The Western Cape & Garden Route
Surrounding Cape Town are the Winelands, with their towering indigo mountains and picturesque vineyards centred around the valleys of Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschoek. Usually based around gracious, historical mansions with their distinctive Cape Dutch gabled architecture, these estates have some of the finest bistros and restaurants. A wine tasting tour with lunch or dinner, or even staying one or two nights, can be very rewarding.
Of the quaint villages, which nestle along the rugged coastline of Cape Overberg, Hermanus, a traditional fishing port, has some of the best land based whale watching in the world between June and November.
Further north lie the Cedarberg Mountains, an area of wind sculptured rock and Bushman paintings. However, it is the beauty of Citrusdaal, with its fruit trees blossoming in Spring, and Namaqualand, with its carpets of dazzling flowers in August, that are truly memorable.