The mountainous Western Cape province extends from the Cape of Good Hope on the south-western tip of Africa 400km north and 500km east. It is South Africa’s fourth-largest province. It is bounded by the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape.
It is best known for Cape Town, South Africa’s ‘Mother City’, a popular travel destination that is home to Table Mountain and beautiful beaches, among many other attractions.
North of Cape Town, the West Coast incorporates the West Coast National Park, well known for birds and spring flowers (in late August and September), and the West Coast Fossil Park in Langebaan. Also in the province is the Cederberg, an area of contrast where 71 000ha of rugged mountains are offset in spring by carpets of yellow, orange, blue and purple flowers.
Along the province's eastern coastline lies the picturesque Garden Route, which stretches several hundred kilometres from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. This is one of the country's most popular routes: your clients can either drive it themselves or take a package tour along it.
The Western Cape’s beaches are beautiful, some with mountains rushing down to meet a turquoise ocean. The most popular bathing beaches in Cape Town include Clifton, Camps Bay, Muizenberg and Fish Hoek, while others, such as Llandudno and Noordhoek, are popular among surfers.
The wine-growing areas of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington, Franschhoek, Ceres, Worcester, Bonnievale and Robertson are popular attractions, where a Mediterranean climate favours the production of superb wines.
The province is also renowned for its fresh seafood, from line fish to lobster, prawns, snoek and sole. Most restaurants have fish on the menu and fresh fish is sold from the boats in Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay.
Infrastructure in the Western Cape is excellent, with a well-maintained road system linking the main centres and outlying regions – the Karoo, West Coast, Winelands, Overberg and Garden Route. Cape Town International Airport is the second busiest in the country, after OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
From the waterfront hotels of Cape Town to campsites in national parks, guest houses, B&Bs and luxury apartments, there’s a variety of accommodation options to suit all tastes.