along the coastline

An almost undiscovered treasure trove of rugged unspoilt beaches, rich geographical diversity, and the most astounding carpet of wild flowers in spring, has evolved the Cape West Coast into a major holiday route out of Cape Town along Route 27.

Stretching from Cape Town as far as the border with the Northern Cape at Touws River, a series of quaint historic towns and fishing villages is strung all along the coastline, like a string of variegated pearls. With names like Lambert’s Bay, Paternoster, Saldanha and Langebaan, each town has something unique and intriguing to offer the visitor.

Check out the amazing fossils, watch whales and dolphins eat fresh seafood or simply just enjoy the rich diversity of birdlife in the area. Swimming, Kiteboarding, surfing, sailing. diving, fishing and so many other water sports are available.

Here, where snoek, mussels and crayfish are a way of life and ‘bokkoms’ (salted mullet strung up in bunches and left to dry) is the local delicacy, Salt of the earth residents make the area from Ganzekraal to Strandfontein their home.

Route 27 has become the road to seafood mecca and a number of open-air beach restaurants offer unsurpassed seafood fresh from the sea, cooked in the West Coast style, on open fires whilst you soak up sun, sea and the succulent West Coast bounty.

At Langebaan the West Coast National Park is the closest spot outside of Cape Town where one can sample the spring flower season. The Fossil Park, which lies just next door to the park, has uncovered 200 different kinds of animals, many of them new to science.