WEST COAST
Our starting point is at the Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve better known as Atlantis Dunes. This 3000 hectare nature reserve consists of the endangered Cape Flats dune strandveld and the Atlantis sand fynbos. It is a natural underground aquifer, from which water is extracted and converted into drinking water for the neighbouring areas of Atlantis, Pella and Mamre.
The Weskus Padstal is where we have our first stop. This is a beautiful stop where you find endless stretches of beach on one side of the R27, with hiking trails to !Khwa Ttu, and the Darling WIne Route on the opposite end of the R27. You can also use this as a stop for West Coast National Park. Your guide will regale you with local stories and information on the guided tour. If you have an activity booked, then you will link up in time to enjoy your activity.
After you step off at the West Coast Engen, you are met by your tourist guide who will guide you for the rest of the day. Those who have booked any activities will link up with the activities at the appropriate time.
This Peninsula is well known for Langebaan, and also Saldanha Bay, Jacobsbaai, St. Helena Bay and Paternoster. Hopefield and West Coast Fossil Park is on the inland side of the R27. A number of activities including kitesurfing and SUPs are done on the lagoon, while in Paternoster you can ride a dune buggy and the West Coast Fossil Park has hiking trails and mountain biking. There are beautiful restaurants all along this picturesque peninsula, where you can have the most authentic seafood you ever imagined.
This serene area is dominated by the Berg River, which has its source in the Franschhoek mountains. It stretches and winds it way into the Atlantic Ocean here in Velddrif and Laaiplek, and spills into the sea at St. Helena Bay.
This estuary is home to 350 different species of birds including 80 species endemic to the Cape Coast. Approximately 9 square kilometres in area, it is easy to explore the town on foot. Numerous restaurants serve fresh fish and other seafood, and unsurprisingly the economy of the town is mainly in the fishing and salt industries, with tourism making up a significant proportion of the income of the town.
Elandsbaai is also called E-Bay by the many surfers who take to the waves in this bay. It has become a haven for kitesurfers and surfers alike.
This is also the area where we find the important set of caves where many artefacts were found that shows evidence of people living here about 4400 to 3000 years ago. Elands Bay Cave is perceived of more importance, as it covers a wider time span and includes the largest sample sizes. This cave is of particular significance, as it illustrates how people became more skillful with fire, thus showing evidence of a cultural evolution where man used hearths to warm themselves and to serve as light. The cave also shows how seafood was first consumed. A drainage system has gone through the Elands Bay Caves, now known as Verlorenvlei.
There are also a number of examples of Rock paintings spanning various eras.
This is our destination near Elands Bay above the Verlorenvlei River. It is in a quartzite sandstone formation and contains one of the most complete and continuous later Middle Stone Age sequences in Southern Africa. About 270 fragments of purposely engraved ostrich eggshells were found in this cave, suggesting that collective identities and individualistic expressions are clearly communicated, showing the development of culture in early man.
The Swartland Wine Valley is world renowned for its wine producing cellars. You will be met by a registered tourist guide who will enthrall you with his knowledge of wine and where to go for the best vintages. You will enjoy olives, wine and many more delicacies.
Enjoy the day in the knowledge that you do not have to drink and drive.
The West Coast transforms itself during the months just before Springtime (August and September) and turn into a paradise of flowers. The spectacle lasts for a short window period and then subsides as quickly as it has bloomed. Join us for a day to feast your eyes on the amazing display that Mother Nature prepares for us.