10 Reasons the Southern Overberg is Hot Right Now
The scent of fynbos drifts seductively through this natural adventure playground.
Fynbos is having more than a moment! The world has just woken up to the Cape Floral Kingdom after South Africa’s stunning display scooped gold at the Chelsea Flower Show (plus Best in the Pavilion and Best New Design). Suddenly Time magazine is shining the spotlight on something South Africans have been quietly enjoying all our lives: the scent of fynbos infused into our childhood memories. It’s time to rediscover our hottest property… and the southern stretch of the Overberg is where it’s at right now.
Home to the UNESCO-designated Kogelberg Biosphere, to Grootbos Nature Reserve (one of the sponsors of the Chelsea Flower Show exhibit) and De Hoop Nature Reserve, the extraordinary biodiversity of this region deserves to be celebrated. It’s a place of migratory whales, blue cranes, flamingos, of gentle mountain landscapes, milkwood forests, winding farm roads and craggy coastline. Even if you’re not in botanical mode, the Overberg has a special allure: a natural-adventure playground, there are rivers and lagoons to be explored, mountain trails to hike or bike, fabulous cool-climate wines to taste, all threaded through with the elusive scent of fynbos.
See the award-winning Chelsea Flowers in Stanford
Sven Musica
South Africa has been gathering gold medals faster than you can say “Paris Olympics”! As most of us didn’t make it to Paris or to the Chelsea Flower Show in London to witness the fynbos extravaganza of South Africa’s gold-medal-winning floral display, Grootbos is bringing it to Stanford for two weeks this spring! Landscape designer Leon Kluge is re-creating the exact display down to the last protea bloom, so we can feast our eyes on the wonders of our fynbos landscapes (and soak up the heady fynbos scent) slightly closer to home.
Good to know Botanical artworks from the Grootbos Florilegium private collection will also be on display. And there’s a lucky draw for each ticket holder with prizes, including a stay at Grootbos Private Nature Reserve.
Cost R175 (Webtickets); R200 (at the door)
Free (children under 12)
When 21 September – 6 October 2024
Time 10am – 6pm
Where 16 Queen Victoria Street, Stanford
Celebrate fynbos at the Grootbos Florilegium
Included in Time Magazine’s list of World’s Greatest Places 2024, the permanent new home of the Grootbos Florilegium private collection is a must-visit if you love art, flowers and any combination of the two. Housed in the Hannarie Wenhold Botanical Art Gallery at Grootbos, it’s a celebration of fynbos and the Southern Overberg’s Cape Floral Kingdom and displays specially commissioned works by 44 of the best botanical artists from around the world. An informative two-hour guided tour (with refreshments at the end) immerses you both in the art itself and the flowers and pollinators it depicts, leaving you with a new appreciation for the immense variety of fascinating plants of this special region.
Good to know Limited to 10 places per day. Booking essential.
Cost R300
When Tuesday, Thursday + Saturday year round
Time 10am – 12pm
Where Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, R43 between Stanford and Gansbaai
Go whale-watching and enjoy the Whale Festival
There’s a good chance you’ll see whales anywhere along the coastline between June and November, as you walk along coastal paths fringed by fynbos. Some of the best casual land-based whale-watching is to be found on the cliff path in Hermanus, from the villages of Gansbaai and De Kelders, and in the De Hoop Nature Reserve, where the marine protected area just offshore is an important whale nursery.
The Hermanus Whale Festival in September is a high point of whale-watching season (celebrating 32 years this year), when the whole town comes alive in festival mode – from street parades to a live-music stage at Gearings Point, arts-and-crafts tents, food and wine, sports events, plus loads of kids’ activities. At the heart of the festival (besides the whales playing their part in the waves offshore) is the Eco-Marine Tent, with a wide range of environmental exhibits including colourful, interactive ocean displays, films and talks by marine biologists and experts.
When 26 – 29 September 2024
Cost Events priced individually
Contact 066 478 0081, festival@hermanuswhalefestival.co.za
Taste wine in a heavenly valley
The region is home to several wine routes, each adding a superb array of cool-climate wines to the landscape. In the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, you’ll sip world-class wines in some of the most picturesque tasting rooms in the world, with mesmerising scapes of vines giving way to fynbos on mountain slopes.
And, if you’re looking to stretch your legs before or after your wine-tasting session, Bouchard Finlayson (famed for pinot noir and Missionvale chardonnay) offers three well-marked walking trails along fynbos-clad hills; Bosman Hermanus is the starting point for several mountain paths through the fynbos and has an on-site flower shop (with proteas in season); and at Creation Wines you’ll find swathes of fynbos between the vineyards, a fynbos garden, scenic walks and terroir-reflective wines, as well as a seasonal pairing menu that brings fynbos and wild ingredients to your plate. Or head to conservation-minded Lomond Wine Estate near Gansbaai for wine tasting and platters followed by exploring ancient milkwood forest, wetlands and MTB trails through 68 hectares of fynbos.
Take to the water on the Klein River
Paddling down the Klein River from Stanford into the wide lagoon at Grotto Bay, you’ll discover a serene bird-filled stretch of calm water surrounded by nature reserves, fynbos-covered mountains and rural tranquillity. Bring your own canoe, rent a kayak, or take a leisurely river cruise on Lady Stanford. Soak up the sounds and scenery of the backwaters and estuary, and marvel at the pink flamingos, yellow-billed ducks and blue swallows, just three of over 100 bird species you might spot.
Good to know There are four two-hour cruises per day, including a sunset trip. On warm days there’s a stop at a safe swimming spot for whoever wants to jump into the water. Kayaks for self-guided paddling on the river are available to rent.
Times Daily, 8am – 6pm
Cost R250
Private cruise: R4 200
Kayak rental: R350 (single); R500 (double); half-day
Contact 066 374 9386, bookings@ladystanford.co.za
Where to find it River’s edge, corner of Church and Du Toit Streets, Stanford
Explore the Harold Porter National Botanical Gardens
Set within the UNESCO-recognised Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve above Betty’s Bay, these enchanting botanical gardens are a jewel for plant lovers and explorers alike. Wander along paths through an incredibly diverse (10-hectare) pocket of fynbos gardens (with useful labels identifying the plants) and explore the nature trails to discover waterfalls, amber pools and streams crossed by stepping stones. Or hike up as far as your legs will take you. Leon Kluge, designer of the winning Chelsea Flower Show exhibit, says, “Kogelberg Nature Reserve is one of the richest, most biodiverse areas in the world. If you go a little bit further up the mountain from the gardens, you’ll discover an array of pristine fynbos, including a lot of carnivorous plants, which kids especially are always excited to see. And it’s also lovely to see the little red disa in the mountains up there in summer.”
Good to know After the entrance gates close you can stay in the gardens until 6pm (April – October) and 7pm (November – March)
Opening times Monday – Friday 8am – 4.30pm
Saturday + Sunday, 8am – 5pm
Cost R60
R40 (pensioners)
R35 (students)
R20 (children 6 – 18 years)
Free (under 6)
Where to find it Corner Clarence Drive & Broadwith Road, Betty’s Bay
Go wild in De Hoop Nature Reserve
A wilderness coastal sanctuary characterised by a dreamy vlei and vast, wide-open spaces, De Hoop Nature Reserve was declared a World Heritage Site in 2004 and is bursting with adventures all year round. Explore trails through rare fynbos, billowing sand dunes, beach and rock-pools (this is great whale-watching country from June to November). To discover how this richly varied marine and fynbos landscape nurtured early Homo sapiens’ behavioural patterns, visit the Origins of Early Southern Sapiens Behaviour Exhibition at De Hoop Collection. Curated by Craig Foster (My Octopus Teacher) and archeologist Petro Keene, the exhibition opened here in January 2024 and is on display for three years.
Good to know Booking for the exhibition is essential: origins@dehoopcollection.co.za
Opening times Daily, 9am, 11am, 1pm + 3pm
Cost R50 (day visitors at the gate)
R25 (kids at the gate)
R200 (exhibition)
R100 (exhibition for under 18s)
Where to find it De Hoop Nature Reserve, Overberg District Municipality, Overberg
Delve into human ancestry at Klipgat Cave
Explore where and how our earliest ancestors lived – and enjoy a scenic scramble over rocks and into the caves. Remains found in this seaside cave date back between 65 000 and 85 000 years, making it one of the oldest sites of modern Homo sapiens in the world, and one of only three places in South Africa where such early remains have been excavated. Interestingly, back then the ocean was 140 metres lower and around five kilometres from the cave.
It’s accessed from the De Kelders gate of the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, via a boardwalk and a bit of rock-hopping, with information boards along the way to tell its story.
Good to know It’s best to go at low-tide. Bring good hiking shoes, as the cave can be slippery, and a warm jacket as it can get windy.
Cost R60 (adults), R40 (children)
Times Daily, 7am – 7pm
Contact 087 087 3841, 028 314 0062
Where to find it Normandie Street, off De Villiers Street, De Kelders, Gansbaai
Hike + bike in Fernkloof Nature Reserve
Covering about 1 800 hectares in the Kleinrivier Mountains above Hermanus, Fernkloof is filled with flourishing and diverse plant and bird life. The reserve contains 1 300 fynbos species of the 9 000 found in the Cape Floral Kingdom. To help you enjoy it all, a network of colour-coded hiking trails runs through the reserve, offering spectacular views of town, the bay and the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Stop by the Visitors’ Centre first, where they display specimens of everything that’s currently in flower in vases, so you know what to look out for. Less active souls can enjoy the tranquil gardens for a walk and picnic, and visit the Fernkloof Indigenous Nursery to shop for plants to take home.
Good to know The Blue Trail is dog-friendly (must be on a leash) and the Yellow Trail is suitable for mountain-biking. Maps cost R20 and are available from the Nursery or at the Visitors’ Centre. There is no restaurant or café.
Times Daily, 6am – 7pm (summer); 7am – 6pm (winter)
Cost Free entry, but donations at the Visitors’ Centre are most welcome.
Contact 028 313 0819 (Hermanus Botanical Society)
028 313 8111 (emergency number)
Where to find it Fir Avenue, off the R43 (Main Road), Hermanus
Taste artisanal food + drink at Hermanus Country Market
Get a changing-with-the-seasons taste of the Overberg at this wonderfully rustic market that bursts with community spirit. Browse the quirky crafts and stock up on the best of the Overberg’s organic fresh produce, pastries and desserts, handmade cheeses, smoked fish, happy-hen eggs and wheat-free bakes – and meet the makers, some of whom come from the nearby hamlets of Baardskeerdersbos, Wolwengat and Tesselaarsdal. It doesn’t get more local than this. Enjoy some comfort food (burgers, souvlaki, bobotie pies, lamb with roosterkoek, pancakes or jalapeno bombs wrapped in bacon), washed down with Hemel-en-Aarde wines, regional craft gin, cider and beer, fresh juices or great coffee.
Good to know In December and January, the market is also open on Wednesday evenings.
Dog-friendly? Yes
Opening times Saturday, 9am – 2pm
Contact 083 657 0191, info@hermanuscountrymarket.co.za
Where to find it Hermanus Cricket Club, corner of Fairways Avenue & Jose Burman Drive, Hermanus
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