Winelands and Whale Route Tour - 7 Day (Code T24)

Detailed Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Winelands - Franschhoek
Guests are met at any location of their choice in Cape Town from where we travel to and explore the town of Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch was founded by Simon van der Stel in 1679. He ordered the planting of Oak Trees, lining the streets and gardens. The City of Oaks, is the second oldest European settlement in South Africa and is home to the University of Stellenbosch. In the early days of the Second Boer War Stellenbosch was a British military base, and was used as a 'remount' camp in consequence of officers who had not distinguished themselves at the front. The town lies at the foot of the Cape Fold mountain range, which provides soil favorable to viticulture. Grapes grown in this area are mainly used for wine production, as opposed to table grapes. We then visit two wine estates near Stellenbosch for some insight into the wine making process before traveling to the town of Franschhoek.

Day 2: Winelands - Franschhoek
The Cape Dutch architecture in Franschhoek is untouched, with restrictions having been placed on the extent of renovations and new construction in order to preserve the spirit of the original settlers to the area. We visit the Huguenot Museum. The three high arches symbolizes the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The central female figure, personifies religious freedom with a bible in her one hand and broken chain in the other. She is casting off her cloak of oppression and her position on top of the globe shows her spiritual freedom. The fleur-de-lis on her robe represents a noble spirit and character.

The French Huguenots brought their knowledge of viticulture with them and upon receiving land from the Dutch East India Company many vineyards where established producing till today some of the world’s finest wines. After exploring the town visits are made to three wine estates in the Drakenstein Valley. This area is renowned for the fine quality wines it produces.

Day 4: Whale Route -Hermanus
Hermanus being well-known for the whales that make their way to bay to calf and mate during the months of May to November is also renowned for its fishing and perlemoen. The perlemoen derives its South African name from a corruption of the Dutch perlemoen, meaning mother-of-pearl, from the beautiful pearl-lined interior of its shell. It is known internationally as abalone or Venus ear. We visit the Hamilton Russell Wine Estate before enjoying lunch in town. After some time for relaxation guests will board a whale charter in New Harbor. The charter offers guests a closer look at the Giants of the Ocean with spectacular displays of Southern Right whales breaching the water, tail slapping and spy-hopping.

Day 5: Whale Route - Arniston
After breakfast the road turns inland offering guest’s sightings of South Africa’s National bird, the Blue Crane. These tall standing birds are endangered and are very special to the Xhosa, who call it Indwe. When a man distinguished himself by deeds of valor, he was often decorated by a chief by being presented with the feathers of this bird. We make our way towards Bredasdorp, a small town established around a Dutch Reformed Church in 1838. Besides the sheep farming, the town also boasts other agricultural activities, including wheat, milk, and indigenous fynbos cultivation.

The tour then travels on to Cape Agulhas (Portuguese for Cabo das Agulhas, "Cape of Needles") is the geographic southern tip of the African continent where we visit the lighthouse and museum. We reach the overnight destination, Arniston during the afternoon. Arniston is named after a ship that wrecked on the rocks at Waenhuiskrans. Only six of the 378 souls on board survived and were discovered by a farmer’s son on the beach after several days. It is a beautiful coastal town with a unique character.

Day 6: Whale Route - Arniston
Guests enjoy a guided tour of the village with a local from the community. Regarded as a living national monument, insight is gained into the village's fascinating past and some of the relics recovered from the ocean bed, such as coins, utensils and personal items, are on display. The afternoon is spent strolling down to the harbor where we watch the fishing boats coming in with the day's catch. We then take a walk to the Waenhuiskrans caves. Arniston Bay offers excellent whale sightings when the whales come to the secluded bay to calve and mate.