Drive Time

1Bain’s Kloof
The road linking Wellington with Tulbach is an absolute must for the road-trip enthusiast. The Bain’s Kloof Pass winds a long, slow path for 30km across the mighty Limietberg Mountains. The town of Wellington on the Cape Town side of the pass once marked the extent of the Cape Colony. No one knew what lay beyond until A. D. Bain spotted a slight break in the mountains and, despite having no formal engineering training, built this masterpiece. He used convict labour to eke out a ledge across the mountainous barrier with construction plodded along at an agonizing 53 days per kilometer. It took 1608 working days to complete. Amazingly, the road was build without the aid of cement. Today on the pass you can see the convict memorial, original toll houses and Scotty’s Ring, used to hold down the most notorious convict, Scotty Smith. On the other side of the pass you can visit Ceres and the charming village of Tulbach, flattened by an earthquake in 1969, but now beautifully restored.

2Coastal road to Hermanus
The coastal road along the Overbergstrand offers one a look at possibly the most magnificent piece of coastline in SA, characterized by endless mountains dipping into the sea. The Harold Porter Botanical Gardens is definitely well worth a visit. If you are adventurous, go sandboarding on the huge dunes. If you are crazy, jump off the Palmiet River bridge or take the smaller dive off the nearby rock ledge. The sea in Hermanus is warm, the easily beaches accessible and safe, and the town is relaxed and easy-going. But the best reason to visit is undoubtedly the journey there!

3Lunch in Jonkershoek
Stellenbosch is famous for it’s wine, beautiful architechture and historic oak trees, while surrounding mountains leave a lasting impression on visitors. So once you’ve seen all the historic sites and heard the fascinating tale of Adam Tas, head out for lunch at one of the Cape’s best kept secrets, The Trout Café in Jonkershoek, just 9km from Stellenbosch. The road to jonkershoek winds it’s way past some of the country’s most beautiful wine estates. There’s flyfishing on your left hand side, where you can cast your line into one of the 6 dams. What-ever you do, dont miss out on the pan-fried trout and baked cheesecake of chef Jenna Gough.