The
Garden Route and Eastern Cape
offers a magnitude of Towns and routes
to follow. Read more below.
-Garden
Route Tours, Cape Country, Swellendam
Swellendam,
South Africa, Garden Route... The picturesque little
town of Swellendam is just off the N2 about 240
km outside of Cape Town and connects the Southern
Overberg with the Garden Route.
Swellendam
lies at the foot of the Langeberg Mountains and
has become popular in recent times as a place to
retire and as a retreat for artists seeking a lifestyle
outside of the city rat race. One of the oldest
settlements of colonial times, Swellendam is seeped
in history and buildings such as the Drostdy date
back to the time when Swellendam was declared a
magisterial district in 1743 and named after Governor
Hendrik Swellendgrebel and his wife, Helena Ten
Damme.
The
Tourism Bureau in Swellendam provides a brochure,
aptly entitled ‘Swellendam Treasures’,
full of appealing snippets of information and tours
about the various National Monuments in Swellendam
and the surrounding area and the Drostdy Museum
is definitely worth a visit to ogle the amazing
collection of late 18th and early 19th century Cape
furniture.
Swellendam,
Cape Overberg. Today Swellendam, apart from being
a peaceful and certainly an appealing town with
its numerous restaurants and pubs that make it such
a popular stop-off en route one of many Garden Route
Tours, is also a flourishing agricultural village.
Swellendam
is the largest youngberry growing area in the world,
due mainly to the unique microclimate of the Hermitage
valley just a few kilometres outside of Swellendam,
and includes farms such as Wildebraam Liqueur farm,
which offers liqueur tasting and a cellar tour.
The foot of the Langeberg is home to a number of
fruit and dairy farms whilst the dryer and flatter
region, further in from the mountain, is predominantly
sheep and grain farming.
Swellendam,
South Africa... Only 6 km outside of Swellendam
is the Bontebok National Park, home to the rare
and beautiful antelope of the same name and dedicated
to saving it. 126 different species of bird have
been identified here and there are other small buck
and charming picnic spots on the banks of the Breede
River or during an variety of Safaris and Game drives.
The Marloth Nature Reserve offers gorgeous examples
of the local wild flowers and fynbos and the hiking
trails alone make it worth the visit. The 81 km
Swellendam trail provides a number of stopover huts
at regular intervals and there are several day walks.
Swellendam
has retained its ability to refresh both gastronomically
and cerebrally - it began its life as a refreshment
station for those undertaking the rather tedious
journey up the coast - with the beauty of its surroundings
and the fine fare provided by its coffee shops and
restaurants.
Looking
to book a Game
Drive or Safaris in South Africa?
>>View and book a Garden Route Safari / Tours<<
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