West Coast and Namaqualand Flower Tour

The West Coast Overland Tour - "Bokkems en Branders"

Day 1: Cape Town to Clanwilliam.
Travel along the lesser-used but more interesting roads through Durbanville, Paarl and Wellington, to a lovely farm stall near the foot of the Bainskloof pass for tea or coffee. Backtrack through Wellington and Hermon to pause for a photo on the hill overlooking the Riebeeck Kasteel valley. Resume your journey past the sheep, wheat and wine farms of Moorreesburg and Piketberg for your picnic lunch break somewhere near the top of Piekenierskloof Pass.

Descend into the citrus-producing valley of Citrusdal and continue past numerous farm stalls to reach Clanwilliam by mid-afternoon. Visit the Rooibos Tea complex to taste this unique tea with all it's remarkable properties and uses, and see the variety of products which can be made from it.

Day 2: Clanwilliam to Lambert's Bay.
After a leisurely breakfast there is time to visit the leather factory where a variety of leather products, mostly shoes and belts, are handmade. During the spring flower season, the nearby "blommekerk", (flower church), is also worth a visit.

After a cup of tea or coffee, we leave for the coastal fishing village of Lambert's Bay. Firstly book in at the lodgings before driving to the nearby harbour.

Visit "Bird Island", (now connected to the mainland), on foot to visit the colonies of penguins, Kelp gulls and thousands of beautifully-plumaged Cape gannets in their breeding grounds, all calling to their mates simultaneously. For your lunch break, one of the restaurants in the harbour is highly recommended with it's maritime atmosphere and shell-strewn floor. Explore the town on foot and perhaps take a stroll on the beach. Whales are quite often seen along this coast throughout the year, so do keep an eye open for them.

Tonight's dinner will consist mainly of seafood dishes, cooked to perfection.

Day 3: Lambert's Bay to Berg River.
After breakfast, follow the coastal road at leisure to the fishing village of Elandsbaai. Drive past the fishing harbour with it's unique boat retrieval system and stop at the San, (Bushmen), paintings. Weather permitting, continue to a viewsite overlooking the Bay. Retrace your steps to the Eland Hotel for an optional snack before continuing past "Verlorenvlei" where you may see some of the normally prolific bird life.

Continue southwards past Dwarskersbos and stop at the salt pans near Velddrif to observe the Flamingo's feeding in the shallows of the Berg River.

Follow the course of the Berg River to reach our destination "Kersefontein".

A declared National Monument, this wheat and Hereford farm is run by owner- custodian Julian Melck, eighth-generation descendant of the original German immigrant-owner, Martin Melck. You will be warmly welcomed and shown to your room in the guest house after which you will have time to explore the surroundings and visit the interesting pub created by farmer-aviator Julian.

Dinner is served in the dining hall of this beautifully-furnished manor house.

Day 4: Berg River to Cape Town.
Depart Kersefontein after breakfast and follow the road to explore the hamlets of St. Helena and Paternoster, where most of the inhabitants are dependant on fishing for their livelihood.

Drive through Vredenburg to the port of Saldanha to see the mussel farms in the lagoon. This harbour is the end of the line for the more than 600 kilometer railway line transporting high-grade iron ore from the mining town of Sishen. A channel of deeper than 30 meters has been dredged to cater for the giant ore carriers that transport the constant stream of ore that arrives twice daily.

Follow the road hugging the lagoon edge to the resort of Langebaan.

Stroll along the beach or enjoy a drink or lunch in one of the restaurants nearby.

Depart in time to arrive back in Cape Town in the late afternoon.

Price pp. sharing: Price available on request

Included	Bed and breakfasts, dinners, picnic lunch on day one, entrances, Rooibos tea tasting
Excluded	lunches not specifically included, gratuities, items of a personal nature

Departure time:	08h30
Time of return:	17h30

WEST COAST TOUR

The West Coast Overland Tour - "Bokkems en Branders"