Cape Overberg Region

The area roughly between Swellendam and Mossel Bay is often overlooked by tourists, who merely drive through it on their way from Cape Town to the start of the Garden Route (or the other way round). However, it is well worth breaking your journey and even stopping for a couple of nights to take in this historic part of the country.

Things to do
Weather
Self-Drive

BAOBAB trips to the Cape Overberg region (Swellendam, Witsand and Riversdale) can be arranged on a tailor-made and self-drive basis. Please examine the accommodation guide for a choice of self-catering and B&B guesthouses with guideline prices and itineraries and then contact us for a precise quote for your chosen holiday (or for further assistance to help you make up your mind!!).

Accommodation in the Swellendam to Mossel Bay region

All BAOBAB’s prices are excluding the international flight, which provides you with more flexibility, especially when you are based outside the UK. BAOBAB can arrange all aspects of your holiday once you are in South Africa, including car hire, day trips and of course accommodation.

Activities

In the 18th century, Dutch settlers in the Cape began to move into this region of rolling hills and coastal plains to the east of Cape Town. Setting off in bone crunching wooden wagons or on horseback, they found a region so beautiful that a local legend developed describing the landscape as God’s resting place following the creation. It is now known as the Cape Overberg with the word Overberg meaning ‘over the mountain’.

The N2 traverses this agricultural wilderness of rolling hills and wheat fields allowing many travellers to pass through on the 5 hrs journey from Cape Town to the start of the Garden Route at Mossel Bay. Roughly half way is the small town of Swellendam, which is an ideal stopping off point and base to explore this historic area.

Church in Swellendam

Things to do
This historic region of Cape Overberg offers a range of nature based activities and historic towns such as Swellendam. BAOBAB recommends the following places of interest:

Swellendam's tourist information with the double clocks

Brede River canoe trip

De Hoop Nature Reserve Erica species

Swellendam: Swellendam has a picturesque setting at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains and is after Cape Town and Stellenbosch the third oldest magisterial district in South Africa. Sadly a great fire in 1865 destroyed a large part of the town. Road widening schemes in the 1970’s have also detracted from the original charm, but the town remains an interesting location for lovers of nature and history.

Drostdy Museum: This open-air museum complex based in Swellendam with several historic buildings reflects the official history of the district from a Dutch East India Company outpost to a British colonial town. It is renowned for its fine collection of 18th and 19th century Cape furniture and beautiful rose garden.

Breede River Wine Route: This wine area can be visited by canoe along the Breede River. An novel way of testing and enjoying delicious wines directly from the producer.

Bontebok National Park: Home to the rare & beautiful Bontebok, Cape mountain zebra, grey rhebok and interesting bird life. The park is small by South African standards but has been set up to protect and preserve the Bontebok which once roamed widely in the area. Enjoy the walk on the picturesque Breede River and explore the rich flora.

De Hoop Nature Reserve: De Hoop offers dramatic variety within the reserve boundaries. There is a rugged coastline with rolling bleached white sand dunes that stand 90 m high in places. The rock formations that line the coast open up in magnificent arches where you can sit and watch the water for signs of whales and dolphins. Moving back inland there are large populations of zebra and antelope as well as almost 300 different bird species, many of them to be found around a large freshwater inland lake.
N.B. Roads in the Reserve are of poor quality in places and there are no shops for at least 15 km from the reserve so stock up before arriving!

The Swellendam to Mossel Bay region has a temperate Mediterranean climate with little rain and lots of sunshine in summer (our winter). Its winter time (our summer), is a mixture of days of rain and wind with perfect warm sunny days.

Self-drive is very common in South Africa and they drive on the left. The roads in the Swellendam to Mossel Bay region are generally of very good quality and very quiet (see photo).

Roads in the Swellendam region