Overberg
Description
The Overberg region is one of the fast growing regions in the Western Cape, situated within easy driving distance of Cape Town. The Overberg is a region full of vineyards, forests, fynbos, grain fields, beaches, and rugged coastline. For a fantastic holiday of hiking, shark cage diving, zipling, wine tasting, and whale watching, it’s just a matter of driving “over the berg”.
Stretching from the Hottentots-Holland Mountains in the west to Swellendam in the east, the Overberg incorporates the major towns of Grabouw,Caledon, Hermanus, Bredasdorp, and Swellendam, as well as Barrydale, Elgin, Stanford, and Gansbaai.
The Overberg (Over the Mountain) is also known as the Whale Coast. Hermanus and Gansbaai are extremely popular during whale season between June and December. Hermanus is said to boast the best land based whale watching in the country, while Gansbaai is famed for its shark café diving opportunities with the Great Whites. With its endemic fynbos vegetation, the Overberg forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom. This beautiful setting offers a paradise for hikers and birders. Hike the Whale Trail in De Hoop, Fynbos Trail in Gansbaai, or the Spookdraai Hiking Trail in L’Agulhas.
The Overberg is famous for its excellent wineries. Sip your way through the 15 boutique wineries that make up the Hemel en Aarde Wine Valley, or visit the wineries in Elgin and Swellendam. There’s plenty of accommodation in all of the towns in the Overberg, so you can enjoy the wineries guilt-free.
Go sandboarding in Betty’s Bay, visit the Bredasdorp Shipwreck Museum, sea kayak in Walker Bay, rent a bicycle in Kleinmond, star gaze in Swellendam, go boating in Theewaterskloof Dam, and swing across the Cape Canopy Tour in Elgin or the Hermanus Zipline Tour. Drive onto the last manually operated pont in Malgas, go berry picking in Swellendam, or browse the Stanford Saturday Morning Market, Greyton Market, and Hermanuspitersfontein Farmers Market. Other activities include horse riding, Segway tours, quad biking, relaxing on the beaches of Onrus, or Voelklip Beach, Grotto Beach, and Kammabaai Beach in Hermanus, or playing a round of golf at Hermanus Golf Course, Arabella Golf Course, and Elgin Golf Club.
Other attractions include Napier Brewery, Caledon Spa and Casino, Caledon Museum, Elgin Apple Museum, and the Old Harbour or Whale Museum in Hermanus. Visit De Hoop and De Mond Nature Reserves, the Stony Point Penguin Colony and Harold Porter Botanical Gardens in Betty’s Bay, Fernkloof Nature Reserve and Hermanus Platbos Indigenous Forest, and the Kleinriver Cheese Farm in Stanford.
Whether you’re looking for an action-packed holiday, or a lazy beach getaway, the Overberg has a lot to offer the discerning holidaymaker.
