World Country Guide

The Western Cape

This area of outstanding natural and floral beauty, in the southwestern corner of the country, stretches from the remote rocky outcrops beyond Lambert’s Bay in the west to the mountains of the southern peninsula. The first area to be colonised by Europeans, it is particularly famous for its wines.
South Africa’s legislative capital is situated at the foot of Table Mountain, the famous flat-topped mountain with views out across the peninsula to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is possible to walk up, but for the less intrepid, there is an excellent cablecar. The main hub of the city centre is the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the beautifully restored old Victorian harbour which offers free entertainment, a wide variety of shops, museums - including the excellent Aquarium - taverns and restaurants. Boat trips leave from here for harbour tours or the notorious Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and many other nationalist leaders were imprisoned. The relics of early colonial government are centred on Government Avenue, with many fine old buildings and museums, including the Parliament Buildings; Groote Kerk (mother church of the Dutch Reformed faith); the Cultural History Museum; National Museum; National Gallery; Bertram House; and Company’s Garden, planted in 1652 to provide food for passing sailors. Nearby sights of interest include Bo-Kaap (the home of the Islamic Cape Malay people, confusingly of mainly Indonesian origin); the Castle of Good Hope in Darling Street, built in 1666; the Old Townhouse on Greenmarket Square, housing a permanent collection of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings; and the early 18th-century Koopmans de Wet House. Those interested in learning more about black and ‘Cape-coloured’ culture should visit the District Six Museum, Buitenkant Street, and take one of the many excellent guided tours of the outlying townships of Crossroads, Langa and Khayelitsha. It is probably not safe for tourists to venture into these areas on their own.
Cape Town also has excellent sporting and shopping facilities. The Baxter Theatre and Artscape Theatre Complex offer a mix of local and international fare. Nightlife is concentrated in the V&A Waterfront, Sea Point, and parts of the central business district, notably around Long Street. Further out, the Cape-Dutch homestead of Spier and Ratanga Junction theme park both offer a variety of entertainment from classical to jazz concerts.
South of Cape Town, a long peninsula stretches south, lined by fishing villages and holiday resorts, including Fish Hoek, Hout Bay, Kommetjie, Llandudno, Muizenberg and Simonstown, a delightful Victorian town with a couple of interesting museums and the only colony of penguins to live on the African mainland. Inland, the magnificent Cape-Dutch farm, Groot Constantia, was one of the first wine farms in the Cape, while the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, created by Cecil Rhodes in 1895 on the lower slopes of Table Mountain, is one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. In the summer there are open-air concerts. Nearby Chapman’s Peak has spectacular views, but the scenic drive from Hout Bay is currently closed due to landfalls, and you need to walk the last section to the summit.
About one hour’s drive from Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve covers the southern tip of the Cape peninsula, with a profusion of flowers, birds and animals, culminating in Cape Point, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic.
North of Cape Town, the winelands are a stunning region of vineyards, old Cape-Dutch villages and mansions. Many of the vineyards have excellent restaurants; most offer tastings and some provide bed and breakfast. Stellenbosch, a major centre of wine production, is also one of South Africa’s oldest villages with a great many attractive buildings, including the excellent Village Museum. The local tourist office provides details for a historic walking tour. Tiny Franschhoek originally hosted refugee Huguenots from France, who brought their wine-growing skills to South Africa. It now has an excellent Huguenot Museum. Paarl is home to several small museums and the KWV Wine Cellars. In the Breede Valley area, the charming little towns of Tulbagh, Worcester, Wellington and Ceres all have fine old buildings, interesting small museums, beautiful scenery, vineyards and fruit orchards.
The fertility of the southern Cape region gradually gives way to the rugged and beautiful West Coast, which has abundant shellfish, and numerous fishing villages, including Lambert’s Bay, a good surfing spot. Inland, the sculpted sandstone Cederberg mountains separate the west coast from the arid Great Karoo Desert, which bursts into a mass of flowers every October to November.