Overview
Situated on the south-western tip of
Africa,
the Western Cape is the meeting
point of the
cold Atlantic and the warm Indian
Oceans. Its
capital city Cape Town, is dominated
by the flat-topped bulk of Table
Mountain.
The story of the Republic of South
Africa began in the Western Cape,
some 350 years ago, when it was
inhabited by the Khoi, San and other
Bantu-speaking groups. In the late
15th century European seafarers
arrived here in search of a halfway
stop on trade routes to the East and
thereby changed the face of South
African history forever.
Today, the province boasts South
Africa’s fifth largest population,
numbering in the region of 4.5
million inhabitants.
The
Western Cape is in the south-western corner of the old Cape Province.
Popular in the Western Cape are the Wine lands, The Garden Route, Whale
Watching in Hermanus and of course Cape Town. One aspect, for which the
Western Cape is unique, is the extraordinary flora called
Fynbos.
In 1652,
Jan Van Riebeeck from the Dutch East India Company arrived in Cape Town and
set up a refreshment station for the ships. Before the European, the Khoisan
lived in this area. Unfortunately they have become extinct and their
traditional cultures and languages have been almost completely lost.
The
province is also home to the “coloured”, people
who have diverse origins and didn’t fit neatly into the apartheid systems
pigeon-holes. Most people who are classified as coloured
are descended from the Khoisan, slaves, Xhosa and Europeans. Their culture
is part of the Cape Town and well known for their colourful carnival, their
food and clothing.
The
capital of the Western Cape is Cape Town and the main languages spoken are
English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.
Climate
The
Western Cape enjoys hot summers and
mild, green winters perfect weather
for the production of fruit, grains
and, most important – wine. Summer
days are long and warm, whilst
winters can be wet and muggy.
Getting to Know The Western Cape
Thanks
to its scenic beauty and many
attractions, tourism is a major and
growing force in the Western Cape,
which hosts over 50% of the
country’s international visitors.
Major
attractions in the area:
Cape Town Metropolitan area
The
area between Table Mountain and
Hottentots Holland comprises the
Cape Town Metropole and encompasses
pulsating cosmopolitan city life,
beach playgrounds, forests and
exquisite nature parks.
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is Cape Town’s most
famous landmark. A quick spin by
revolving cable car to the 1 086m
summit will give the visitor a grand
view of one of the most beautiful
cities in the world, and of course
the equally famous South African `Alcatraz’
– Robben Island.
The V& A Waterfront
The
most visited attraction in Cape Town
is the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
with its assortment of shopping,
eating, entertainment and
sightseeing facilities, all set
within a working harbour.
Robben Island
Take an emotional journey to the
former prison of Robben Island,
where Nelson Mandela and many other
anti-apartheid activists spent many
of their adult years. An absolute
must on any journey to the Cape.
Most fabulous Beaches in the World
There’s a beach to suit every mood
in Cape Town: Clifton for those who
want to see and be seen, Sandy Bay
for the nudists, Muizenberg with its
colourful bathing boxes for a good
swim in warmer waters, Kommektjie
for watersports, Fishhoek – a quaint
seaside village, Houtbay – a
colourful fishing harbour and craft
market, Kalk Bay for antique hunters
and Boulder’s Beach at Simon’s Town
is home to a colony of Jackass
penguins.
The Cape Fortress
The
oldest surviving building in South
Africa is the Castle of Good Hope -
the pentagonal fortress built by
personnel of the Dutch East India
Company back in the 1660s-70s. Today
it houses the regional headquarters
of the South African Defence Force
in the Western Cape, and a military
museum.
Cape Point
A
stop at Cape Point gives the visitor
the opportunity to boast of having
been at the most southern point of
the Cape Peninsula. Some 26
shipwrecks have been recorded at
Cape Point, some of them presenting
good diving spots. A funicular takes
visitors on scenic trips to an old
lighthouse and the spot is a bird
watcher’s paradise.
Township Vibes
Guided township tours are extremely
popular with international tourists
whowant to get to know the ‘real’
Cape Town. In Guguletu and Langa
expect to be overwhelmed by
hospitality, informal roadside
traders, rowdy taverns servinglocal
beer and toe-tapping jazz.
Shopping Frenzy
Cape Town has many markets and
impressive shopping centres and
malls. One of the most talked about
shopping venues is the impressive
400-outlet Canal Walk Century City.
It also boasts a 20-theatre cinema
complex and for adrenaline-pumping
entertainment, there’s Ratanga
Junction, a 30-attraction theme park
with and the glitzy Grand West
Casino & Entertainment World.
Don’tforget to explore the
fleamarkets too.
Great Gardens of the World
A
day in Cape Town might end with a
classical concert at sundown in one
of the world’s great botanical
gardens – Kirstenbosch, a
repositoryfor many rare fynbos
species and a wealth of indigenous
plants, trees and flowers.
Nightlife
Cape Town city centre is known to
many as the party capital of Africa,
down just a few streets in the
Mother City there are hundreds of
bars, restaurants and clubs just
waiting to be explored through to
the wee hours of the morning. Cape
Town is also known as a ‘pink city’,
offering a warm welcome to the gay
and lesbian community.
The West Coast
The
West Coast offers some of the
greatest of small town experiences
in South Africa. Road trips along
the West Coast are a firm favourite
with locals and international
visitors. Not only does the area
offer some of the most beautiful
scenery in the world – mountains,
oceans and views that go onforever,
this coast is also a haven for the
finest South African hospitality.
The Winelands
Just a 45-minute drive from Cape
Town and you’re in the mountains and
valleys of the Winelands – all
gracious gabled Cape Dutch
homesteads, cask-lined cellars,
oak-treed towns and ultra fine
restaurants. The towns of
Stellenbosch, Franschoek and
Paarl are delightful and beg to be
explored and savoured very slowly,
like good wine.
The Garden Route
This land of lakes, bays, mountains
and forests languishes on the
southern coast from Heidelberg to
the Eastern Cape's Tsitsikamma
Forest and Storms River Mouth. A
coastal drive along the Garden Route
links a series of charming towns
interspersed with natural wonder.
Along the way, every kind of
adventure activity is possible –
scuba diving, abseiling,fishing and
more.
The Klein Karoo
One
of the most geologically interesting
parts of South Africa is the Klein
Karoo, with its towering mountains
and sheer gorges. A notable
geological feature is the Cango
Caves, a series of caverns and
chambers naturally hewn out of
limestone, outside of the city of
Oudtshoorn. Oudtshoorn itself, the
heart of the ostrich feather
industry when it was at its zenith
in the late 1800s/early1900s, is
worth a visit.
The Central Karoo
Peaceful Prince Albert at the foot
of the spectacular Swartberg Pass
makes a convenient base from which
to venture out and explore. It’s
close to Gamkaskloof or Die Hel (The
Hell), once home to an isolated
farming community that for a century
was accessible only by foot or
horseback. The Karoo National Park,
as the largest ecosystem in South
Africa, reveals how fauna and
florahave adapted to their harsh
environment.
The Breede River Valley
Some 15 attractive small towns have
the good fortune to nestle in the
fertile Breede River Valley,
wall-to-wall in orchards and
vineyards. Attractions in the valley
include one of the largest brandy
distilleries in the world (KWV
Brandy Cellar), game reserves,
tribal art and museums (try
Kleinplasie Living Open Air Museum
which revives early settler days
with demonstrations of candle
making, sheep shearing and
harvesting).
The Overberg
An
hour east of Cape town `over the
mountains’ is the Overberg, marked
by a coastline of holiday-friendly
beaches, picturesque seaside towns,
an ancient lighthouse that has
witnessed many a shipwreck (at Cape
Agulhus) and a whale route that
draws more whales and more watchers
each year. Between June and November
crowds flock to Hermanus and its
surrounds to watch the great mammals
in their natural habitat.
Enjoy a
Guided Tour
with English, Dutch, German or French speaking Guide.
Tours from the Western Cape
Links:
Other useful links to the Western
Cape include:
