REGION: West Coast Kontrei, Swartland Kontrei
PLACES: Including Bloubergstrand, Mamre, Darling, Saldanha Bay, Paternoster, Velddrif, Moorreesburg, Malmesbury
Day 1: Cape Town to Guest House or Guest Farm DBB
The West Coast was formed when the sea level dropped and left the sandy bottom to become dry land. The cold Benguela current from the Antarctic flows northwards along the coastline and the nutrient rich waters makes the marine and sea food industry the main economic driver in this region. Due to the cold current the rainfall on average is 100mm per annum.
You will be met at your Cape Town accommodation or airport in the Fairest Cape region. We travel VIA the Swartland and Sandveld visiting Mamre, Darling, Postberg Nature reserve for West Coast flowers and wild life and the holiday resort of Langebaan.
Visit and participate in fossil hunting at the ancient Berg River mouth site.
Optional extra:
One hour harbour exploration by boat (Max Pax 10) visiting the mussel farm.
Waterfront Restaurant lunch for local seafood.
We arrive late afternoon at our home for the next two nights. Dinner with your hosts
Day 2: Guest House or Guest Farm DBB
Walkabout on the guest farm or nature reserve next to the guest house.
The day will be spent exploring the West Coast coastline visiting Paternoster, Cape Columbine, St Helena bay and Velddrif at the modern day Berg River mouth.
Stroll along the dockside in Laaiplek where it is all about fishing boats. Spend the afternoon on the riverside in Velddrif where it is all about bokkoms, birds and the Berg River.
Bokkoms - dried fish biltong - are a traditional West Coast staple. Try this in sophisticated meals: whole, filleted, peeled, with or without bones, even finely ground on toast. Or try beer-battered calamari, rolmops or curried mussels or snoek lasagna.
In between visit the art gallery or the Velddrif Khoisan salt production site.
Optional extras is kite surfing or an interactive boat cruise for bird spotting on the Berg River where more than 200 species are registered; including the migratory species from the Northern Hemisphere.
Dinner with your hosts
Day 3: To Cape Town via Moorreesburg and Malmesbury
We go back via the Swartland kontrei - major wheat production area of the Western Cape. In Moorreesburg we will visit the Koring museum, the only one of its kind in South Africa and rated as one of the most informative small museums in the country.
Lunch can be taken in Malmesbury on a working farm or a local wine cellar ...and arrive late afternoon in Cape Town.
