The Cape Winelands
Cape Town is world famous for it's wine estates - the Western Cape is divided into several wine routes each with its own history, style and unique wines. Some of the most popular routes are Constantia, Paarl, Franschoek, Stellenbosch, Durbanville, Wellington, Robertson, Swartland to name just a few.
The very first wine route that was established in 1971 with the Stellenbosch Wine route. It consists of approximately 130 wine estates that can be visited. All with a variety of great wines and unique attractions.
Another great place is Franschhoek (meaning French Corner) an area that is rich in French/ South African History. A lovely place where you can also enjoy a lovely array of french styled restaurants and shops.
Paarl (meaning Pearl) & Wellington is a great place to go on a cellar tour while visiting all the other tourist attractions such as the Afrikaner Museum.
The Constantia Wine Estates is situated along the Table Mountain Nation Park along the Cape Peninsula. The Constantia Valley is home to the oldest wine estate in South Africa that was established in 1685 and is now known as Groot Constantia (meaning Big Constantia). Other estates that can also be visited are Klein Constantia (meaning Small Constantia) Constantia Uitsig (meaning Constantia View or lookout)
Also not forgetting the most southerly wine estate in Africa called Cape Point Wine Estate that you will find as you travel towards that Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve all the way at the end of the Table Mountain National Park.
Robertson, Durbanville and the Swartland are sometimes forgotten but also great places to visit and not only do wine tasting but also to enjoy that amazing landscape and interesting people.
If you are a wine lover you cannot miss what the Cape Winelands has to offer.
Horse Trail Safris
Horse Trail Safari is the only one of its kind in Cape Town offering a variety of horse related activities.
They offer a vintage carriage ride through the bustling city centre that takes you back to the days when the horse and carriage was the only mode of transport. The trip takes you through some of the oldest streets in Cape Town that are lined with a variety of different styles of architecture. Then taking a drive through the Cape Town Company Gardens and Government Avenue.
The Southern Right Whales have arrived along the coastline and an excellent way to view them is on horseback from the shoreline. The trail takes riders through pristine Fynbos (fine bush), over dunes and onto white sandy beaches. One of the great things is that all Horse Trail Safari rides are custom made to meet the needs of the client and they pride themselves on the safety of their clients and horses.
One of the most adventurous rides that they offer is the overnight safari that lasts for up to four days and take you through some of the Western Cape's most interesting towns stopping off at a natural warm water spa.
Some of the other activities offered by Horse Trail Safari's include bird watching, flowers, mountain trails and many many more.
So if you are a horse lover then it is the best and only way for you to enjoy the wonders and mysteries of the Western Cape.
Bontebok Ridge Nature Reserve
Nestled in between the mountains of Wellington we visited Bontebok Ridge Nature Reserve. We visited this lovely reserve on a lovely winters day in Cape Town. The reserve is approximately 90km or 1 hour from Cape Town.
We spent time with our very informative and hospitable owners, Frank and Sue Turner. The reserve is set on a conservancy of land that stretches as far the eye can see. The game drive they offer takes visitors through some of the most pristine and interesting varieties of Fynbos (Fine Bush)
The great thing about Bontebok Ridge Reserve is that they have such a wide variety of wildlife - Bontebok, Springbok, Wildebeest, Eland, Zebra, Grysbok, Red Haartebeest just to name a few of the amazing animals that come really close to the open 4x4 vehicle.
The Game drive is done at a very relaxing pace with Frank and Sue explaining various aspects of the landscape and animals. The reserve is also part of the amazing rebirth of the Quagga and have some of the animals that have been bred in the hope of breeding a pure Quagga which is/was an extinct subspecies of the Zebra.
We were luck to see a bunch of baboons performing and terrorising the buck. A stop at the boma is a must to enjoy the setting and some snacks and if you are lucky you may see a resident Fish eagle or two over the lake.
One thing i have to say is that they have a ladies rest room with the best view i have ever seen - it looks out onto the mountain and fields as far as you can imagine. It is definitely a place that we recommend!!
Bontebok Ridge Nature Reserve
Wellington
+27 82 77 88 664
Web Site
Best Whale Watching Spots in Cape Town
There are several places to view the Southern Right Whales from the land and this is a list some of our favourite spots.
Muizenberg Beach Stretching approximately 20km From Muizenberg Beach to Strandfontein is a great place to view the Southern Right Whale while taking a walk, run or just to sit along the shoreline. We often spend hours having a picnic while watching the surfers, windsurfers, kite surfers but most of all the Southern Right Whales.
Bailey's Cottage in Muizenberg along the False Bay which dates back to 1909. This thatched roof cottage was built on a cliff at the waters edge. It was a signal station during World War Two.Kalk Bay Harbour - Kalk means Lime and it was in this area where the Dutch used big kilns to burn shell to produce lime to white wash the building with. There is a vibrant harbour where you can enjoy a meal, walk through the fish market or just take a stroll along the pier while watching the whales and the numerous comical seals.
Fish Hoek Beach - A family beach where you can sit on the shore and watch the whales come really close to the shoreline. A popular spot where many people have reported having close encounters with the curious Southern Right.
Simon's Town - Now this is a lovely area to view whales from along the road and up on a hill called Red Hill. It over looks Simon's Town and give a perfect view of the bay. A landmark that can be seen out at sea is Roman Rock Lighthouse that dates back to 1867 and to date is the only Lighthouse built on a rock out at sea in the whole of the southern hemisphere.
Sea Point - Another great place to do whale watching either from the Promenade or from the municipal outdoor swimming pool where we love spending our days off in the summer.
Hout Bay - A great place is from the beach front or the harbour where you can take a casual stroll. There is also the option of going out with one of the charter boats.
Chapman's Peak - This is a spot we just recently found and was amazing! It is at the Chapman's Peak pull in / view point. It is from this area where you look directly down onto the whales as they play or just laze in the waters below.
Remember these are only some of the good viewing spots in Cape Peninsula.
Arniston
There is one little community in Arniston that really stole our hearts not only because of the people but the fact that it really felt like time has stood still. The town which dates back to the early 1800's is nestled along the Southern Coast of the Western Cape. The only town in South Africa that has two official names Arniston after the Arniston Ship that wrecked along the shore and then there is its original name of Waenhuiskrans (meaning Ox Wagon Cave)named after the cave on the shore line which was big enough to house several ox wagons in.
The area is believed to originally be inhabited by Standlopers, Bushman who lived along the coastline and off the ocean. Unfortunately there is very little of their existence left except for a few story teller's tales and cave paintings. Waenhuiskrans/Arniston first came to the notice of Europeans when a British ship called the Arniston carrying mainly wounded soldiers but also women and children wrecked along the coastline in 1815 with only six people out of 378 surviving.
There are 2 sides to Arniston- the commercial 'developed' tourist side, and then the original fishing cottages set in a small enclave .The latter is the side that stole our hearts with its white washed thatched roofed homes that havnt changed for centuries.
It was one of these little white-washed cottages with a thatched roof we stayed in on the edge of this vibrant little fishing community. This is one of only 2 houses in the fishing village that is hired out to tourists. The very basic yet homely cottage had all the we needed to relax and enjoy our time there. As we were travelling in the heart of winter we enjoyed the evening in front of a roaring fire after enjoying a lovely meal at the only restaurant in the town ( Waenhuiskrans Restaurant).
There are a few activities to do in this secluded hideaway such as hikes to the Waenhuiskrans cave (at LOW TIDE only!!!), swimming, land based whale watching but just taking it easy and speaking to the locals is more than enough by itself.
Women villagers in the fishing village have established a development project where the women are trained in various crafts and have recently established a small curio shop.
Arniston is a great little spot that we would definitely recommend for anyone looking for a hideaway to relax. This is most certainly one of the Western Capes hidden treasures...
De Hoop Nature Reserve
During our travels in the Overberg region of the Western Cape we stumbled on yet another of the Capes secrets. A hideout not only for nature lovers but also those majestic Southern Right Whales and a host of other animals. The reserve includes a part of the Indian ocean that stretches out for approximately 5 km.
Situated along the southern coastline between Bredasdorp, Arniston and Cape Infanta, the reserve stretches over 34 000 hectors with some amazing dunes, unspoilt coastline and dramatic cliffs. It is a very popular spot for hikers, birdwatcher, whale watcher.
We visited the reserve the day after some heavy rains and the potholes were as big as baths but the best part was that the animals were twice as active. As soon as we entered the gates we encountered a large herd Eland, the largest but slowest antelope in the world. One of their amazing attributes is that they are able to jump over a fence 3 metres high -and from a standing start!
We then made our way along the muddy tracks towards the coastline where we walked for about 5 minutes to finally make our way along a rope and wooden walkway that overlooked the unspoiled coastline, cliffs and over 30 southern right whales frolicking in the waters very close to shore. It was was so amazing as they could be seen so clearly with the naked eye.
The flora that can be found in this reserve is similar to all the other reserves in the Western Cape with its Fynbos (meaning fine bush). There is also a large variety of Proteas, Ericas, Restios all of which have adapted to the environment.
It was a great place to visit and we would love to give you some more information however the Management of this reserve was not very friendly or helpful. We tried for many weeks to book an appointment to ask them to explain about the mysteries and wonders of this lovely place without any success or even a reply.
We will endeavour to bring you more reviews of this fantastic reserve as and when the management become more willing And accommodating.
De Hoop Nature Reserve Between Bredasdorp, Arniston & Cape Infanta
Bredasdorp
Web Site
Wolvengat
So we never got petrol in Elim but we did spent at least an hour with locals running from house to house looking for petrol, trying to figure out where the nearest petrol station was and in which direction it was. The experience was hysterical to say the least because everyone was saying it was in a different direction.
Anyway while driving we were really concerned that we might run out of Petrol and get stuck on a dusty road in the middle of nowhere. We kept calculating every few minutes how long it would take for Andrew to run and find the petrol station that closed at 1pm .
Finally we got to a petrol pump outside a little shop called Jenny's Café after travelling for over 40 minutes over a few hills. I have never seen a shop like this before it had everything from hand knitted items to tools and in the centre there was a snooker and pool table. Anyway we asked for petrol and went outside to a lonely little petrol pump. Jenny, an old women in her 70's ,came out armed with a knitting needle!! yes a pink knitting needle was needed to make the pump work .Everyone we met was extremly friendly and hospitable and just kept chatting and chatting and chatting but finally we managed to say our goodbyes and got to wander about this "town"
This miniature town called Wolvengat (meaning Wolf Hole) is so small if you blink you will miss it. We only saw a total of 5 houses and the Farm 215 which is a four star country house which is a n interesting hideaway for anyone who is looking for total isolation.
just remember too go with enough petrol in case Jenny has her knitting on the go !!!!