11 Best Sights in The Western Cape and Winelands, South Africa

With a history that dates back three centuries, this lovely estate is one of the Cape's major attractions. Recent renovations have added polish to an already top-notch estate. Cradled between the Simonsberg and Groot Drakenstein mountains at the base of Helshoogte Pass, Boschendal runs one of the most pleasant wine tastings in the region: on warm days you sit outside at wrought-iron tables under a spreading oak. In 1981, Boschendal was the first to pioneer a Blanc de Noir, a pink wine made in a white-wine style from black grapes. The Boschendal Blanc de Noir remains one of the best-selling wines of this style. The recently renovated Werf Restaurant serves excellent country-style cuisine, and picnic baskets are available to enjoy on the lawns. Hour-long vineyard tours and cellar tours are available; be sure to book ahead. You can also take a horse ride through the vines, and there's a jungle gym and hands-on farm activities for kids.

The Cederberg mountain range might be the last place you'd expect to find a vineyard, but that's what makes Cederberg Private Cellar so unusual. When old man Nieuwoudt, known to everyone as "Oom Pollie," planted the first vines in 1973, all his sheep-farming neighbors thought he had gone mad. Today, however, winemaker David Nieuwoudt and his small team are laughing all the way to the awards ceremonies. At an altitude of around 3,300 feet, this is the highest vineyard in the Western Cape, and consequently is almost completely disease-free.  All the wines are excellent; in fact, you'll struggle to see the labels for all the wine accolades pasted on the bottles. The Cederberg Observatory is an open-air wonder run by passionate stargazers who help you spot faraway galaxies with their super-powerful telescopes. The little farm shop usually stocks delicious koeksisters served with strong coffee.

Clanwilliam is close to the northern edge of the Cederberg, a mountain range known for its San rock paintings, its bizarre rock formations, and, once upon a time, its cedars. Most of the ancient cedars have been cut down, but a few specimens still survive in the more remote regions. The Cederberg is a hiking paradise—a wild, largely unspoiled area where you can disappear from civilization for days at a time. About 172,900 acres of this mountain range constitute what has been declared the Cederberg Wilderness Area. Try to visit in spring when the area is carpeted in orange, yellow, and white flowers. You can get hiking permits from Cape Nature or the local tourism offices in Clanwilliam or Citrusdal. Be sure to tell somebody if you are planning to hike in the area.

A scenic dirt road that heads south out of town, past the tourism bureau and museum, winds for about 30 km (18 miles) into the Cederberg to Algeria, a Cape Nature campsite with self-catering cottages and tent sites set in an idyllic valley. Algeria is the starting point for several excellent hikes into the Cederberg. The short, one-hour hike to a waterfall is great, but it's worth going into the mountains for a day or two, for which you will need to book and obtain a permit through CapeNature or from one of the local farms, many of which have simple, self-catering cottages on their land.

It spans less than 25 km (15½ miles), but it is without question one of the most beautiful stretches of road in South Africa. Clarence Drive—less poetically known as the R44—begins as you leave Gordon's Bay headed south. Sandwiched between ocean and mountain, the road winds around more than 70 bends on its way to the hamlet of Rooi Els. There are plenty of places to pull over though, and you'll make good use of them because Clarence Drive is a photographer's dream. On a clear day you'll see right across False Bay all the way to Cape Point. Keep an eye out for baboons when you're driving; they're usually in no great hurry when crossing the road.

Covering 88,900 acres of isolated coastal terrain as well as the undersea world below the waves, this reserve deserves its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Massive sand dunes, rolling mountains, and rare lowland fynbos are home to eland, bontebok, and Cape mountain zebra, as well as more than 250 species of birds. (Keep an eye out for the blue crane, South Africa’s national bird.) Though the reserve is only three hours from Cape Town, it feels a world away. 

This is a fantastic place to watch whales from the shore—not quite as easy as in Hermanus, but much less crowded. You can also hike the enormously popular Whale Trail, which runs through the reserve. A shuttle service takes your bags to each new stop, so all you have to carry is a small day pack and a water bottle between overnight stops. Book up to a year in advance to enjoy the Whale Trail, or try to snag a last-minute cancellation. Self-catering cottages sleep up to four people and range from basic to fully equipped.

You can still enjoy De Hoop without doing the Whale Trail; there are delightful day hikes, beautiful and largely unpeopled beaches and excellent bird-watching, including a viewing platform where you can lie down and watch Cape vultures swooping overhead.

Access is via a dirt road between Bredasdorp and Malgas. From Bredasdorp take the R319 to Swellendam. At about 6 km (4 miles) turn right at the sign posted De Hoop/Malgas/Infanta. Follow the road for 35 km (21.2 miles) until you see the sign for the reserve

In the days when the Dutch East India Company stopped in Cape Town en route to the East, a ship would fire a cannon as it entered the harbor to let farmers know provisions were needed. A set of relay cannons on the hilltops would carry the message inland. One such cannon was on this farm, which was then called Kanonkop, Afrikaans for Cannon Hill. The beauty of Kanonkop today is not in its history or its buildings, but in its wine. Paul Sauer, a blend of about 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc, rakes in awards both in South Africa and internationally year after year. The Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage is an iconic wine produced in small quantities and sold only from the farm. There are no guided tours, but during harvest you can do a walkabout in the cellar to see the action. An added attraction is the art gallery featuring works from 50 leading South African artists. It's a wonderful selection of the totally traditional to the strikingly modern.

Charles Back, the owner of Fairview, also owns the neighboring farm in Paarl. Spice Route produces deep-flavored wines, using mostly untrellised "bush" vines. This practice, which is uncommon outside of South Africa, leads to fruit with great flavor intensity but lower volumes. Try the Spice Route Chakalaka, a signature Swartland blend, which has clove and savory notes. There is good reason to spend an entire day on the estate: artisan shops include Barley & Biltong Emporium; De Villiers Chocolate, where you can join a tutored chocolate pairing; and the Cape Brewing Company, which offers craft beer tasting. At the Grapperia, you can taste grappa and schnapps made on-site and nibble on pizza and charcuterie. There's ice cream for the kids, plus lovely lawns and two jungle gyms.

This is one of the oldest farms in the area, established in 1692 on the banks of the Eerste River. The farm produces excellent wines, which go from strength to strength. The flagships are the Frans K. Smit red and white blends, named after the winemaker. Also try the 21 Gables Chenin Blanc and Pinotage—both excellent. The farm's owners value biodiversity and arts and culture: their enormous art collection is displayed across the farm's public spaces, and their farm-grown produce is used in the restaurants. You can order a picnic and enjoy it on the banks of the river. Visit Eagle Encounters, an on-site rehabilitation center for raptors—your kids will never want to leave. And if you just can't drag them away there is a delightful hotel on site complete with kids' club, so you can sip while they play.

Perched on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, Tokara is the brainchild of banker G. T. Ferreira. For a city slicker with lots of money, he's done everything right and has scooped up awards. The Chardonnay was once voted one of the top 10 wines from around the world at the Chardonnay-du-Monde Awards. The flagship red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, is well worth taking home. Be on the lookout for the farm's limited-release Pinotage, taken from one block on the foothills of the Simonsberg. Tokara also has farms in the cooler Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde regions, which means it can produce a stunning white wine blend (Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon) with plenty of complexity. The farm also presses its own premium olive oil, which you can buy from the Olive Shed. The restaurant is a foodie's delight, and the Delicatessen is a perfect venue for a breakfast or light lunch. Kids love the free-form jungle gym—as good-looking as any contemporary sculpture—and the weaver's nest they can climb into that hangs in a huge oak.

Established in 1700 by Willem Adriaan van der Stel, who succeeded his father as governor of the Cape, this traditional thatched Cape Dutch homestead looks like something from a fairy tale. An octagonal walled garden aflame with flowers surrounds it, and huge camphor trees, planted over 300 years ago, stand as gnarled sentinels. The homestead is now a museum, furnished in period style. Other historic buildings include a magnificent library and the old stables, which is now the Stables Restaurant, where you can have breakfast or lunch while looking onto the Hottentots Holland Mountains. You can also purchase a picnic to enjoy in the grounds during the summer months. 

Vergelegen's flagship wines include Vergelegen V (a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon), and Vergelegen GVB Red, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.  Reservations are recommended for the hour-long wine tours, but no children are allowed. Note that there are also 70 steep stairs leading to the cellar. Apart from award-winning wine, there are 18 themed gardens, including the Camellia Garden of Excellence—a collection of more than 1,000 plants which flower during the winter months (June–August). There's also a lovely children's play area adjacent to the restaurant.

This Ratcliffe-family-run farm is all business. Norma Ratcliffe, the grande dame of the estate, spent a couple of years in France perfecting traditional techniques, which have influenced Warwick's reds. The first female winemaker in South Africa, Norma pioneered the way for a new breed of young women who are now making their mark in the industry. Trilogy is a stylish and complex red made with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Another great red, the Three Cape Ladies, was named after the indomitable Ratcliffe women, and is a fabulous blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Pinotage. The Cabernet Franc is undoubtedly one of the best wines made from this varietal in the Winelands. There are kid-friendly vineyard tours that compare grape varietals to the Big Five animals. Afterward, enjoy a picnic on the lawn.