Cape and Wine, Drive-n-Dine

Cape wine tours - Tulbagh and Stellenbosch vineyards

This is a module everyone is sure to enjoy. It includes drives through mountain passes and across rolling hills, visits to fertile valleys, vineyards and picturesque towns. Cape Town is the gateway to the leading South African wine territory. It is a beautiful border area with stunning panoramic views and winding mountain passes. This area is nurtured by mountain springs which come together to create magnificent valleys. These springs are a source of fresh water for the area's flowers and fruit, such as grapes. The success of South African wines is based on, among other things, the low price, excellent quality and great taste of its wines.

During this Cape wine tour there will be plenty of opportunities to take a break, go wine tasting and to enjoy the Cape. You'll spend the night in small, intimate accommodation with every necessary facility in small towns such as Tulbagh and Stellenbosch. Our Cape wine tours module will provide you with an excellent impression of the Cape and surrounding wine territories. The module can also be booked in reverse sequence.

Duration	4 days - 3 nights	Accommodation	Double occupancy room with facilities; 1 night in Tulbagh, 2 nights in Stellenbosh (pictures). Accommodation category 2-3.
Price	£126 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Includes	Accommodation based on board and breakfast, trail information
Transport	Rental car	Excludes	Car rentals, other meals

Day 1: Cape Town - Paarl - Tulbagh

Travel time: approximately 1.5 hour, distance 100km

You'll drive from Cape Town thorugh the area's rolling hills towards the town of Paarl. While in town you can visit the KWV Emporium: the Kooperatieve Wijnbrouwers Vereniging (or Cooperative Wine producers Association). It's the largest wine cooperation in South Africa. Some of the best wines in South Africa are produced here. The Paarl Mountain nature reserve is also definitely worth a visit. When in season, you'll find more than 15 different kinds of Protea's here (South Africa's national flower).

Then you'll travel on to Tulbagh, a small wine area with vineyards bordering fruit orchards and fields of grain. The town features many beautiful examples of 18th and 19th-century Cape-Dutch architecture. There are also excellent small restaurants in this area, many of which operate from restored homesteads. You'll spend the night in our cosy guest house; breakfast is included.

Day 2: Tulbagh - Stellenbosch

Travel time: 1.5 hour, distance 100km

Not only are there many different wine farms worth visiting near Tulbagh, you could also visit the 'Old Drostdy Museum'. This museum houses historic Cape furniture, household supplies and even old record players. You could also go for hikes through the picturesque surroundings, go bird watching, go horseback riding or go mountain biking.

By the end of the morning it'll be time to leave Tulbagh behind and to continue on to Franschhoek. It's actually quite a small town, but it's location in one of the country's most beautiful valleys makes it something worth seeing. The town is surrounded by mountains on three sides and there are vineyards around every corner. You may want to have a nice (French) lunch while in town and try one of the area's great wines in one of the town's quaint restaurants. There are many to choose from and each has its own appeal. The town is small enough to explore on foot and if you visit the local tourist centre on Main Street, they can give you all sorts of useful local information. We also recommend visiting the Boschendal Estate, a very lovely wine estate. It's open daily, however you won't be able to sample or purchase wine on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.

As the day draws to a close, you'll drive through the hills to Stellenbosch where you'll spend the next 2 nights in a warm and inviting guest house; breakfast is included during your stay.

Day 3: Stellenbosch

Today you will have the entire day to visit Stellenbosch and its surroundings on the Cape wine tour. There is plenty to see: on the Braak, the market square, you'll find the traditional Cape-Dutch-style 'Burgerhuis', the 'VOC-kruithuis' (a powder house built in 1777 to store the town's weapons and gunpowder in) and a beautiful church named St. Mary's. While in town, also visit the 'Dorp Street' and it's famous (and very touristy) store named 'Oom Samie se Winkel'.

There are many wineries in the Stellenbosch area. Blauwklippen is one of the most enjoyable wine estates. It's located 4km south of town on the road towards Somerset West, where Cabarnet Sauvignon is made. You can also visit Morgenhof, Spier or even the Run Brandy Cellar where you can sample brandy.

Tip: Interested in a unique dining experience during your Cape wine tour? We can reserve a table for you in a private gazebo in the Moyo restaurant located on the Spier estate. This open air restaurant has several 50m-long buffets with the most delicious dishes. Best of all, it's an all you can eat buffet! You won't forget this dining adventure anytime soon. You can make reservations for a taxi at the guest farm's reception area and go on to enjoy the most amazing wines during dinner. If you prefer, you can also enjoy a fun picnic here with a nice bottle of your favourite wine.

Day 4: Stellenbosch - Swellendam or Oudtshoorn

Travel time to Swellendam: approximately 2.5 hours, distance 200km
Travel time to Oudtshoorn: approximately 5 hours, distance 385km

After breakfast this Cape wine tour will come to an end and you'll head off along the 'whale coast' from Hermanus to Swellendam to ride ostriches and to hike along the country's wild coast with our Garden Route Adventure Trail module. However if you rather travel through desolate, rugged terrain straight to the ostrich capital Oudsthoorn and go on safari in the Addo elephant park, then continue travelling with one of our Route 62 tours - Route 62; Elephants, Ostriches and Wine.

Cape wine tour accommodation

Cape wine tours - Tulbagh accommodation Cape wine tours - Your room in Tulbagh Cape wine tours - Stellenbosch accommodation

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