West Coast & Northern Cape

The West Coast of the Western Cape is an area that is visited less frequently by international visitors to South Africa – we can’t imagine why ! Famed for its white-washed fishing villages, from Lambert’s Bay to Witsand, the coastline has something for everyone. Sweeping sands for sunbathers, great waves for surfers, the spring flowers and some of the finest line-fishing to be found anywhere. In November, when the rock lobster season starts, people come to the area to indulge their passion for this delicacy.

West Coast Towns & Villages

Clanwilliam, with dramatic views of the Cedarberg has much to offer. As well as being the centre of the Spring Flower route and the gateway to Namaqualand it has historical routes, hiking trails and Bushman rock art. Between July and September Ramskop Nature Reserve is the place to go to admire the flowers. Clanwilliam hosts the Wild Flower Show in August.

Coastal towns include Langebaan, on the edge of a huge lagoon, one of the oldest towns on this coastline.Also Yzerfontein, a tranquil seaside village; Lamberts Bay, another seaside village in the heart of the crayfish country; and Paternoster, one of the most picturesque villages on the West Coast. Inland, the charming village of Darling.

The Northern Cape

The Northern Cape is South Africa’s biggest province in terms of land area. Much of the province is made up of the Karoo desert consisting of low growing scrubs and plants. It is also however home to Namaqualand, which stretches North and West from Cape Town, and is best known for its spectacular and colourful array of wild flowers during August and September. Kimberley, the capital of the province, is known as the Diamond Capital of the world. 

The first diamond was discovered here on the banks of the Orange River in 1866. Kimberley Mine or ‘Big Hole’ is 215m deep and achieved without a single piece of machinery. Kimberley mine museum is worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Upington is an alternative route and stopover between Johannesburg and Cape Town, with good accommodation, restaurants & shops and a picturesque landscape bordering the Orange River and Green Kalahari.

The Augrabies Falls National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park (formerly The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park) are both to be found in the Northern Cape. Together with the adjacent Gemsbok National Park in Botswana, the Kgalagadi park comprises an area of over 3,6 million hectares – one of very few conservation areas of this magnitude left in the world. It is a veritable oasis of dry land, moulded rock formations and semi-desert landscapes.

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Selection of Places to Stay