West Coast & Swartland

The windswept coastline and desolate mountains on the western side of Western Cape are a peaceful, largely undeveloped paradise. You’ll find whitewashed fishing villages, fascinating country towns, unspoilt beaches, a lagoon and wetlands teeming with birds, plus one of the best hiking regions in the country.

The West Coast National Park is a must for birdwatchers and lovers of seascapes, while inland lies the richly fertile Olifants River Valley, where citrus orchards and vineyards sit at the foot of the Cederberg Mountains – a hiker’s heaven. This remote area has spectacular rock formations and a wealth of San rock paintings.

Between the coast and the mountains lies the Swartland, undulating hills of wheat and vineyards. Swartland (black land) received its name from renosterveld, a threatened indigenous vegetation that turns dark grey in summer.