The Western Cape and Winelands
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Western Cape and Winelands - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. De Hoop Nature Reserve
Covering 88,900 acres of isolated coastal terrain as well as the undersea world below the waves, this reserve deserves its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Massive sand dunes, rolling mountains, and rare lowland fynbos are home to eland, bontebok, and Cape mountain zebra, as well as more than 250 species of birds. (Keep an eye out for the blue crane, South Africa’s national bird.) Though the reserve is only three hours from Cape Town, it feels a world away. This is a fantastic place to watch whales from the shore—not quite as easy as in Hermanus, but much less crowded. You can also hike the enormously popular Whale Trail, which runs through the reserve. A shuttle service takes your bags to each new stop, so all you have to carry is a small day pack and a water bottle between overnight stops. Book up to a year in advance to enjoy the Whale Trail, or try to snag a last-minute cancellation. Self-catering cottages sleep up to four people and range from basic to fully equipped. You can still enjoy De Hoop without doing the Whale Trail; there are delightful day hikes, beautiful and largely unpeopled beaches and excellent bird-watching, including a viewing platform where you can lie down and watch Cape vultures swooping overhead. Access is via a dirt road between Bredasdorp and Malgas. From Bredasdorp take the R319 to Swellendam. At about 6 km (4 miles) turn right at the sign posted De Hoop/Malgas/Infanta. Follow the road for 35 km (21.2 miles) until you see the sign for the reserve
Between Bredasdorp and Malgas, Bredasdorp, Western Cape, South Africa028-542–1253Sight Details
Rate Includes: R50 -
2. Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum
Housed in a converted church and rectory, the Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum has an extensive collection of objects salvaged from the hundreds of ships that have gone down in the stormy seas off the Cape. In addition to the usual cannons and figureheads, the museum displays a surprising array of household articles rescued from the sea, including entire dining-room sets, sideboards, and phonographs. Be sure to visit the buildings out back, which contain old wagons and the first fire engines used in South Africa.
6 Independent St., Bredasdorp, Western Cape, 7280, South Africa028-424–1240Sight Details
Rate Includes: R50, Closed Sat. and Sun. -
3. Cape Agulhas
From Bredasdorp, it's just 39 km (24 miles) through rolling farmland to the tip of the African continent. Although this cape is not nearly as spectacular as Cape Point, it's rather fitting for the end of a wild and wonderful continent. For R35, you can climb the Cape Agulhas lighthouse. Selfies are obligatory at a sign signifying the point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.
View Tours and ActivitiesLighthouse St., Cape Agulhas, Western Cape, 7285, South Africa -
4. Elim
Little has changed in the last 200 years in the Moravian mission village of Elim, founded in 1824. Simple whitewashed cottages line the few streets. All the residents belong to the Moravian Church. You're welcome to attend services, when just about the whole town turns out in their Sunday best. Elim is the only town in the country that has a monument dedicated to the freeing of the slaves in 1838. It's also home to the country's oldest working clock and biggest wooden waterwheel. There's a tourism office near the waterwheel with a small museum detailing the history of the village. Grab a bite in the tearoom next to the waterwheel. Elim is 36 km (22 miles) west of Bredasdorp.
Off the R319 between Cape Agulhas and Bredasdorp, South Africa -
5. Malgas
On the dirt road from Bredasdorp is the small hamlet of Malgas, a major port in the 19th century before the mouth of the Breede River silted up. In addition to a tiny village, you will find the last hand-drawn car ferry in the country. It's fascinating to watch the technique, as the ferry operators "walk" the ferry across the river on a huge cable, leaning into their harnesses.
Malgas, Western Cape, South Africa -
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