Things to Do in Eendekuil

Situated 125kms from Cape Town, Tulbagh has become a secret find for the avant-garde.  The wine farm, Twee Jonge Gezellen, is in the North-West corner of this intriguing valley, with the vineyards reaching up to the east-facing slopes of the Saron Peak mountain, while the cellar nestles expectantly at the foot of the mountains.

Saronsberg Theatre is the warm heart of theatre and music in the Tulbagh Winelands, offering a regular line-up of South African legends and some rising stars. Popular shows and musical favourites are hosted every week, with Blues and Jam sessions taking place on Wednesday evenings. Enjoy a simple meal or a glass of wine with the show. +27 (0) 23 230 1782 www.saronsberg-theatre.com

Elands Bay beach is well known as a great surfing spot, particularly for the legendary left break. The pristine white sandy beach is seemingly endless, perfect for long walks and sun tanning. There are plenty of beach-based things to do and see around the laidback West Coast town. When the conditions aren’t right for surfing, there’s windsurfing, kite surfing, fishing, catching crayfish, walking, dolphin and whale watching, bird watching and sand boarding. And don't miss the rock art at Baboon Point.

Bartholomeus Klip Reserve is teeming with herds of eland, springbuck, black wildebeest, zebra and bontebok. Many other animals, such as baboons, bat-eared foxes, lynxes, and smaller species of antelope, live here too, and it is known that leopards still occur in the mountains.Among the birdlife at Bartholomeus Klip is the world’s largest bird, the ostrich, once farmed here in large flocks at the height of the ostrich feather boom in the 1870s and today one of the leopard’s favourite foods. The magnificent black eagle (correctly known as Verreaux’s eagle) nests in the mountains, and the enormous dam near to the farmhouse has a spectacular array of water birds, some resident like the fish eagles and the kingfishers, and others such as the pelicans and the spoonbills less regular visitors. Flamingos have also been seen in some of Bartholomeus Klip’s smaller dams and there are a host of interesting large and small birds out in the reserve and on the wheatlands, including large flocks of the blue crane, South Africa’s national bird.

Go zip sliding away above the Ceres Valley on a unique mountain adventure. This new ‘foefie’ slide experience is situated in the lovely mountains surrounding the Ceres Valley. It’s only a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Cape Town, the perfect breakaway from frenetic city life. The Ceres Zip Slide Tour is the longest tour in Africa, offering eight slides, totalling a length of 1.4 km! Amazing rock formations and a river form a stunning backdrop to a fun-adrenaline-filled adventure. Participants are kitted up in full body harnesses with state-of-the-art equipment. Accompanied by two fully-trained guides, they then depart on silent, battery operated carts up into the mountain. A short walk to the departure point at the first slide reveals the breath-taking view of the town of Ceres and the Ceres Valley. This is where the fun begins! Slides vary in length between 110 – 290 m. The highest point above the ground is 40 m. You’ve got to try it! Tours depart every half hour; the last departure is at 17:00. Rate: R400 per person. Price includes beverages during and after the tour. The Ceres Zip Slide operates in most weather conditions. Children from three years can participate. Open daily 08:00 – 17:00. 079 245 0354 info@ceresadventures.co.za

Five million years ago the Cape’s West Coast was very different from what it is today. A wide range of animals (now extinct) lived in riverine forests, wooded savannah, and ocean as well as on offshore islands.Phosphate mining operations at Langebaanweg uncovered one of the richest fossil sites in the world. Over the past 40 years bones of 200 different kinds of animals, many of them new to science have been recovered. A few years after mining operations ceased in 1993, a 14 hectare fossil-rich area within the mine property was declared a National Heritage Site.The West Coast Fossil Park, a component of Iziko Museums, offers visitors an opportunity to have an on-site fossil experience. Learn about mysterious ancient environments, fascinating animal life and the climatic changes that occurred in this region 5 million years ago on a guided tour. The West Coast Fossil Park also has a kiddie’s play park, gift shop, picnic areas as well as a lovely coffee shop. Need to know? The main tour runs from 11:30 – 13:00 every day of the week and includes a slide presentation and visit to the dig site.Mini tours are available every hour from 9:00 –15:00 weekdays (except at 12:00); phone +27 (0)22 7661606 for mini-tour times over weekends and public holidays. The mini tour includes a visit to the dig site.

Discover Elandsfontein’s rich fossil heritage on a guided Quad Bike Fossil Safari or 4WD Nature Drive. The dunes on Elandsfontein are the final resting place of early humans and animals that date back to the early Stone Age. The safari includes a rest stop where light refreshments are served. All quad bikes have fully automatic gearboxes to ensure that even novice riders can enjoy this unique experience. To manage the impact on the dunes the number of quad bikes is limited to eight, but each quad bike is big enough for two passengers. Watch wildlife in comfort during the 4WD Nature Drive. Originally the home of the largest inward migration of game in the history of the Western Cape, Elandsfontein is waiting to be discovered by nature lovers. Guests on the three hour nature drive can expect to see include eland, hartebeest, zebra, wildebeest, oryx, kudu, bontebuck, springbuck and Cape buffalo, the first of the Big Five to be reintroduced into the reserve. Unspoilt nature and rich and diverse birdlife complete the experience. The safari includes a rest stop where light refreshments are served.

Apart from Golf, the Club also offers a wide variety of sport such as Bowls, Netball, Tennis, Ghymkana and Cricket. The club hosts annual events such as the Darling Wild Flower Show, Nissan Rally, WP Ghymkana Championships and Boland Bowls Championships. It is also a popular venue for weddings, conferences and other social functions. This cute 9-hole Golf course is only 75km away from Cape Town. It is especially popular with residents from Melkbos and Bloubergstrand. It is 5877m long and the greens have cynoden grass. The course has been open for the past 20 years, but with the recently built dam and new irrigation system, has grown into an attractive and well-maintained golf course. Bar facilities and light meals are available. With the excellent catering facilities available on site, it is the perfect venue for corporate and social golfing events.

Get in your karretjie and head to Darling's Evita se Perron, a cabaret theatre started by Evita Bezuidenhout aka Pieter Dirk Uys, South Africa's famous satirist. Perron means 'station platform' in Afrikaans and here you will find Voortrekker Monument kitsch rivaling apartheid signs – it's a place where everyone has a chance to laugh and/or cry, then remember and celebrate that we are no longer there. Tannie believes that by acknowledging where we come from, we will understand where we are going. "In the bad old days when very few people had the vote, passenger trains steamed into Darling Station from Cape Town on a daily basis. Now everyone has the vote and there are no more passenger trains but the station has survived, thanks to a small group of darlings who did all they could to prevent the little pink blikgebou from being demolished. Darling Station is now an international port of call. The gravy train does not stop here anymore, but every tourist bus and visitors' Merc does. Our kitchen serves Tannie's legendary braai en slaai, roast lamb or bobotie, flanked by koeksisters en melktert. The droewors and biltong snack-platter, washed down with our excellent local wines makes for a special experience."

Duckitt Nurseries is the largest orchid nursery in South Africa, if not the southern hemisphere. They specialise in growing Cymbidium orchids as cut flowers, mainly for export to Europe and the USA while many other varieties and hybrids are sold as pot plants in South Africa.  The nursery is open to the public on the first Saturday of the month from May to November from 09:00 to 12:00, where visitors will experience a spectacle of incredible flowers. Entrance is free, and plants and flowers are for sale in the pack-shed. The green house with the most spectacular display of flowers is also opened to the public.  Don't miss the annual Orchid Show on Oude Post Farm on the third weekend in September (which takes place at the same time at the Darling Wild Flower Show). This is a fully landscaped show with a tea room and sales area. Many popular and interesting new varieties of orchids can be purchased.

The West Coast village of Darling – only one hour’s drive from Cape Town – is home to artists, actors, retired financiers, farmers and other interesting people (Cloof proprietors count themselves amongst those).Even if the region geographically and demographically is more than a little off-centre, Darling’s annual wild flower show – showcasing a selection of the 1 200 flowering species to be found here – makes it the focal point of the Cape Floral Kingdom.Cloof Vineyards, situated on the eastern slopes of Dassenberg, 70 kilometres north of Cape Town, are surrounded by wheat fields. In winter the most brilliant of greens, these fields ripen in early summer to earthy golden when the vineyards have burst into vibrant green leaf.Late in 2006 Cloof were named Champions under the Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, in recognition of the steps they’ve taken to conserve pristine natural vegetation, and to rehabilitate previously cultivated areas. The programme also sets extremely strict standards in terms of the potential environmental impact of vineyard and cellar activities.Darling’s unique combination of soils and climate give rise to the trademark bold-flavoured richness of Cloof wines, which ultimately is the real reason for visiting Cloof.Their passion for bold, well-defined flavours is expressed also in various food events at Cloof. Celebrating the best of country produce and simplicity in preparation, their wines are considered as being the ideal complement.Afrikaans has a word, gesellig, which best describes the happy mood that settles on a group when hospitality, good company, wine and food are brought together. That is the Cloof life and you are invited to share it with them.Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm