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Excursions For a Half Day Cape Point: This windswept peninsula, where the cold Benguela Current and the warm Mozambique current converge, is the mythical meeting place of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans – the physical meeting place is actually 100km (62 miles) to the east, in Cape L’Agulhas. Cape Point (tel: (021) 780 9010; website: www.capepoint.co.za), is situated in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve (tel: (021) 780 9100 or 9204), at the far tip of the enormous Cape Peninsula National Park (tel: (021) 701 8692; fax: (021) 701 8773; e-mail: capepeninsula@parks-sa.co.za; website: www.cpnp.co.za). Located 35km (22 miles) from the city centre, along the M3 towards Muizenberg and M4 via Simon’s Town, Cape Point is home to a splendid array of wildlife, including zebra, lynx, bontebok and baboons, as well as some of the rarest plants on Earth. Visitors should, however, beware of the baboons as they can be dangerous, particularly where food is involved, and there is a fine for feeding these animals. An added bonus is the Two Oceans Restaurant (tel: (021) 780 9200/1; fax: (021) 780 9060; e-mail: info@two-ocenas.co.za; website: www.two-oceans.co.za), which is perched on the cliff above the Atlantic Ocean, as well as curio shops (tel: (021) 780 9202 or 9110). Admission to the reserve costs R35 per adult and it is open daily 0700-1800 (summer) and 0700-1700 (winter). Constantia Wine Route: Located approximately 17km (11 miles) or a 25-minute drive south of the city centre, the Constantia Wine Route offers a handy alternative to a longer trip to the Boland. The Constantia Valley area is home to five of the Cape’s top wine estates – Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig and Steenberg Vineyards. South Africa’s oldest wine estate, Groot Constantia, off the M41 Constantia Road (tel: (021) 794 5128), with is original manor house and wine museum (tel: (021) 794 5067), gives a fascinating insight into early colonial life in the Cape. There is also a restaurant (tel: (021) 794 6255), while the tavern (tel: (021) 794 1144) is open daily for wine tasting 1000-1700 (May-December) or 0900-1800 (December-April). Wine tasting costs R8 (entrance to the estate is free). The family owned Klein Constantia, Klein Constantia Road (tel: (021) 794 5188), is open weekdays 0900-1700 and Saturdays 0900-1300 and has some choice Cape wines for tasting in extremely friendly company. Buitenverwachting, Klein Constantia Road (tel: (021) 794 5191), is renowned for its exclusive restaurant (tel: (021) 794 3522) and pleasant picnic area. The estate is open weekdays 0900-1700 and Saturday 0900-1300. Contantia Uitsig, Spaanschmat River Road (tel: (021) 794 1810), translates to ‘Constantia View’ and the farm offers visitors not only excellent wine but also two restaurants (tel: (021) 794 4480 or 2390) and the charming Spaanschemat River Café (tel: (021) 794 3010). The estate is open for wine tasting on weekdays 0900-1800 and Saturday 0900-1700. Finally, Steenberg Vineyards, Steenberg Road (tel: (021) 713 2211), makes up for its dubious location opposite Pollsmore Prison with an exclusive hotel, a golf course (tel: (021) 713 2233) and restaurant (tel: (021) 713 2224). For a Whole Day The Boland: A tour of the Boland (‘uplands’ or ‘toplands’) reveals a world of dramatic mountain ranges, crystal clear rivers teeming with trout, beautiful valleys and the Western Cape’s bucolic Winelands, dotted with historic wine estates, many of which are open to the public. There are ten officially designated ‘wine routes’ incorporating a multitude of wine estates that are open to the public. Many are contained with the Boland region. Specialist tour operators include Vineyard Ventures (tel: (021) 434 8888; fax: (021) 434 9999; e-mail: viven@iafrica.com), Capevine (tel: (021) 913 6611; fax: (021) 913 4580; e-mail: capevine@iafrica.com) and Window on Cape Wine (tel: (021) 866 1002). Bacchanalian tourists who choose to go it alone with one of the many route maps obtainable from Cape Town Tourism, should always make sure there is a designated driver who abstains from quaffing. The Central Winelands Tourism Office (tel: (021) 872 0686) can also provide further information. Somerset West is half an hour from the city centre on the R44 off the N2 highway. This bustling town nestles in a basin created by the towering peak of Helderberg (‘Clear Mountain’) and the Hottentots Holland mountain range. Here, the Vergelegen wine farm, Lourensford Road (tel: (021) 847 1334; website: www.vergelegen.co.za), was built in 1700 and is one of the most gracious and perfectly located of all the old Cape Dutch homesteads, offering wine tasting, cellar tours, a superb restaurant and library containing rare volumes of early Africana. The farm is open daily 0930-1800 and entrance is R10. The Helderberg Nature Reserve (tel: (021) 851 4060; e-mail: information@helderbergnaturereserve.co.za; website: www.helderbergnaturereserve.co.za) is located just before the turn-off to Vergelegen and is open daily 0700-2000 (summer) or 0700-1800 (winter) and comprises several kilometres of hiking trails and paths with magnificent views over the Helderberg Basin. Entrance is R4 per vehicle and a further R5 per person. South Africa’s second oldest town (founded in 1667), Stellenbosch, is located on the R310 off the N2 highway. Named after the Dutch governor, Simon van der Stel, this university town is one of the best preserved of all South African towns. The Stellenbosch Village Museum, on the corner of Church and Ryneveld Streets, consists of four buildings over two blocks, incorporating Grosvenor House (1782), Bletterman House (1789), Schreuder House (1709) and OM Bergh House (1850). South Africa’s ‘French quarter’, Franschhoek, was named after the French Huguenots who fled Catholic persecution and began arriving at the Cape in 1688. Today, the valley is famous for its wine and good food. Located off the N1, the area is key to much of South Africa’s distant and recent history. The Huguenot Memorial, Lambrecht Street (tel: (021) 876 2532), traces the history of the Huguenots (entrance is R4), while to the west, on the R303, is the Victor Verster Prison, from where Nelson Mandela walked to freedom on 11 February 1990. Overberg: Over Sir Lowry’s pass and beyond South Africa’s oldest inn, the Houwhoek Inn, the Western Cape landscape transforms into the harsh beauty of the Overberg, approximately 170km (106 miles) from Cape Town at its central point. This region is the gateway to Africa’s southernmost tip, Cape L’Agulhas – located approximately a three-hour drive southeast of Cape Town, accessible on the N2. Here, the two oceans meet in a spectacular show of natural beauty. The L’Agulhas Lighthouse (tel: (028) 424 2584) and Zuidste Kaap (tel: (028) 435 6034) restaurants both provide a unique location in which to dine out – the fully operational lighthouse, which is over 150 years old, also doubles as a museum and curio shop. However, since a tourist injured herself a few years ago, visitors are no longer permitted up the lighthouse tower. The southernmost point is located one kilometre (0.6 miles) west of the lighthouse. Visitors should take note, however, not to book any tours that involve 4X4 driving on the beaches and dunes as this is not only incredibly harmful to the delicate seafront wildlife – some of which are endangered species – but also illegal. Nearby, the 14km (nine miles) of continuous white sand beach – the longest in the Southern Hemisphere – of Struuisbaai offers stunning bathing. Further afield, the virtually untouched charm of Arniston delights visitors with a traditional fishing village, Kassiesbaai, which has been declared, in its entirety, a national monument. Hermanus, another coastal town in the Overberg region, dubbed ‘the Riviera of the Overberg’ for its wealthy stature, is the principal whale-spotting location, one of the best in the world, with an annual ten-day Whale Watching Festival in September (tel: (083) 910 1028; website: www.whales.co.za or www.cape-whaleroute.co.za). Many other towns, such as the fruit farming paradise of Grabouw and the austere charm of Napier, offer visitors a variety of ways in which to spend a good day’s worth of sightseeing in the Overberg. Southern Tip Tours (tel/fax: (021) 952 7578; e-mail: stt@global.co.za; website: www.southerntours.co.za) offer tours to the area, as well as tours for whale watching enthusiasts. The Suidpunt Tourism Bureau (tel: (028) 424 2584; fax; (021) 425 2731; e-mail: suidpunt@brd.dorea.co.za) and Overberg Tourism (tel: (028) 214 1466; fax: (028) 212 1380; website: www.capetourism.org) both provide further information on destinations within the Overberg. |
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