A diverse province, comprising The West Coast, various wine routes, part of the Garden Route and of course Cape Town. The city is known for its harbour, for its natural setting in the Cape Floristic Region, and for landmarks such as Table Mountain and Cape Point.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WESTERN CAPE:
- Table Mountain – one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. One of the first items on any visitor’s list has to be a cable car trip to the top of Table Mountain.
- Most beautiful stretches of coastline
- A wide range of leisure options, spectacular scenery and a mild climate guarantee an unforgettable holiday experience
- Cape Town, The Mother City; a beautiful cosmopolitan city
- Robben Island, the infamous prison that once held former president Nelson Mandela
- Leisure shopping
- Beautiful beaches
- Cape Winelands
- Whale watching (seasonal)
- Safaris
- The Wildflowers and Birds of West Coast National Park
- Knysna Heads, The Garden Route
- The WIlderness
- Route 62
UNMISSABLE EXPERIENCES:
Cape Town area:
- A Vietnam-era Huey flight across Cape Town
The only privately owned Huey in the world licenced to offer an adventure helicopter flight to civilian clients. Book your private seats onboard this LEGENDARY American war machine today! - Abseiling off Table Mountain
The panoramic views from the top of Table Mountain are breath taking, but the views from the abseil are even better. Descending down the side of a sheer cliff you will have Camps Bay, the Atlantic Seaboard and the deep blue ocean at your feet with the Twelve Apostles at your side. The Table Mountain Abseil is guaranteed to get your pulse racing.
* Activity may be available from November / December 2020 - Classic Cobra self-drive, half-day or full-day tours
Drive a classic Cobra Car. Enjoy the beauty of the Cape’s gorgeous coastline. Drive up the West Coast to Langebaan or enjoy a trip to Cape Point. Head out along Camps Bay beachfront, or take in the wine route and amazing farmlands of Paarl and Stellenbosch. Make a trip up the coast to Hermanus, to see the whales and the beautiful Cape beaches. - Kayaking with penguins
Take the guided tour on the very stable double kayaks and paddle the warm waters of False Bay and you will see some wonderful things on your visit to the penguins at Boulders Beach. No experience is required and any able- bodied person can do it. This is a all year-round activities and it is weather permitting – summer and winter. - Cape Malay Cooking Class
Your guide will lead you on a leisurely stroll through some of the more historic streets, giving you a chance to appreciate the extraordinary collection of pre-1840 architecture that resulted in this area being declared a national monument. Then its time to follow our noses towards the scents of ginger, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and chilies which drift tantalisingly from the storefronts and cafés, as we learn about the ingredients to make a typical Cape Malay dish. It’s “hands-on” during the informal cooking workshop which follows in a Bo-Kaap family home. We learn how to mix Masala, fold Samoosas, and how to balance the delicate flavours of a Cape Malay curry. Then it’s time to sit back, relax, and appreciate your handwork as you dig into a full course traditional Malay Meal. NB no alcohol served - Hot Air Balloon over the Cape Winelands
Enjoy a hot beverage while the crew sets up in the morning. The flying time is approximately 60 minutes an upon landing enjoy sparkling wine followed by a hot breakfast with the pilot.
- Wine Drive Safari in the Winelands
The Wine Drive Safari is a unique three-hour trip on our safari-type vehicle, through the 120-hectare Estate on the beautiful slopes of the Helderberg mountain. This experience allows the chance to taste our award-winning Estate wines amongst the vineyards of their origin, and you will be expertly guided through all the aspects of what makes this area so biologically diverse and viticulturally unique. The wine tasting will be accompanied by various light snacks, which are well suited to pair with the individual wines. The experience will culminate with the Wine and Chocolate Tasting, back at the winery. - Cycle the Winelands
Franschhoek is named after the French Huguenots who settled here in the 17th century and utilised their expertise to transform this landscape into a prime wine producing area. We start cycling approximately 20 to 40 km on secondary roads and cycle paths, cycling past many beautiful wine estates with the Groot Drakenstein Mountains as a backdrop. We cycle through the historical town of Franschhoek to the Huguenot Monument. You might be tempted to pop into the many boutique shops and art galleries. For lunch we cycle back to one of the many wine estates in the region for a gourmet picnic lunch. After lunch, we can either continue wine tasting, participate in a cellar tour or visit other attractions in the area, before returning to Cape Town. - The Lady Stanford… cruising down the river…
The Lady Stanford, a modern, eco-friendly river boat with a quiet, four-stroke boat engine where no expense has been spared with regards to comfort and luxury, is a vessel that most definitely stands out from the rest. It is manned by a qualified skipper/interactive guide who knows the river intimately and all it has to offer, and who ensures that your cruise is a memorable one.The river cruise winds its way gently along the tranquil Klein River from Stanford Village towards the Hermanus Estuary, and on the open upper and lower decks you can soak up a kaleidoscope of natural colours and the countryside set against a scenic mountain backdrop
Garden Route:
- Tented Eco Camps (conservation experience)
Notes: offer 3 or 5- night conservation experience (starts on a Thursday) – includes
o Wildlife husbandry and care of rare and endangered species such as rhino, disease-free buffalo and sable
o Monitoring of ecological impact of keystone species such as elephant, lion, buffalo and giraffe together with
o behavioral analysis
o Game Census
o Wildlife monitoring and recording (focus on large predator movement (lion))
o Monitoring of the cape leopard cameras established on Gondwana and surrounding area
o Alien invasive tree species eradication
o Water assessments
o Elephant dung sampling
o Bird identification and monitoring
o Translocation & veterinary care of wildlife – season dependent
o Bush skills and interpretation
o Veld management
* Activity available from October - Three-night Ranger Pioneer Trail (walking trail)
The award-winning Gondwana Game Reserve has launched a three-night walking trail traversing through the private, Big five, 11 500 hectare, malaria-free game reserve. The trail takes you to three remote tented fly camp locations with two full days of hiking. Your expert trail guides will intimately expose you to the Reserve’s unique biodiversity and ecosystems while experiencing the Big Five and multiple species of antelope on foot. Gondwana’s Pioneer Trail is the ultimate slack packing adventure where your belongings are moved daily between the three camps, allowing you to experience the dramatic Fynbos landscape with only a light day pack. Each exclusive camp is comprised of four tents with en-suite bathrooms sleeping a maximum of 8 guests. Homemade African inspired meals are catered for you with cold beverages on tap. You literally need to “just bring your boots” and the Pioneer Trail team will do the rest. It has been said there is no better way to experience nature and wildlife than on foot.
* Activity available from October - Wild Meerkat Adventure Tours
Meerkats form part of the shy 5 and they are habituated wild animals and never fed or handled by humans. The Tours commence only at sunrise and it is dependent on fair weather and they last for 2 – 3 hours. Included in the tour is a hot cup of coffee, a lightweight aluminum chair to sit and observe them in their natural habitat. The tour unfortunately does not operate when is rainy as Meerkats do not venture outside their burrows on cold and rainy days.
- Swim with the Seals
1 hour to 1.5 Hour swim with the seals whereby you can enjoy watching the seals play and swim around you.
* Activity available from September
- Kayak & Lilo up the Storms River Gorge
This two and a half hour Kakay & Lilo Adventure up the Storms River Gorge in the Tsitsikamma National Park is a very popular activity for good reasons. You’ll get to explore deeper into the hidden world of the Storms River Gore than most people ever do and experience the long, bottomless pools, deep caves and ancient indigenous forest with nothing but the quiet noises of nature around you.
