South Africa Destinations
Western Cape
The Western Cape is one of South Africa's most visited regions, home to Cape Town, the Cape Winelands and the Garden Route (which are featured in their own sections on our website).
There is much more to the Western Cape however than Cape Town, the Winelands and the Garden Route. Hermanus is the world's land based whale watching capital and the Overberg is a beautifully scenic area east of the Winelands.
Oudtshoorn is famous for it's ostriches and the Cederberg Wilderness Area offers some of the best hiking in this part of South Africa.
Discover Western Cape
Hermanus Beach Villa
Hermanus Beach Villa is a cosy and comfortable oceanside guesthouse close to Hermanus and overlooking Walker Bay.
Highly Recommended
Birkenhead House
Elegant, personalised and luxurious, Birkenhead House is one of the top luxury boutique hotels in the Western Cape.
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Luxury Hermanus Boutique
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Grootbos Private Nature Reserve
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve offers a luxury boutique escape in a stunning natural setting in Hermanus.
One of a kind coastal retreat
Luxury Hermanus Retreat
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Cape, Wine & Whales
The perfect combination of city, scenery, wildlife, food and wine and romantic boutique hotels on a relaxing 3-centre holiday.
Cape Town, Wine Lands, Hermanus
The Best of the West
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Classic Garden Route
Discover Cape Town, the Cape Wine Lands, Oudtshoorn and the Garden Route on a self-drive South Africa holiday.
Cape Town, Garden Route, Safari
Classic Garden Route
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Cape Town
See our separate section on Cape Town.
Cape Winelands
See our separate section on the Cape Winelands.
The Garden Route
See our separate section on The Garden Route.
The Overberg & Route 62
Passing through the Cape Winelands heading eastwards leads to a region of the Western Cape known as The Overberg, literally translated as 'Over the Mountain'.
Most visitors drive this route, either hugging the beautiful coastline from Cape Town via Hermanus or via the winding N2 which offers spectacular views from the top of Sir Lowry's Pass.
Route 62
Route 62 is a superb way to travel from Tullbagh in The Overberg through beautiful wine country to Outdshoorn via the Breede River Valley and the Little Karoo. Many people heading to the beginning of the Garden Route choose this option as an alternative to the busier N2.
There are several sights along Route 62 which has been dubbed the longest Wine Route in the world. Tubagh is a pretty stop with Cape Dutch architecture and wineries whilst Ceres is set in a picturesque, verdant fruit producing valley.
The larger town of Robertson offers horse riding, whilst the village of McGregor is a base for the excellent 1 day Greyton McGregor Trail.
Further day treks can be found around the town of Montagu and the villages of Greyton and Genadendal are pretty historic settlements.
Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve
Well worth a stop in The Overberg is the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve which has one of the most bio-diverse eco systems on the planet.
A UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1988, Kogelberg has abundant birdlife, wild horses and whale watching opportunities.
Hermanus
120 km from Cape Town, Hermanus is billed as the world's best land based whale watching destination and a walk along the cliffs between June and December is very likely to offer several sightings of Southern Right Whales which are drawn to the Walker Bay area during calving season.
An alternative to Hermanus is nearby Kleinmond which offers whale watching, great seafood restaurants and boutique shops. The 10 km coastal path from Hermanus is a popular walking route with several beaches and whale watching lookouts en-route.
Shark Cage Diving
In recent years, shark cage diving has become extremely popular, with excursions from the small town of Gansbaai.
Shark cage diving offers the opportunity to literally come face to face with Great White Sharks from the safety of a suspended cage hung just below the surface.
Cage diving is a slight misnomer since guests are provided with snorkels rather than diving equipment and no experience is required to participate.
