Western Cape Overview
The Western Cape is so different to the rest of South Africa.It's kind of tacked on to the bottom of
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In and Around
Western Cape
Cities Through Routes Tourism Regions Towns
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Arniston Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Arniston
This rather schizophrenic town is officially known as Waenhuiskrans but everyone calls it Arniston. The official name, which means “Wagon House Cave”, refers to an enormous sea cave thatis big enough to park an ox wagon (and a team of oxen) in. It’s abeautiful cave and it’s a lovely walk to get to it but watch the tides.You absolutely do not want to get cau ...read on
Ashton Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Ashton
Kogman'skloof©South African TourismThe small town of Ashton on Route 62 is in the middle of a fruit-farming and wine-growing area so there are some nice wineries, farm stalls where you can buy all manner of local produce, and even a cheese estate. Ashton is conveniently situated on the ...read on
Cape Town Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Cape Town
Voted Favourite Foreign City by the UK Telegraph in
2004, Cape Town is one of the places you just have to visit before you
die. It's an awesome city. All the vibe you want - great parties, great
shopping and loads of galleries and other cultural attractions
can't detract from the fact that what makes Cape Town special is the
fact that it is s ...read on
Central Karoo Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Central Karoo
The broad, mostly sandy, expanse of undulating plains known as the Karoo is divided between the Little Karoo, nearer the coast and the Great Karoo, which seems to stretch into the interior forever. The Karoo, which means 'great thirst' in the local Khoi-San language, receives little rain so the rather ...read on
Clanwilliam Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Clanwilliam
Nestled at the foot of the northern end of the Cederberg Mountains, Clanwilliam is a small town with loads to do just on its outskirts. Heading north, the Pakhuis Pass leads to an area of immense physical beauty, with spectacularly ruggedrock formations, gurgling streams, tumbling waterfalls and some of thebest and most e ...read on
Franschhoek Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Franschhoek
This sybaritic little town is situated smack in the middle of some gorgeous scenery in the heart of the Winelands. It’s one of those places that became fashionable some time around the 1980s and things just snowballed. Fabulous restaurants line the main street, there are some lovely little guest houses and – of course – g ...read on
George Travel Guide
Samantha Black, George
George is the de Facto capital of the Garden Route, its largest town by far, and the only one with an airport of any real significance. It’s not on the coast, but the lovely Victoria Bay, which is one of the prettiest beach ...read on
Hermanus Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Hermanus
This lovely town, on the coastal area of the Overberg, is most well known for its awesome land based whale watching. Most of Hermanus’ shoreline is rocky cliff, quite high above Walker Bay so it offers fantastic viewpoints from which to observ ...read on
Knysna Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Knysna
If there is such a thing, Knysna is the heart of the Garden Route. This medium-sized town on the banks of the usually placid and always beautiful Knysna Lagoon is a real tourist haven. The lagoon, which is guarded from the sea by two enormous, rugged, sandstone cliffs, known as The Heads, is a fabulous play ...read on
Little Karoo Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Little Karoo
The Little Karoo is the hot, dry region squeezed between the Outeniqua Mountains that separate it from the green and luscious Garden Route, and the rugged Swartberg Mountains that separate it from the wider, hotter Great Karoo. ...read on
Mossel Bay Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Mossel Bay
Mossel Bay is considered by many to be the westernmost extent of the “real” Garden Route. It’s a rather sprawling town, with a natural gas refinery and huge storage tanks on the outskirts so its approach is not particularly attractive. However, it has some of the most wonderful read on
Oudtshoorn Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Oudtshoorn
Oudtshoorn, the largest town in the Little Karoo, is most well known as the centre of the ostrich farming industry. Taller than many men, these huge flightless birds weigh in at about 150kg and are very fast and – surprisingly – very dangerous. Don’t tangle with one. How embarrassing would it be to have to explain to the gu ...read on
Overberg Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Overberg
Canola fields near Swellendam©South African TourismIn the early days of the European occupation of the Cape, very few people ventured far from the foot of Table Mountain. The vast Cape Flats to the east of the fledgling city were a treacherous stretch of shifting sands, wetlands and - of course - wild a ...read on
Paarl Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Paarl
Less than an hour north of Cape Town in the Winelands, Paarl is a beautiful old town dominated by a huge granite pluton that, after rain, gleams like a pearl, and from which the town gets its name. (The Dutch word for pearl is paarl.) Paarl has one of the longest main roads in the co ...read on
Plettenberg Bay Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Plettenberg Bay
Plettenberg Bay, or Plett, as it is more familiarly known, is the most fashionable spot on the Garden Route and has been called the Riviera of Africa. It’s no exaggeration. With fabulous beaches stretching for miles, whole neighbourhoods of expensive sum ...read on
V and A Waterfront Travel Guide
Samantha Black, V and A Waterfront
Lying west of the industrial Duncan Dock, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, now simply called the Waterfront, is Cape Town's original Victorian harbour. Before its construction the Cape of Storms was notorious for wrecking ships during ferocious winter spells. In 1860 a very young Prince Alfred ceremoniously dumped the first load of ...read on
West Coast Travel Guide
Samantha Black, West Coast
The West Coast is an acquired taste. The vegetation is subdued, the sky incredibly wide and the sea very often a dead calm expanse of cerulean blue. But sometimes, of course, it's an angry grey expanse of snarling and crashing breakers. But change is the only certainty. In spring, the somewhat monochromatic landscape explodes into a riot of colour. In small hollows between the dunes bright blue h ...read on
Western Cape Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Western Cape
The Western Cape is so different to the rest of South Africa.It's kind of tacked on to the bottom of Africa - the full stop of theexclamation mark that is this amazing continent. Without a doubt,though, the Western Cape is South Africa's most visited province, and it's hardly ...read on
Wilderness Travel Guide
Samantha Black, Wilderness
Wilderness, in the heart of the Garden Route, is a lovely little town in the most fabulous setting. With forested hills at its back, the town jigsaws itself around a number of pretty wetlands and flows over the high coastal dunes to overlook a magnificent, long, snow white beach where ...read on
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