Western Cape Gourmet Self-Drive
If like us at Africa Sky, sumptuous food and thrilling wines are high on your enjoyment list together with stunning scenery and friendly people, then this 10-night itinerary is just right for you.
During this incredible trip you will be spoilt with opportunities to eat world-class cuisine, drink incredible wines and explore this beautiful and diverse country. This self-drive itinerary takes you from the vibrant city of Cape Town and Constantia through lush and dramatic scenery down to your final stop at Plettenberg Bay.
Cape Town
On arrival at Cape Town Airport you may either pick up your car or we can organise a driver to collect you and take you to your hotel. If you decide on the latter, most car hire companies can deliver to your hotel the next day or you can collect from one of the many car hire depots in and around the centre of Cape Town. Depending on your arrival time, you will have the rest of the day and evening to enjoy a little of what this wonderful city has to offer.
With its spectacular views, the Azure restaurant at the Twelve Apostles Hotel will give you a taste of what is to come over the next 10 nights. Enjoy the fine dining experience and savour the indigenous and international flavours accompanied by one of the exquisite wines from their very own wine cellar. As your first day ends, enjoy a drink at the Leopard Bar whilst watching your first African sunset.
Constantia
Once you've hired your car, it is time to head south to Constantia, an affluent suburb of Cape Town. Home to at least 10 wine farms, eight of which are included on an official wine route, you are going to be spoilt for choice both for wine tasting and indeed fine dining restaurants.
You will have two nights to enjoy this historic wine-growing region and its famous Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines.
With its two award-winning restaurants and two unique bars, The Cellars Hotel is one of our favourite hotels in the area. Whether you choose to dine in the popular Greenhouse restaurant with world renowned chef Peter Tempelhoff, The Cape Malay restaurant offering authentic dishes, or at a romantic candlelit table in the wine cellar, you will enjoy ingredients and flavours with a unique culinary flair.
Babylonstoren
You really are in for a treat on the next step of your itinerary as you take a leisurely drive amongst beautiful scenery to the delightful Babylonstoren Farm. For us, this is one of the highlights of this tour. It is a wonderful, boutique working farm hotel situated in the beautiful Drakenstein Valley. As well as its high-class restaurants and cellar with wine tasting room, you can also explore the farm and enjoy garden workshops. The flagship restaurant here is Babel where you will experience the freshness which comes with their farm-to-fork philosophy. For meat lovers Wednesday is Carnivore Evening in The Bakery, where you will celebrate the best meat in Africa whilst sipping delicious wine and listening to live accordion music.
You will enjoy your next two nights’ accommodation in the Fynbos cottrages - beautifully restored Cape Dutch Buildings which are adjoined to vineyards and orchards.
Robertson
Situated in the shadow of the majestic Langeberg mountains and with the Breede River running through, Robertson is a quaint little town best known for its wines, at the gateway to route 62. The streets here are lined with bright bougainvilleas and beautiful jacaranda trees with their purple blossom. We love that this place is known as the ‘small town with a big heart’ as you are always guaranteed a warm welcome in this delightful town.
Having achieved the title of South Africa’s finest luxury country hotels on a number of occasions, we have chosen The Robertson Small Hotel for your next accommodation. Here again there is a passion for food and drink, with menus created from local produce and stupendous wines from the Breede River Valley – known as the valley of wine and roses.
Unfortunately children are not welcome at the Robertson hotel so if you are travelling as a family we would recommend the Hilltop Country Retreat in Swellendam as an alternative.
Oudtshoorn
Your journey today will take you through a breath-taking mountain pass and the arid Karoo area along route 62, one of the most scenic routes in South Africa. Oudtshoorn itself is known as the ‘ostrich capital of the world’ and many became rich on the back of this in the 19th and 20th centuries as the ostrich feather industry took off. You will find an array of restaurants and bars catering to all tastes and selling local produce, however the hotel we have picked out for you may well tempt you to stay closer to home with a wonderful selection of dishes cooked to perfection.
For an unforgettable experience, we highly recommend that you rise early on your first morning to take part in a meerkat viewing. Although meerkats can be spotted at any time during daylight hours, they are most active at sunrise when they emerge from their burrows and warm up in the sunshine before heading off in search of food. There are plenty of ostrich farms for you to visit or you can drive up to the Cango Caves which are absolutely stunning. Here you will find a choice of guided walks through the dripstone caverns or for the more adventurous you can squeeze through tunnels into the depths of the caves.
You will spend two nights in the largest town in the Little Karoo region at the Rosenhof Boutique Hotel – here you will enjoy luxurious facilities and a service second to none.
Plettenberg Bay
Another wonderfully scenic drive to your final destination, Plettenberg Bay. You will join the Garden Route at the town of George where you will be treated to amazing views over the ocean. There are some fantastic restaurants in little coastal towns serving fresh fish and seafood that you may be tempted to stop in on your way. Plettenberg has beautiful sandy beaches and dramatic cliffs where you can often spot whales (during season – July to November) and dolphins offshore.
There are various food and wine tours that you can take advantage of which are tailored to both wine connoisseurs and occasional drinkers alike. Head off into Tsitsikamma National Park where there is an abundance of experiences to enjoy. Canopy tours, otter trail, waterfall trail, Storms River kayaking and diving to mention just a few. There are also small group cruises around the Featherbed Nature Reserve where you may be able to spot dolphins, blue crane birds and tiny antelope.
You will spend your final two nights in this spectacular coastal region and the hotel we have chosen for you here is the Tsala Treetop Lodge, with its unique architecture and superb service. Enjoy sumptuous meals and accompanying South African wine whilst watching the last of your African sunsets.
This safari can be tailored in any way to meet your personal needs including length of trip, accommodation and experiences included, with or without international flights. Contact one of our safari designers now to discuss your safari ideas.
What's Included
- International flights
- Domestic flights and transfers
- Car hire (excluding one drop-off fee paid locally)
- 10 nights accommodation as detailed above
- All National Park fees and entrance fees for activities detailed
Price Information
10 nights from £3295pp/€3795pp/$4295pp