Feature

Within the City

Still in the city, Constantia is a wealthy area of the southern suburbs as well as an old vineyard district. Well known wine farms in this area are Buitenverwacht, Klein Constantia and Groot Constantia. These farms are over 300 years old. Noordhoek also has a pleasant country atmosphere, with horse riders clip-clopping alongside the road or galloping on Noordhoek Beach. In the same valley, near Kommetjie is Imhoff’s farm, which with it’s craft shops, horse rides and animal park is a lovely place to take children.

Wine Farms

Outside of Cape Town, visitors regularly enjoy a tour of the winelands. This usually involves choosing a route somewhere within the Wellington, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek triangle, and then stopping at the farms along the way to taste and buy the local wine or liqueur, usually at a good price. This area is known as the Boland, which is Afrikaans for upcountry.

South Coast

Along the south coast beyond the city, the country towns also have their own particular histories and charms. Cape Agulhas has the particular distinction of being the southernmost tip of Africa and worth visiting for this emotional reason alone. Hermanus is a well known whale watching site, and the town has it’s own whale crier. Arniston has a lovely array of fisherman’s cottages.

Inland Fruit Growing Areas

East of Cape Town, Montague is well known for its mineral baths, Grabouw and Elgin is apple-growing country, and Greyton and McGregor are joined by a popular hiking trail. Other agricultural towns include Ceres, Malmesbury, Worcester, Robertson and Caledon. There are also nature reserves to visit, such as the De Hoop Nature Reserve, or the National Bontebok Park near Swellendam.

West Coast

The country north of the city is much drier, but it has a semi-arid desert beauty of its own. Along the West Coast are the towns of Saldanha and Langebaan, where some of the oldest traces of homo sapiens have been found. Citrusdal and Clanwilliam is orange-growing country, and there are hot springs to enjoy nearby. Between them lies the Cedarberg mountains, which have the most interesting rock formations and sculptures, and are one of the many sites to view the Rock Paintings of the San (bushmen). From here heading north begins the flower route, where once a year a carpet of lovely  Namaqualand daisies is laid down on the flat gravel plains.

Of course their are many other inland mountains, and they are generally higher than those in the Cape Peninsula. With prior arrangement you can spend a few days hiking and sleeping in these mountains. Alternatively you can drive up the many country passes to frolic in the winter snow.