WESTERN CAPE Attractions, South Africa (original) (raw)
Attractions, Places of Interest & Popular Destinations
The Western Cape (with Cape Town as its capital) boasts a heady mix of mountains, vineyards, and oceans that appeal to millions of visitors annually. More than any other province its attractions border on iconic and, as a result, the province is the most popular for foreign visitors.
Did you know? As a province of South Africa, the Western Cape draws millions of visitors each year to a seemingly small area if compared with other provinces in South Africa, but one that is so beautiful that it can�t help the distinct attention it draws.
Certainly Cape Town's big 6 (now 7) attractions � Cape Point, Robben Island, Groot Constantia, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch, V&A Waterfront, and now The City Walk � have become central to any stay in the Western Cape and the Mother City.
If numbers are anything to go by then there is a continued upward trend of visitors across the regions of the Western Cape, and for good reason. Top attractions do not start and end in Cape Town (even if, as every day passes in a whirlwind of activity, there is forever something else to grab your attention).
The Western Cape's allure is not merely its expansive beaches, fashionable vineyards and effortless mountains. Its lesser-known regions like the valleys of the Klein Karoo, its untamed wilderness areas and numerous nature reserves are what draws those who want to explore the province's finer moments.
You will find salty lagoons, beachside restaurants, unique architecture, historical seaside fishing villages, San rock art, incredible rock formations, fields of rolling wheat, whales, blue cranes, ostrich farms, a lake district, indigenous forests, great white sharks and mountain passes that leave you breathless.
From Cape Town there are easy trips to the winelands, along Route 62, into the Overberg in pursuit of whales, up the West Coast to experience the annual spring flowers, into the Olifants River Valley and its heavily fragranced citrus groves, the banks of the Breede River in the valley of the same name, the hiking trails of the Cederberg, the diversity of the Klein Karoo's historical towns, and the all-round impressiveness of the Garden Route.
And if all of this sounds like attraction overload, it is. For within each of these regions is a range of activities that range from the more sombre pursuit of sampling wine to the heady adrenalin-rush of paragliding and MTB riding. You could spend months here and still leave with items on your to-do list.
Top 10 Attractions
Landmarks
Cape Town Beaches
The Mother City has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and something to offer everyone. It is no surprise that South Africa was one ...
Landmarks
V&A Waterfront
One of Cape Town's biggest tourist attractions, the Waterfront evokes images of the early activities of the harbour. Much of its charm lies in th...
Landmarks
Table Mountain
Since the first person laid eyes on Table Mountain, it has exerted its powerful and charismatic pull, enchanting and drawing any and all who fall...
Marine Protected Areas
Robben Island
For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here at R...
Landmarks
Cape Point
Bartholomeu Dias, the Portuguese seafarer, was the first to sail around the Cape. This was in 1488. On his return voyage, which must have been pa...
Botanical Gardens
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is world renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of i...
Activities
Whale Watching in Walker Bay
Walker Bay � heart of the whale coast. The waters between Hermanus and Pearly Beach attract hundreds of whales annually to the shallow waters of ...
Popular Tourist Routes
Boulders Beach Penguin Colony
This is Cape Town's famous penguin colony. Found just beyond Simon's Town on an idyllic strip of white sand served with enormous boulders, the be...
Museums
Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia is the oldest producing wine estate in the country and has played a pivotal role in wine for over three centuries. It was first ...
Wine Routes
Cape Wine Routes
When one reflects on the splendours of the Cape - lush green valleys, rugged mountains, azure seas and sky - then the Cape Winelands are usually ...
Destinations / Regions of the Western Cape
Cape Town
Overnight? Accommodation in Cape Town
With its majestic Table Mountain backdrop, Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. A harmonious blend of architectural styles reflects the tastes of dictates of the past as well as today's more functional requirements. Betwee...
Cape West Coast
Overnight? Accommodation in Cape West Coast
What is still an almost undiscovered treasure trove of unspoilt beaches, incredible mountain ranges, rich geographical diversity, and the most astounding carpet of wild flowers in spring, has evolved into a major holiday route out of Cape Town a...
Olifants River Valley
Overnight? Accommodation in Olifants River Valley
The Olifant's River meanders through the valley bringing life to the surrounding area. Without the water this beautiful world of green, the heavy fragrance of the citrus groves that greet you as you drive along, the proud farming community with ...
Cederberg
Overnight? Accommodation in Cederberg
The beautiful Cederberg, a wilderness area dominated by a craggy mountain range and a nature reserve that stretches from the Middelberg Pass at Citrusdal to just north of the Pakhuis Pass at Clanwilliam - over 70 000 hectares of spectacular, rug...
Swartland
Overnight? Accommodation in Swartland
The Swartland, otherwise known as the wheat and rooibos-producing part of the Western Cape Province, lies between Malmesbury in the south, across the Riebeek Valley to Piketberg in the north, Darling in the west, to the Oliphants Mountain at Por...
Breede River Valley
Overnight? Accommodation in Breede River Valley
There really is no adjective apt enough to describe the beauty of the Breede River Valley. This incredibly picturesque fruit and wine producing vale has become extremely popular with Capetonians and visitors. This is in no small part because it ...
Cape Winelands
Overnight? Accommodation in Cape Winelands
About 40 km to the east of Cape Town, lying in the shadow of a continuous belt of Cape fold mountains, lies a series of generous valleys known as the Cape Winelands � a collection of historic towns, little hamlets and Cape Dutch farmsteads that ...
Cape Overberg
Overnight? Accommodation in Cape Overberg
Literally over the Hottentots-Holland Mountains via Sir Lowry�s Pass, approximately two and a half hours drive out of Cape Town, lies a region of such immense beauty that it attracts thousands of visitors a year to its orchards, forests, grain f...
Cape Agulhas
Overnight? Accommodation in Cape Agulhas
Book your accommodation in Cape Agulhas for an experience of the drama of South African landscapes. The rocky headland of Cape Agulhas is the place where two great oceans � the Indian and Atlantic � meet. It's also the spot at which to have one'...
Karoo
Overnight? Accommodation in Karoo
The Little or Klein Karoo, which is a long valley bordered by the Swartberg and the Langeberg Mountains in the Western Cape, forms the southern sibling of the larger Karoo - the Great or Groot Karoo occupies the northern part thereof. This is...
Cape Whale Coast
Overnight? Accommodation in Cape Whale Coast
The coming of the whales to the Western Cape's southern coastline, also known as the Cape Whale Coast, every year between June and November, not only creates a stir, but brings to our shores a large, intelligent and remarkable giant of the sea a...
Route 62
Overnight? Accommodation in Route 62
Route 62 is modeled after the iconic US Route 66, made famous by the late, great Nat King Cole in the song of the mid 20th century. Travelers headed for the Garden Route will find that Route 62 offers a better alternative to the dull N2 motor...
Garden Route
Overnight? Accommodation in Garden Route
The Garden Route includes one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline, whose starting point is constantly contested as towns such as Witsand, Stilbaai and Albertinia join the route that winds its way for some 200 km via George, Wilderness, ...
Find accommodation in the Western Cape
South Africa Accommodation / Western Cape Accommodation / Cape Town Accommodation
Guest House / Self Catering
Perivoli Lagoon House
Perivoli Lagoon House is set in a stunning, isolated, 140ha wilderness of colourful Fynbos biome, a stone's throw from the Klein River lagoon wit...
Self Catering
Villa Normandie
Set on the exclusive Atlantic Seaboard in the peaceful area of Fresnaye, Villa Normandie is oriented around family stays. Spaces are cleverly des...
Self Catering
The 11 Camps Bay
The 11 Camps Bay is a luxurious villa in Camps Bay with magnificent views, located at the foot of Table Mountain and surrounded by views of the A...
Bed & Breakfast / Self Catering
L'Amitie Manor House
L'Amitie Estate offers Franschhoek Self catering in a grand manor house. The Estate in all of its grandeur and glory, invites you in to its nouve...
Self Catering
Villa Majestic Bakoven
Villa Majestic Bakoven is situated 750m above sea level, benefiting from panoramic views of the Atlantic ocean, and is perfectly positioned for y...
Self Catering
Blue Views House
Situated just 50m from Bakoven beach, Blue Views House offers accommodation for 10 guests. The house is just a five minute drive from Clifton and...
Self Catering
Villa Blue Dream
Villa Blue Dream is a premium, multi-storey villa that can accommodate up to ten guests. The villa comprises 5 en-suite bedrooms, a fully equippe...
Self Catering
Argyle Luxury Villa
Argyle Luxury Villa is a self catering holiday home in Camps Bay sleeping ten guests in five bedrooms each furnished with a King-size bed. The ou...
Self Catering
Fresnaye House
Nestled on the slopes of Lion�s Head in the prestigious Fresnaye neighborhood of Cape Town. Boasting breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean and...