The Cape West Coast Region

Captivating Cave Paintings, Fossils and Flowers

An undiscovered destination of unparalleled serenity and beauty

What is still an almost undiscovered treasure trove of unspoilt beaches, incredible mountain ranges, rich geographical diversity, archaeology, bushman art and the most astounding carpet of wildflowers in spring, has unfolded into an up and coming destination for busman’s art and nature lovers.

The Cape West Coast stretches from Cape Town as far as the border with the Northern Cape at Touws River, including within its parameters the indescribably beautiful Cederberg Mountains, famous for centuries-old rock art. All along this stretch of coastline is a series of quaint historic towns and fishing villages with names like Lambert’s Bay, Paternoster, Saldanha and Langebaan that today roll with ease off the tongue, but until fairly recently were left to languor in relative obscurity.

Salt of the earth residents make the area from Ganzekraal to Strandfontein their home, where snoek, mussels and crayfish are a way of life and ‘bokkoms’ (salted mullet strung up in bunches and left to dry) is the local delicacy. Route 27 on the Cape West Coast is a seafood mecca and a number of open-air beach restaurants offer unsurpassed seafood fresh from the sea, cooked on open fires whilst you watch the sun sink slowly over the sea.

The West Coast is a region of the Western Cape province in South Africa and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the Swartland region on the east.

The region stretches for over 400 km from north to south and is well known for its scenic beauty and fertile fishing grounds. The main towns in this region are Saldahna, Paternoster, Vredenburg, Velddrift, St Helena Bay Langebaan, Hopefield, Darling and Yzerfontein.The region’s main nature reserve is the West Coast National Park.