106 Best Sights in The Western Cape and Winelands, South Africa

Based in a converted old wine cellar, this complex between Franschhoek and Paarl can occupy a whole family for the afternoon. There's an award-winning craft brewery here, Soul Barrel, specializing in unique, barrel-aged beers, some fermented with yeast harvested from surrounding fynbos. The complex is also home to the tasting room of Painted Wolf Wines, best known for their spicy Shiraz, and Stillman Distillery, who make great gin. For kids and artsy types, you can design and paint a glass bowl at Fanglasstic, or just shop for some of their beautifully etched glassware. There's a restaurant on-site, as well as a kids' play area.

Sitting in a sea of vines is this estate with tremendous views back toward Stellenbosch and the mountains. Simonsig has more than a dozen white and red wines of impressive range, both in terms of taste and price. But the winery is best known for its bubbles. Kaapse Vonkel was South Africa's first Méthode Cap Classique, and since 1971 this classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and a touch of Pinot Meunier has been among the best. For R205 you can try your hand at the sabrage—de-corking a bottle of bubbly with a sword—and then enjoy anything you don't spill. The Pinotage demonstrates how well this varietal fares with no wood aging, but the Red Hill Pinotage, from old bush vines, shows just how much good oaking can improve it. Cuvee restaurant offers seasonal, locally inspired dishes in a relaxed environment.

Spice Route produces deep-flavored wines, using mostly untrellised "bush" vines. This practice, which is uncommon outside of South Africa, leads to fruit with great flavor intensity but lower volumes. Try the Spice Route Chakalaka, a signature Swartland blend, which has clove and savory notes. But there is much more to this estate than wine tasting. Spice Route was conceptualized as an artisan village, and it features a chocolatier, microbrewery, charcuterie, and distillery. You can hop between producers enjoying tastings of their wares. There's also a deli and a gift shop selling arts and crafts, plus two restaurants.

Abrie Bruwer, owner and winemaker at Springfield Estate, has a fan club, and for good reason. If the wine doesn't meet Bruwer's stringent standards, it isn't released. Although the Whole Berry Cabernet has its loyal following, this innovative estate is also known for its unusual approach to white wines, especially Chardonnay. The Méthode Ancienne Chardonnay is made in the original Burgundy style, a technique that uses wild yeast and no fining or filtration. It has tropical fruit flavors, layered with lime and cream. The creamy Wild Yeast Chardonnay, with its all-natural fermentation, is an unwooded version of the above and comes highly recommended. Another great white is the Special Cuvée. It originates from the estate's prime Sauvignon Blanc vineyard and has notes of passion fruit and nettle. Miss Lucy, an unusual white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Sauvignon Gris, and Pinot Gris, was created as an ode to the ocean. Free cellar tours are available weekdays.

Located deep in the Cederberg, this complex of caves is wonderful at sunset, when the rays light up the russet landscape. It's highly likely that the San once called these caves home, and as you wander through the different caverns, you could imagine it making a pretty spectacular place to live. Nearby is a San rock art site, where you'll find centuries-old paintings of elephants and people etched onto the rocks. Although it's a long and bumpy drive to get here from the N7, it's still one of the most accessible rock art sites in the Cederberg because it requires only a gentle stroll from the car park. Permits to visit the caves and rock art can be purchased at Algeria Forest Station or Dwarsrivier Farm, home of Cederberg Private Cellar. When you pay for your permit you'll be given the combination to a lock on the entry gate.

This museum includes four dwellings scattered within a two-block radius. Dating from different periods in Stellenbosch's history, the houses have been furnished to reflect changing lifestyles and tastes. The oldest is the very basic Schreuderhuis, built in 1709. The others date from 1789, 1803, and 1850.

On the slopes of the Simonsberg, just off the Helshoogte Pass, this is an excellent example of the exciting developments in the Cape Winelands since the early 1980s, when farmers began to eye land that hadn't traditionally been earmarked for vineyards. When Gyles and Barbara Webb started the farm in 1983, there was nothing here but very good soil and old fruit trees. It's a testament to their efforts that the winery has regularly won prizes for both its reds and whites ever since. To cap it all off, the view of the Groot Drakenstein Mountains from the tasting room is unforgettable. Ever the pioneers, the Webbs have also bought Sutherland, an old fruit farm in the Elgin area. The Sutherland wines, which can be tasted at Thelema, are wonderfully fragrant; look out for the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

From August to early October, the wonderful Tienie Versfeld Wildflower Reserve is an unpretentious, uncommercial little gem showing off a range of South African veld plants. Look out for the geophytes—plants uniquely adapted for this type of environment—which come in a striking array of sizes and colors.

The House of Krone at Twee Jonge Gezellen specializes in the production of sparkling wine. One of the finest and oldest wineries in the area, it's known for its fantastic Cap Classiques, particularly Krone Borealis Vintage Cuvée Brut. Ask about booking a tasting down in the atmospheric cellar—a delight in summer when Tulbagh's temperatures regularly pass 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

This winery between Robertson and Bonnievale produces around 60 wines, as well as whiskey, brandy, and wine coolers, so there's something to suit most palates. In addition to sampling the wines, be sure to visit the unusual grounds of this family-owned farm. An established garden of native and exotic plants and trees surrounds a fountain that supplies the entire farm. You can sit out under the trees and have the various wines brought to you. It's very relaxed and friendly, with approachable wines and an unpretentious atmosphere. The tasting room offers 10 different tastings, including pairings with cheese, chocolate, and a selection of sweets. There is even a nonalcoholic tasting and a pairing for kids.

Since starting in wine making in 1984, the Grier family has notched numerous successes. As John Platter, one of South Africa's foremost wine writers, once said, "Other winemakers might jog or work out in the gym; Jeff Grier gets all the exercise he needs stepping up to the podium for wine industry awards." The farm is famous for its range of Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wines. Try the Brut Natural, which is 100% Chardonnay and made using wild yeast; it has no added sulfur and no added sugar. The barrel-fermented Chenin Blanc is also very popular. Registered as a biodiversity farm, the winery produces chemical-free wines as much as possible; they use ducks to help control the snails and work to attract raptors to scare off the smaller birds that feast on the ripening grapes. There's no restaurant on-site, but they do offer cheese boards and a bubbly and nougat pairing if you book ahead. You can also combine a wine tasting with a drive through the 545-acre wildlife sanctuary (two hours, R350), where you'll see eland, gemsbok, giraffe, bush pig, and other wild animals. Booking is essential for the game drives.

Built in the style of a Tuscan villa, this modern winery lacks the centuries-old pedigree of many of its peers, but it more than makes up for this in the quality of its wine. The flagship is The Jem, a decadent and complex red blend featuring eight grape varietals. It wins accolades and awards on every release—you'll pay an extra R185 to taste it, but it's worth the splurge. The estate is also known for its chocolate and wine pairing experience (R150) which you can enjoy in the tree-lined courtyard of the winery. The on-site restaurant, Salt, offers unpretentious bistro fare for lunch. There are hikes and safari drives through the estate; advance bookings for these is essential.

About 20 minutes from Langebaan, West Coast Fossil Park is one of the richest fossil sites in the world. It was discovered by chance while the area was being mined for phosphates in the 1950s. Since then, more than 200 kinds of fossilized animals have been collected, including the fearsome African bear, which used to roam this area. The park has been declared a national monument, and the curators have done much to make the park as accessible as possible. There are interactive guided tours, hiking trails through the area, and interesting archaeological workshops for all ages. There's also a children's play park and a coffee shop where you can sample South African specialities like roosterkoek (dough cooked over coals and filled with meat, cheese, or jam).

Even if you don't stop at the West Coast National Park, consider driving along the scenic road that runs through it. The park is a fabulous mix of wetlands and coastal fynbos. On a sunny day the lagoon assumes a magical color, made all the more impressive by blinding white beaches and the sheer emptiness of the place. Birders can have a field day identifying waterbirds, including curlew and bar-tailed godwits. The little mountain at the tip of the reserve where ships would drop off their mail on their trip around the Cape, is open only in flower season, which changes from year to year but falls somewhere between mid-August and early October. 

It's easy to run out of superlatives when describing West Coast flowers, but imagine acres of land carpeted in multicolored blooms as far as the eye can see. If you're lucky, you may catch glimpses of zebra, wildebeest, or bat-eared foxes. Keep an eye out for tortoises crossing the road. There is a handful of cute cottages dotted around the park if you'd like to stay over, or for something a little more unusual, check out the houseboats permanently moored in the lagoon. Accommodations get booked up months in advance for flower season, so plan ahead.

As you head out of Cape Town on the N1 or R27 on your way up the coast, it's easy to whiz past the tiny whitewashed settlement of Mamre on the R304. But it's worth turning off here to check out the old thatch buildings that made up the Moravian Mission Station, founded in 1808. The church here is almost always open, but phone ahead to make sure. All the buildings dating from this period have been restored and declared national monuments. It is signposted in Afrikaans: Morawiese Kerk. Unfortunately, the rest of the town is unlovely and crippled with the usual ills of unemployment and poverty.

Because of its location in the less fashionable part of the Winelands, this large cellar a few miles outside Malmesbury has had to work hard for its place in the sun. Previously a well-kept secret among local cost- and quality-conscious wine experts, it's garnering an international reputation. In 2013 and 2014 alone, the winery won four bronze and two silver Decanter World Wine Awards. It is particularly proud of its Bushvine range, and the Bushvine Shiraz and Bushvine Pinotage were ranked among the top 100 SA wines in 2012.