Clanwilliam is a town in the Western Cape situated in the Olifants River Valley. It is situated 240 km from Cape Town, right next to the national highway that links Cape Town with Namibia to the north. The town lies between the Cederberg Mountains to the east and the Clanwilliam Dam to the west. It is one of the ten oldest towns in South Africa. The town centre contains no less than 7 National Monuments. These include the old jail building, which is now a museum, and an 1820 Settlers house.
The endangered Clanwilliam cedar, after which the Cederberg Mountains range is named, is now under protection. Initiatives to restore it are under way at the Cederberg Wilderness Area, recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The reserve has a mountainous terrain, popular with hikers and mountaineers.
The Living Landscape Project, a local empowerment venture, offers the opportunity of visiting different sites with Bushmen rock paintings and motifs.
One of the highlights on the Clanwilliam calendar is the annual Wild Flower Show in August/September. Other activities include water sports on the Clanwilliam Dam and 'Die Kunsthuis' (“the Art House”).
This tour gives you the opportunity to visit the Cape Winelands, taste some of our best estate wines and experience the special kind of West Coast hospitality and cuisine. Visit two factories at Clanwilliam producing two quintessential South African products: velskoene and rooibos tea. Overnight at the quaint Paternoster. Visit Saldanha Bay harbour and the West Coast National Park. In season you might enjoy vast expanses of indigenous flowers.
Highlights:
Cape Winelands
,
Riebeek Valley
,
Paternoster
,
The West Coast
,
Cederberg Mountains & Wilderness Area
,
Bird Island Nature Reserve
.
Porterville is a picturesque town approximately 140 km from Cape Town, situated on the banks of the Olifants River and at the foot of the Voorberg Mountains.The town was established in 1863 and named after the popular Attorney General Sir William Porter.
Riebeek West, situated in the beautiful scenic Riebeek Valley, is only an hours drive from Cape Town. It is the twin of Riebeek Kasteel, situated in the same valley. The charm of this village lies in the beauty of the valley, the impressive Riebeek Kasteel Mountain, the rolling hills and the play of vineyards and olive orchards.
The Cederberg Mountains and Wilderness Area are located to the north of Cape Town. The Mountains feature jagged sandstone rock formations, with the Maltese Cross and the Wolfberg Arch formations being favourites in the hiking community. The area also feature scores of San rock art paintings, dating back thousands of years.
Elandsberg Eco Tourism is located between Clanwilliam and Lambert’s Bay within South Africa’s indigenous Rooibos Tea growing centre, the fringe of the Cederberg Mountains and close to the West Coast. They offer a Rooibos (growing & processing) tour, a Fynbos & rock formation tour or a combination of the two.
Lambert’s Bay is a small ‘fishing’ village on the West Coast of South Africa ±250km north of Cape Town. The northern gateway to the Cederberg Mountains, Clanwilliam, is a 30-minute drive away. It is best known for Bird Island featuring thousands of Cape Gannet and for the Muisbosskerm seafood-on-the-beach restaurant.
Bird Island Nature Reserve lies offshore from Lambert’s Bay ±241 north of Cape Town. Visitors access the island either via the breakwater or a short boat hop. It is home to thousands of seabirds that breed there. The Island’s bird hide allows close-up observations of the birds.