  Cape Town Accommodation  Car Hire Cape Town  Cape Town Photos  South Africa Immigration  Cape Town Property  Cape Town Info  White Shark Cage Diving  Garden Route  South Africa Info  Immigration to South Africa  Car Rental South Africa   Camps Bay  Camps Bay Accommodation  Cape Town Tours & Trips South Africa Immigration Hotel Accommodation Self-Catering Rent a Car Cape Town Camps Bay Knysna George Plettenberg Bay Photos Wildlife Cape Town Day Trips Tours and Safaris Cape Town City Tours Safari Day Trips