The Winelands and the Little Karoo

Hello!

I'm planning a four-night trip to the Winelands and the Little Karoo in late January. We'll rent a car in Cape Town.

Any suggestions where to stop for two nights in the Winelands and for two nights in the Little Karoo. I've been looking at Stellenbosch and Montagu. In any case, we don't want to be driving all the time. Instead, we'd like to rent bikes to visit wineries and do some hiking in the Little Karoo.

Tommi

Hi,
Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschoek are good places to stay for the Winelands. I'm not so sure about cycling - distances between wineries can be quite far. There is a great book - Exploring the Cape winelands which groups the areas of the best wineries so you can choose for yourself.

Graaff Reinet in the karoo will be the most central for hiking.

Good luck and have fun.

Thanks for your suggestions, travelawe! Graaff Reinet is too far for us.

Tommi

Stay at "the Place" - small family run guest farm close to Ladismith.

We just got back from a trip to South Africa. In the Winelands, we stayed at LovanE Boutique Wine Estate, which was fabulous. It is mid-range in price, but a fantastic bargain for what you get -- beautiful views, excellent breakfast included, great rooms, good wine and friendly service.

It was near other wine estates and only a few minutes drive from downtown Stellenbosch (and they can arrange a reliable and reasonable taxi) if you don't want to drive.

We stayed in Oudtshoorn, at Karoo Soul. It is called a backpackers but it is really like a lodge. The private rooms are very reasonably priced. It's quiet and laid back. Oudtshoorn is a convenient base -- near ostrich farms, the Cango Caves, meerkat viewing, Buffelsdrift Game Reserve (a great place to have breakfast while enjoying wildlife) and the Swartberg Pass. All worth doing.

Have fun.

Thanks for your input! I'll check out these places.