The popularity of the iconic Garden Route can be its downfall.
We’ll still include it if it’s right for you, but for this itinerary edit, we turn west instead. To the quieter corners of the Western Cape and Paternoster’s salt-bleached shores. To the Cederberg’s ancient rock art and Hermanus, where southern right whales gather close enough to watch from the cliffs.
It’s still South Africa. Just better paced, more personal. Designed with space to notice what others miss.
Meet African Penguins
You’ll find no shortage of beautiful beaches around Cape Town, but Boulders Beach has something special waiting for you: a colony of African penguins. The first sea bird settlers arrived in 1982, with the current population estimated to number between 2000 and 3000 members.
About an hour’s drive from the city centre, Boulders Beach is part of the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area. There are boardwalks (including three wheelchair-friendly options) winding through the dunes and vegetation, protecting nesting penguins and their chicks.
Tour the Northern Winelands
One of the highlights of this itinerary is that it introduces you to the real people of the Cape, visiting local vineyards and boutique farms in the northern winelands which day tourists from Cape Town can’t easily reach.
Head out along the Tulbagh Wine Route, where world-class vintages and heritage estates await. The most northerly district of the Cape Winelands, it has some of the most diverse and ideal conditions for viticulture in the region.
Admire Ancient Rock Art
Take a guided excursion along the Sevilla Rock Art Trail, a collection of nine different ancient sites situated a 30 minute drive from Cederberg Ridge. These sites are home to paintings created by the San people – the oldest inhabitants of Southern Africa, where they’ve lived for at least 20,000 years.
The tour lasts around 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the time you spend at each individual site, with the trail route itself 5km long.
Picnic with Whales
For some of the best land-based whale watching in the world, the bay of Hermanus fills with migrating southern right whales between June and December. From the shore you can see them in their natural habitat as they spyhop, roll and lobtail through the waves.
With scenic walks along the surrounding clifftops, take a pair of binoculars and a picnic with you for the perfect day out on your journey across the Western Cape.
If you’d like to see South Africa better, ask to speak to Africa Specialist Illona Cross about our Western Cape, Whales & Wine itinerary using the contact form below.