The Western Province on the South Western corner of South Africa is the most beautiful province. It has an extensive coastline and magnificent scenery, and attracts the most tourism.
With majestic mountain ranges, exquisite valleys and long pristine white beaches the landscape is one of extraordinary natural beauty. It has the cold Atlantic on the west coast and the warm Indian Ocean along the south.
In the interior is the arid Karoo plateau.
Cape Town is the capital city, dramatically spectacular beneath the towering Table Mountain, overlooking Table Bay. Early settlers from Europe settled below the mountains where the rivers met, and built a harbour in Table Bay.
The San people had called the area Camissa, meaning Sweet Waters.
Other major towns of the Western Cape are Stellenbosch, Paarl, Worcester and George.
Inland from Cape Town are the Winelands and fruit growing farms with small towns like Franschhoek and Wellington, established 300 years ago by Huguenots and famous for wonderful epicurean food and superb wines.
The Western Cape has a wide variety of charming and enchanting smaller towns.
The West Coast extends north of Cape Town along the cold Atlantic Ocean.
East of Cape Town the Southern Cape Garden Route runs along the warmer Indian ocean, with the Overberg Mountains.
Along the West Coast are quaint fishing villages like PaterNoster and Langebaan. In spring there is a fantastic display of billions of blooming brilliantly coloured wildflowers.The only natural harbour is Saldanha Bay.
To the east of Cape Town are smaller towns like Gordons Bay, an exquisite little town overlooking an aquamarine bay, and Hermanus, a pretty village famous for whale watching.
Further inland towards the Garden Route is the elegant historical town of Swellendam, established in 1743, in picturesque mountains and fertile valleys.
Mossel Bay has one of the mildest climates on the planet. It is a small harbour town on the Indian Ocean with serene natural beauty and the glorious Diaz beach, named after the Portuguese explorer who landed here in 1488.
George is another beautiful town in the Outeniqua Mountains and valleys, and about 16 kms away from the Wilderness.The Wilderness is a magical village on the Touws River Estuary surrounded by Nature Reserves and overlooking an astoundingly beautiful beach on the Indian Ocean.
The Garden Route continues to Knysna and the Lagoon and Plettenberg Bay, some of South Africa's most favourite holiday destinations with wide open natural landscapes and exquisite beaches.
Nature's Valley is a Nature Reserve in the fairytale Tsitsikamma Forests. These lush indigenous rainforests of ancient trees and ferns, have rivers and waterfalls and perfect unspoilt beaches along the glorious coast and continue up to the gorgeous Storms River mouth.
The vegetation of the Western Cape is the unique Cape Floral Kingdom. With the largest number of species and richest plant diversity it is a World Heritage Site. Stretching over spectacular mountain and ocean scenery it includes fynbos, a type of evergreen heather, proteas, flowering shrubs and trees.
The Western Province is the 4th largest of South Africa's Nine State Provinces.Wonderful and varied accommodation in the Western Province is available everywhere from luxury hotels, game lodges, to self catering seaside houses with beach access.
