The Western Cape has a unique cultural and natural heritage and a rural easy-going atmosphere coupled with a first world infrastructure.

 

Experience the diversity of the Western Cape!

 

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Cape Metropole

A range of jagged mountains thrusting into the splendid desolation of the southern Atlantic, the Cape Peninsula is one of the world's most beautiful places. Cape Town, the South Peninsula, Blaauwberg, Helderberg, Tygerberg and Oostenberg form the Cape Metropolitan Area, a large and verdant expanse stretching from the foot of Table Mountain to the Hottentots Holland range in the purple distance. Sandy shores, mountain peaks, wildlife parks, forests and dunes permeate this diverse southern wonder-world, which has enticed visitors since the first seafarers sailed into Table Bay and coined the descriptive phrase the fairest cape in the whole circumference of the earth.

 

With a bustling, cosmopolitan city life alongside its spectacular scenery, the Cape Metropolitan Area's six regions offer everything the discerning visitor could wish for.

 

The South Peninsula, home to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, is a dazzling showcase of the area's indigenous flora and fauna. Cape Town, the cosmopolitan hub of the area, was voted third in a recent international poll of top tourist destinations - and for good reason. Its pristine beaches are a stone's throw from the pulse of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, where upmarket shopping malls, arts and crafts markets, theatres and live music uniquely meld with the surrounding working harbour. Museums and art galleries abound and South Africa's oldest building, the Castle of Good Hope, is in the city centre - not far from the cobbled streets of the Bo-Kaap with their delightful old buildings. 

 

The Blaauwberg region, which boasts the best views of Table Mountain, South Africa's most famous landmark, is a favourite of windsurfers and kite-flyers alike. Ratanga Junction, the wildest theme park in Africa, is also situated in this region. Tygerberg has both a commercial and residential area as well as fertile farmlands, while Oostenberg is home to sweeping vistas of undulating vineyards. The beautiful Helderberg is the sixth region, offering unsurpassed whale-watching vantage points and a myriad scenic mountain walks.

 

West Coast

The West Coast is a region of extreme beauty and contrast. Stretching over 400km from south to north, the region and its people offer visitors plenty of sunshine and a surprising variety of travel destinations. To the west, the region borders the Atlantic Ocean. The solitary coast's scenic beauty is challenged only by rich culinary experiences of plump mussels, oysters, calamari, crayfish and abalone in season or linefish pulled from the Benguela Current's cold waters and fried to gold. All are best enjoyed at a sunset fishbraai enlivened by a good wine and the spontaneous, light-hearted banter of hard-working, hard-playing locals.

The area is a bird watcher's paradise - cawing, white-breasted gulls wheel high on the seawind above thousands of gannets made featureless by their distinct, yellow-painted faces, while flamingoes colour the sky pink and swift, darting terns give the lie to the martial imperiousness of ever-aloof penguins. In addition, every year migrating whales visit the coastal waters from July. The eastern border is formed by a belt of mountains with fascinating, often awe-inspiring rock formations. The Cedarberg Wilderness area offers visitors a face-to-face encounter with nature at its most unspoiled as well as rock paintings that dramatically pre-date the world as we know it. Adjacent to the mountains is the Swartland, well known for its undulating wheat fields, vineyards, wineries and outdoor activities.

Further north, visitors encounter the fertile Olifants River Valley and the vast plains of the Knersvlakte with its wealth of indigenous succulent plants. The Olifant's River Valley is cultivated intensively with an emphasis on citrus and other fruits, vegetables and vineyards. The West Coast and its hinterland is a cultural experience of museums, monuments and mission stations such as Mamre and Wupperthal. It offers activities such as exploration in a fossil park, hang-gliding, sky-diving, mountain-biking, 4x4 routes, watersports and hiking. The experience extends also to a superb array of local wines, fresh seafood and other delectable fare, as well as a health-giving herbal drink, rooibos tea. In spring, carpets of wild flowers cover the region from the coast to the mountains. Spring flowers and fynbos are a constantly changing wonder attracting hikers and nature-lovers throughout the year.

Winelands

Whether it is its magnificent natural beauty, its rich cultural heritage or its world-renowned wines, the Winelands Region is synonymous with all the best that the Cape has to offer. A 45-minute drive from Cape Town brings you to this area where splendid mountains form a dramatic backdrop to lush vineyards and gabled Cape Dutch homesteads steeped in history. Come experience the hospitality and beauty of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington, Franschhoek and Pniel. The diversity of the Winelands will capture every heart.

Follow in the footsteps of our ancestors as you stroll along the oak-lined streets of Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in the country. Our colourful history comes to life in the splendidly restored Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian buildings in each town. Monuments such as the Huguenot Memorial and Afrikaans Language Monument and the many outstanding museums provide a fascinating glimpse into the past.

The excellent wines produced in this area are world-renowned You will be spoilt for choice between small, boutique wineries and the larger, more commercial wine estates.

Taste the fruit of the vintner’s labour in the magnificent surrounds that are so characteristic of the Winelands, or join the winemaker on a tour of his cellar where the precious harvest is lovingly transformed into every wine lover’s delight. To revive fatigued taste buds, the Winelands boasts some of the finest restaurants in the Cape, offering from traditional fare to the more exotic. And don’t miss out on other culinary delights produced in the region such as cheese, olives, herbs, berries and much more.

With its ragged mountains and fertile valleys, the Winelands is paradise to nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Invigorating hikes through the many nature reserves in the area will have you marvelling at the indigenous fynbos that flourishes here. Whether you enjoy the thrill of tearing down the hillside on a mountain bike, or relaxing next to a tranquil river catching trout, the exhilaration of a hot-air balloon-ride over the granite outcrops of Paarl Mountain or savouring the beauty of the setting sun on horseback, the Winelands will surpass your every expectation.

Garden Route

To many who have visited it, the Garden Route has a mysterious allure. A most unusual part of Africa, it is also the sunny corner of the Cape where evergreen forests, verdant fields, tranquil inland lakes, sparkling bays and pristine beaches languish in a sultry Mediterranean climate. Stretching along the southern Cape coast from Heidelberg in the west to the Tsitsikamma Forest and Storms River in the east, the region's entrance to the interior is barred by towering mountains breached by breathtaking passes and gorges. The silence evoked by its ever-changing landscape carries on its still, fragrant, sea-scented air a sense of the spiritual. With so much of the Garden Route's beauty unspoilt, visitors may feel they have been set free to play in God's backyard. 

A well-developed tourist infrastructure has strung the region's towns along its coast like a string of pearls. In all of them, artists, writers, naturalists and nature lovers co-exist with those devoting their time and energies to catering to the whims and special fancies of the area's year-round visitors. This is where the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe still steams its way between George and Knysna every day. And where the whales come to calve and mate in the many unspoiled bays. Importantly, it's an area boasting two national parks - Tsitsikamma and Wilderness - as well as numerous other provincial and private nature reserves. 

A treasure trove of history, culture, food, sport and entertainment awaits you between Heidelberg and Plettenberg Bay. Indeed, the Garden Route is a veritable playground, offering every sport imaginable - from golf to scuba-diving, abseiling to mountain biking. Beyond this, there are those unforgettable wild and lonely reaches that will touch your soul and revive your spirit.

Welcome to the Garden Route - a taste of Eden.

Klein Karoo

The Little Karoo has a spectacular landscape fashioned almost entirely by water, with vegetation ranging from lush greenery in the fertile river valleys to short, rugged Karoo plants in the veld. Gorges follow rivers that cut through towering mountains, while breathtakingly steep passes cross imposing terrain. The long, narrow valley is rich in geological shapes, being home to the spectacular Cango Caves, a series of magnificent, glittering limestone caverns fashioned over millennia beneath the foothills of the Swartberg Range. The region also boasts many species of indigenous plants, and is the natural habitat of the largest bird in the world - the ostrich. 

However, the region is also profoundly rich in culture and history. The annual Klein Karoo Kunstefees draws thousands of arts lovers to enjoy music, theatre and dance, while Bushman paintings offer a drawcard equally strong. A climate dominated by the sun produces excellent Port wines, honey-sweet fruits, raisins and cheese.

Three beautifully-set Mission Stations depict a quaint and unique architecture of a century ago, while attractive sandstone mansions, or Feather Palace's remind one of the heady days when the ostrich feather industry was at its peak. Oudtshoorn, the centre of the ostrich industry, has remained the region's leading town.

Sunny conditions inspire the regions popular pastimes, which include hiking, mountain-biking, 4x4 excursions, caving, climbing, horse riding, bird-watching, fishing and much, much more. The main road through the Little Karoo Kannaland is the R62 - the Great Alternative Scenic Route - stretching from Cape Town via Worcester, Montagu and Oudtshoorn (approximately 4 hours) to the coast and Port Elizabeth.

Visiting the region's towns and meeting the friendly, open-hearted locals is truly a worthwhile experience - one that you will, indeed, forever remember and cherish. 

Central Karoo

About 280-million years ago, when the earth was much younger, the Great Karoo was a vast swamp. Today, among the world's most fascinating arid zones, it is a place of infinite horizons and endless plains, rimmed by blue mountains. Visually, it is stark, but its very starkness distills into grandiose beauty that is often awesome. Sunsets and dawns stun with their vivid bursts of colour and cloud shows, while night skies are filled with stars you can almost touch. 

The Karoo, the world's largest plateau outside Asia, is five times the size of great Britain and considered a wonder of the scientific world. Its name comes from the indigenous word for thirstland. In South Africa it stands alone; globally the region is an envied rarity. Ancient and fossil-rich, the Karoo features the largest variety of succulents found anywhere on earth. Some of the world's most important archeological and stone age sites are located in the Karoo. A rich legacy of rock art and artifacts makes it integral to the work of many scientists. A myriad species of indigenous and rare game roam these plains, while birdlife is abundant.

Over a century ago, British soldiers, with all the paraphernalia of battle, moved across the plains of the Karoo to engage the Boers in the Anglo-Boer War. Now lonely graves dot these plains and the silent blockhouses still guard the railway lines as grim reminders of those turbulent times.

The Karoo is indeed a place of infinite enchantment and mystery. Those who linger in its vastness soon sense the magic are drawn back again and again. 

Breede River Valley

An area of magnificent views, panoramic landscapes and towering cliffs, crystal-clear streams, an abundance of trees and indigenous flora, the Breede River Valley is the largest of the Western Cape's three fruit and wine producing valleys. Mountains, the highest peaks of which are capped with snow in winter, surround this heavily cultivated region, graced with orchards, vineyards and wheatlands. 

The Breede River Valley is also known as the Wine Belt of the Western Cape, with a harmoniously balanced terrain and climate. Innovation and pride are the main ingredients of the region's winemakers, resulting in their success and prominence. 

Ceres, a principal town in the area, was named after the Roman goddess of fertility, which should come as no surprise. It is surely one of the most fertile farming areas in South Africa. With the Piketberg and Bokkeveld areas, the region dominates South Africa's exports of peaches and pears. Robertson, Worcester, McGregor and Montagu are rich in the ingredients a vintner needs to create noble wines. Cool summer breezes blow in off the sea, chill winters provide rest for the vines and a fertile, lime-rich soil nourishes the future pleasures of people around the world.

Nature-lovers and those seeking tranquillity, sparkling air and fruit-off-the-tree need look no further than this lovely valley. Fifteen easily accessible towns nestle in the valley and the multitude of attractions offer the opportunity for discovery. From visits to wineries and tours of culture-rich towns to game reserve excursions, glimpses of tribal art and museums, or the outdoor excitement of mountain-biking or hiking trails, the Breede River Valley has it all! The R62 between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth winds through this area. This alternative route to Port Elizabeth passes all the main gems of the Breede River Valley.

You will soon discover that there are few places on our planet as stunningly beautiful as the Breede River Valley, named after the snake-like river that winds its way across kilometres of unspoilt landscape. We look forward to welcoming you!

Overberg

In the most southerly region of Africa, only one hour east of Cape Town, lies the Fairest Cape's best kept secret, a fertile area surrounded by mountains and sea. Simply called the Overberg, it is the traveller's reward for breaching the mountain barriers which divide it from the rest of the country. To early settlers it represented the land beyond the mountains of Africa, a region rich in resources as well as boundless treasures. 

The Overberg coast, also called the Whale Coast, has the distinction of splitting the oceans. At Cape Agalhas, the southernmost tip of the continent, the waters are cleaved into the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The foothills of the mountains, covered in a wealth of indigenous fynbos, roll down through green and gold wheat and sheep country to the lighthouse here. Apart from the cry of seagulls and the endless beat of the surf along a holiday-friendly shoreline - which also gives rest to the wreckage of scores of luckless ships - silence prevails and solitude is easy to find. 

A scattering of tiny seaside resorts in the vicinity attract regular caravanners, campers and fishermen. In contrast is Hermanus, a bustling town where crowds flock to watch migrating whales between June and November. The region offers visitors a myriad other activities, such as golf, hiking, birdwatching, canoeing, mountain biking, architectural tours, historical tours, fynbos and flower trails and, of course, unending opportunities to indulge in fine food and wine.

This superb coastal area, stretching from Hangklip to the mouth of the Breede River, can be approached from the Cape Peninsula over the dramatic Sir Lowry's Pass along the N2 national road, by a coastal road carved from the sea cliffs from Gordon's Bay, through the Kogelberg Biosphere - the only one in South Africa. The area can also be journeyed into from other regions of the Western Cape Province such as the Winelands, the Garden Route, the Breede River and the Klein Karoo.

The Overberg is just waiting for you to discover it!