World City Guide

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, at Cape L’Agulhas. Cape Point (tel: (021) 780 9010/11; website: www.capepoint.co.za) is situated in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve at the far tip of the enormous 7,750-hectare (19,151-acre) Table Mountain National Park (tel: (021) 701 8692; fax: (021) 701 8773; e-mail: tablemountain@sanparks.org; website: www.tmnp.co.za).

Located 35km (22 miles) from the city centre, along the M4 via Simon’s Town, Cape Point is home to a splendid array of wildlife, including zebra, lynx, bontebok, ostrich and baboons, as well as some of the rarest plants on Earth. Visitors should beware of the baboons, however, as they can be dangerous, particularly where food is involved; there is a fine for feeding them. The Buffelsfontein Visitor Centre (tel: (021) 780 9204; fax: (021) 780 9321), which has exhibitions, auio-visual displays and information on the areas natural and cultural wealth, is open daily 0800-1700. An overnight facility at Bordjiesrif is in the planning stages. An added bonus is the Two Oceans Restaurant (tel: (021) 780 9200; fax: (021) 780 9060; e-mail: info@two-oceans.co.za; website: www.destinationrestaurants.co.za), which is perched on the cliff above the Atlantic Ocean, as well as curio shops. Admission to the reserve costs R35 per adult (concessions available) and it is open daily 0600–1800 (Sep-Apr) and 0700–1700 (May-Aug).

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. There are over 400 wine producers in South Africa and the Constantia Valley area is home to five of the Cape’s top estates: Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig and Steenberg Vineyards.

Africa’s oldest wine estate, Groot Constantia, off the M41 Constantia Road (tel: (021) 794 5128; fax: (021) 794 1999; e-mail: enquiries@grootconstantia.co.za; website: www.grootconstantia.co.za), with its original manor house and wine museum (tel: (021) 795 5140; fax: (021) 795 5150; website: www.museums.org.za/grootcon), gives a fascinating insight into early colonial life in the Cape (admission: R10). There is also the elegant Jonkershuis Restaurant (tel: (021) 794 6255; fax: (021) 794 4813; e-mail: a-m-s@mweb.co.za). Tasting takes place daily 1000-1700 (May-Nov) and 0900-1800 (Dec-Apr) at a cost of R20 per person (this includes five wines and a souvenir tasting glass).

The family-owned Klein Constantia, Klein Constantia Road (tel: (021) 794 5188; fax: (021) 794 2464; e-mail: info@kleinconstantia.com; website: www.kleinconstantia.com), offers some choice Cape wines for tasting in extremely friendly company. Buitenverwachting, Klein Constantia Road (tel: (021) 794 5190, fax: (021) 794 1351; e-mail: info@buitenverwachting.com; website: www.buitenverwachting.co.za), is renowned for its exclusive restaurant (see Restaurants) and pleasant picnic area. Contantia Uitsig, Spaanschmat River Road (tel: (021) 794 1810; fax: (021) 794 1812; e-mail: thewineshop@uitsig.co.za; website: www.constantiauitsig.co.za), translates to ‘Constantia View’ and the farm offers visitors not only excellent wine but the charming Spaanschemat River Café and two superb restaurants; La Colombe is the best (see Restaurants). Finally, Steenberg Vineyards, Steenberg Road (tel: (021) 713 2211; fax: (021) 713 2201; e-mail: info@steenberg.co.za; website: www.steenberg-vineyards.co.za), makes up for its dubious location opposite Pollsmore Prison with an exclusive hotel, a golf course and a restaurant.

Visitor Information Centres (see Tourist Information) can provide further information on the Constantia Wine Route. Most of the estates are open for wine tasting at least 0900-1700 (weekdays) and 0900-1300 (Saturdays).

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. There are 14 officially designated ‘wine routes’ incorporating many of the wine estates that are open to the public. Mother City Tours (tel: (021) 448 3817; fax: (021) 448 3844; website: www.mctours.co.za) offers a full-day ‘Three Cape Winelands’ tour of the Boland estates, costing R430. Bacchanalian tourists who choose to go it alone with one of the many route maps obtainable from Cape Town Tourism (see Tourist Information) should always make sure there is a designated driver who abstains from quaffing.

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; fax: (021) 847 1608; 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 Helderberg Nature Reserve (tel: (021) 851 4060; e-mail: info@helderbergnaturereserve.co.za; website: www.helderbergnaturereserve.co.za) is located just before the turn-off to Vergelegen and comprises several kilometres of hiking trails and paths with magnificent views over the Helderberg Basin.

South Africa’s second oldest town, Stellenbosch, produces a third of all the wine in the Cape and also boasts the longest wine route in the world. Named after the Dutch governor, Simon van der Stel, this university town is one of the best preserved of all South African settlements. The Stellenbosch Village Museum, 18 Ryneveld Street (tel: (021) 887 2902; fax: (021) 883 2232; e-mail: stelmus@mweb.co.za), tells the story and consists of four carefully restored and furnished buildings built between 1709 and 1850; the museum is open Monday-Saturday 0900-1700. Stellenbosch is located on the R310 off the N2 highway.

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; fax: (021) 876 3649; e-mail: hugenoot@museum.co.za; website: www.museum.co.za), traces the history of the Huguenots, open Monday-Saturday 0900-1700 and Sunday 1400-1700. 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) east 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) 435 6078) 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, open daily 0900-1630 (entrance R10). The southernmost point is located 1km (0.6 miles) 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 is also illegal.

Nearby, the 14km (9 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 10-day whale watching festival in September/October (website: www.whalefestival.co.za). The sleepy town of Greyton is renowned for its arty locals and this is particularly evident during the winter months, when the Greyton Winter Festival takes place in June (website: www.overberginfo.com/greytonfestivals). It includes a moonlight market among other rustic delights. Many other towns are worth visiting, such as the fruit farming paradise of Grabouw and the austere charm of Napier.

Southern Touring Company (tel: (021) 935 0733; fax: (021) 935 0737; e-mail: bookings@southerntours.co.za; website: www.southerntours.co.za) offers whale-watching tours. For those who wish to spend more than just one day exploring this wonderful region, Cape Quest (tel: (021) 674 2555; fax: (021) 674 3614; e-mail: info@capequest.co.za; website: www.capequest.co.za) has a number of tour options with bed and breakfast accommodation in the Overberg. The Overberg Tourism Office (tel: (028) 214 1466; fax: (028) 212 1380; e-mail: info@capeoverberg.org; website: www.tourismcapeoverberg.org) provides further information on destinations within the Overberg.