Step into the great outdoors and you’ll be transported into a varied and diverse range of biomes, crammed with everything from indigenous riparian and montane forests to arid Karoo savanna or swaying fields of fynbos. Ensconced within this botanical treasure trove here at the southern tip of Africa, you will discover the world’s sixth and smallest plant kingdom - the Cape Floristic Region.
This incredibly rich and diverse selection of heathland or fynbos vegetation includes proteas, restios, ericas, sedges and geophytes. It is this botanical landscape which characterises the Cape Peninsula and its immediate surrounds, in the process shaping a region rated by The National Geographic Society as one of the world’s most important ‘biodiversity hotspots’.
Outdoor Adventure Options
Geographically, the province may be divided into 6 distinctive regions - the Cape Peninsula, Cape Winelands (of which includes the Breede River Valley), West Coast, Overberg, Garden Route & Klein Karoo, Central Karoo - and each of these offer their own unique brand of outdoor magic.
National parks, wilderness areas and nature reserves within each of these Western Cape regions abound, offering excellent Western Cape outdoor adventure options, as do a budding range of private conservancies created by landowners keen to secure a slice of the eco-tourism pie. Good infrastructure, breathtaking natural splendour, affordable prices and an intoxicating culture make the Western Cape Province offer something to suit every taste. There’s really no other place quite like it!
There are numerous day trip options in the Cape to blood your kloofing skills. The Palmiet offers an easy intro into river running, and also...
The major reason for retaining the Western Cape mountains as pristine natural regions is that they are important water catchment areas in an...
My surf buddy, Luke Stevens, and I had been talking for years about packing a van with all our toys and hitting the coastal road for a wind ...