The West Coast stretches from Cape Town to the Namibian border but, if you’re looking for a road trip from the Mother City to the West Coast, there are endless fun activities to enjoy this weekend.
Here are some fun activities for you and the family to enjoy when driving along the vast West Coast:
Visit the West Coast National Park
Drive along Route 37 to the West Coast National Park. Every year between August and September, the park showcases some of the most beautiful wildflowers. For those who would like to explore the regions of the park at their own pace, the popular Route 27 Farm Stall runs tours through the reserve on motor-assisted bicycles.
Learn about the San culture
The San people, who form part of various Khoisan-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer communities spanning across Southern Africa, were the first people to occupy parts of South Africa. If you want to know more about these wonderful people should head out to Khwa ttu.
Located in Yzerfontein, this educational centre provides awesome adventure activities, including mountain biking, trail running and tours offering a fascinating insight into the culture, heritage and skills of the San.
Seafood galore
A trip to the West Coast would not be complete without enjoying some delicious seafood. One of the best restaurants for all seafood lovers is the Strandkombuis. This highly recommended restaurant serves everything from warm smoked snoek, tender fried calamari steak strips and deliciously braaied prawns with mouth-watering garlic sauce.
Be sure to visit the restaurant on a Sunday afternoon as they serve seafood buffets. Nestled in the dunes between a nature reserve and a beach, it offers the perfect backdrop for a lunch pitstop. There are also some accommodation options available at Strandkombuis if you would like to stay over.
Sample fresh West Coast oysters
If oysters are something you enjoy, head on over to Saldanha. Here you’d be able to enjoy a fresh oyster right from the ocean. Some of the best oyster and mussel farms located in Saldanha are also known to supply some of the country’s top fine-dining restaurants, but if you’re after a bargain, pull into the harbour and pick up a cooler full of the freshest oysters at low prices.
Visit SimplyBee in Hopefield
As we all know, bees play a huge role in the health of our planet. When driving along the West Coast, head on over to Simply Bee in Hopefield. Here you and your kids can learn all about bees while taking a look at what a functional beehive looks like from the inside.
Chilled times on Elandsbaai beach
Just over 200km from Cape Town, you’ll find the quaint coastal village of Elandsbaai. A major drawcard of this pretty bay is the surfing waves.
Visit the West Coast Fossil Park
The Cape West Coast used to be filled with a wide variety of fascinating animals, some of which resemble the creatures which no longer live on the African continent.
If you’re a sucker for palaeontology (the study of the history of life - based on fossils), head on over to the West Coast Fossil Park, where you will be able to see the well-preserved remains of the animals that roamed the area about five million years ago.