Province of the Western Cape Things to Do Tips by Alain_Smeets Top 5 Page for this destination

The Botanical garden of Kirstenbosch

Visit the beautiful botanical garden of Kirstenbosch, walk in the gardens or in the greenhouse and look at the beautiful plants and trees.

You can wonder for hours through these beautiful surroundings, we enjoyed our time here very much. For some more info, please have a look at their official webpage.

--------
The following text is borrowed from their official webpage.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is world-renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.

Kirstenbosch grows only indigenous South African plants. The estate covers 528 hectares and supports a diverse fynbos flora and natural forest. The cultivated garden (36 hectares) displays collections of South African plants, particularly those from the winter rainfall region of the country.

---------------

For more information and photos see my travelogue: A daytrip in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
.

Address: Rhodes Drive, Newlands, Private Bag X7, Claremont

Other Contact: INFORMATION OFFICE: (021) 799 87

Phone: +27 21 799 8899

Het Taalmonument (The language monument)

The language monument reminds the people to the official status of the African language. This monument exist out of grained granite that is made into concrete.

The small columns remind that the Dutch, English and several African languages are the source for the African language.

Try shouting in the biggest horn to hear your voice carried out over the area.

For more information and photos see my page: Paarl

You can find much more explanation about the symbolism and the idea behind this design on their website. (This is an extract from that side)

A COLONNADE of three elements to the left or west of the approach symbolizes the languages and cultures of the enlightened West. These structures, closely juxtaposed, begin at a height and diminish in size and then descend in a curve to ascend again into the main upward sweep.

A PODIUM with three semi spheres to the right, or to the eastern side of the approach, represents magical Africa with its indigenous languages and cultures, and develops into a lesser curve which joins the main upward movement.

The confluence of these two curves forms a bridge which is the base of the main hyperbola. This, rising up into space, signifies the coming into being and the development of Afrikaans.

A language and culture neither western nor African, but Malayan, is represented by a low wall in the middle third of the main steps to add to the general scale.

Together with the main column, placed in the same life-giving pool with bubbling fountain, rises a structure symbolising our Republic: free, yet encompassed by and open to Africa; free in form and reminiscent of the west, whose cultures helped to establish it. It symbolizes two languages and two mutual enriching cultures, yet one nation, facing the future with courage and resolution, deeply conscious of the presence of an Omniscient Being, guiding us to our destiny in the turmoil of our time.

Directions: The Afrikaanse Taalmonument is open daily from 9 to 5. The access turns off Main Street at the town entrance and is sign-posted.

Phone: 021-8723441

Cape Town and the Table Mountain

Off course everybody knows that this one of the MUST SEE sites of South Africa.

The table mountain dominates Cape Town, every where you walk in the streets you see the mountain in the distance. I can imagine the beauty that attracted the first sailors.

You can go up the mountain in an elevator or even walk to the 1086 metres high top.

For more information and photos see my page: Cape Town

Website: http://www.gocapetown.co.za

The garden route

It seems that you can have incredible views when you drive the garden route. But what we saw was mist and the Storm River and some rocks on the road.

Do I have to say that's was raining.

But when the weather is nice, the scenery has to be beautiful.

For more information and photos see my page: Stormsrivier

An Ostrich farm in Oudtshoorn

There are several ostrich farms that you can visit in Oudsthoorn and we went to Highgate. You get a tour in the farm with a very good explanation and you have the possibility to taste Ostrich meat. For more information see my Oudtshoorn travelogue Our experience in an Ostrich farm.

Well go and see those "Volstruis"

For more information and photos see my page: Oudtshoorn

Like did you know that: Males have black and females grey feathers more on my travelogue from Oudtshoorn.

Directions: You can find a detailed map on their website.

Other Contact: hosf@mweb.co.za

Phone: +27(0)44 272 7115

Website: http://www.highgate.co.za/

The Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn

The Cango Caves are worth exploring, you can do there several guided tours and you see lot's of wonderful things underground. For more information you can read my travelogue: The Cango Caves.

It's open 364 days in a year and only on Christmas day it's closed.

For more information and photos see my page: Oudtshoorn

Other Contact: reservations@cangocaves.co.za

Phone: 044 272 7410

Website: http://www.cangocaves.co.za/

A drive through the Swartberg pass

We drove through the Meiringspoort and on to the Swartberg Pass. This pass surprised us. We thought about a normal road, but it was a sand road, and mostly so small that only one car can travel on it. Here and there, we saw an opportunity to let other cars pass. But this was not necessary because going up, we didn’t see one car. You can imagine that this took a long time to drive up. But the view on the top was great. That winding sand-road going up. We were glad we did this. But after the top, the road didn’t ended as we thought. It was downhill and then ups again. We saw the first car just behind the first top, one car in more than one hour; it sounds like a very busy road. But a the second top, we saw 2 cars standing with tourists, also taking pictures. And on the way down, we passed more cars. But we still are on a sand road.

For more information and photos see my page: Oudtshoorn

The vineyards are worth a visit

The vineyards around Paarl, Franshoek and many other places are worth a visit. We drove to several of them, tasted the good wines and bought several bottles to finish in the evenings.

They are scattered around the area and you can go for a free taste, just drive up. If you like the wine, buy a bottle or two to drink them with your "braai".

To see the area out there, look at my Franshoek page

Website: http://www.southafrica-travel.net/westcape/cawi_02.htm#

Penguins at the Boulder Coastal Park

Go towards the beach of the Boulder Coastal Park and walk between the ropes and between the penguins. There were lot's of penguins walking around here and you could get very close to them.

One thing to remind it's here not give way from right but give way for the penguins. They are as curious to us as we to them.

The penguins you see here weigh between 2,1 to 3,7 kilo’s and are a 50 cm high.

The Boulder colony started in 1983 with a pair of African Penguins on the Foxy beach at Boulders and in 1997 they counted already 2350 adult birds. This due to migration from Dyer Island and reproduction.

For more information and photos see my travelogue: A daytrip in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

Website: http://www.simonstown.com/tourism/penguins/penguins.htm

See the seals at Duiker Island

Take a boat trip and visit the seals in their natural environment on Duiker Island. You see dozens off them resting on the rocks or playing in the ocean.

For more information and photos see my travelogue: A daytrip in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

Directions: It's only a half hour boat trip from Hout Bay.