Western Cape
Overview
The Western Cape Province is a place of exceptional beauty. It is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape Province, on the east by the Eastern Cape
Province, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It is roughly the size of England or the US state of Louisiana. The Breede
and Berg Rivers are the major waterways of the province.
The capital is
Cape Town (the most popular tourist destination) and other major cities include
Stellenbosch,
Worcester,
Paarl,
Mossel Bay, and
George.
Bestowed with two
of Africa's most dramatic landmarks,
Table Mountain
and
Cape Point, the Western Cape is a floral paradise of rich fertile winelands, secluded bays, fine
white sandy beaches and lush green coastal forests. Hugging the shores are picturesque villages overlooking some of the country's finest beaches. The Western
Cape coast is known as the '
Whale Coast' because of the large number of whales that migrate to these shores every year. In striking contrast to this,
seperated by the Langeberg range, is the seemingly endless landscape of the semi-arid Karoo. Travelers
can enjoy a wide variety of accommodation in
luxury hotels,
holiday resorts,
camping and caravan sites as well
as
self-catering guest cottages.
As you see from the previous paragraph, the Western Cape's geography is exceptionally diverse. Most of the province falls within the Cape Fold Belt, a range
of sandstone folded mountains of Permian to Carboniferous age that range in height from 1000m to 2300m. The valleys between ranges are generally very fertile
and contains alluvial loamy to clay soils. The far interior forms part of the Karoo Basin and is generally arid and hilly with a sharp escarpment in the
north. Coastal areas range from sandy between capes, to rocky to steep and mountainous in places. The Western Cape is also the southernmost region of the
African continent with Cape Agulhas as its southernmost point, only 3800km from the Antarctic coastline. The dependency of the Prince Edward Islands are
subantarctic islands, which experience year-round cool to cold temperatures with high precipitation and little annual deviation on both accounts.
The Vegetation is also extremely diverse, with one of the world's seven floral kingdoms almost exclusively endemic to the province, namely the
Cape Floral Kingdom,
most of which is covered by Fynbos (Afrikaans: Fine Bush). It is extremely rich in species diversity, with more plant species occurring on Table
Mountain than the entire United Kingdom. It is characterised by various types of shrubs, thousands of flowering plant species and some small trees. Although
the Cape Floral Kingdon is the smallest of the world's seven floral 'kingdoms', it is nevertheless one of the most varied and considered to be in botanical
terms the richest area on earth. Of the 8500 plus plant species found in the fynbos, 6000 are endemic to specific areas.
The
Cape Winelands area, of which
Stellenbosch
is the popular capital, is a scenically enchanting region of dramatic mountains and fertile valleys, planted
with vines stretching across rolling fields. It is a wonderful combination of small historic towns, beautiful scenery and wine estates producing delicious
wines and brandies.
African Game species are well represented and nature reserves and national parks in the Cape are home to the
Bontebok,
Cape Mountain Zebra,
Baboon and
Cape
Fox to mention only a few of the many wildlife species to be found. The southern coastline is an important breeding ground for the Southern Right Whale,
providing some of the best whale watching experiences in the world.
The arid interior is dominated by Karoo drought-resistant shrubbery. The
West Coast and
Little Karoo are semi-arid regions and are typified by many species
of succulents and drought-resistant shrubs and acacia trees. The arid north-western Cape is also famed for its wild flowers. After the first rains in spring
(mid-August to mid-September), the fields of
Namaqualand,
part of the great semi-desert expanses of the Karoo, stretch out in blankets of vivid, luminous
floral colour.
The Western Cape has many distinct micro- and macroclimates created by the varied geography and the influence of both the Indian (warm water) and Atlantic
(cold water) oceans. Most of the province is considered to have a 'Mediterranean' type of climate with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The interior
Karoo has a semi-arid climate with cold, frosty winters and hot summers with occasional thunderstorms. The
Garden Route and the
Overberg on the south coast
have a maritime climate with cool, moist winters and mild, moist summers.
Mossel Bay in the Garden Route is considered to have the second mildest climate
worldwide after Hawaii. The Garden Route is extremely lush, with temperate rainforest (or Afromontane Forest) covering many areas adjacent to the coast and
along the mountain ranges. Typical species are hardwoods of exceptional height, such as Yellowwood, Stinkwood and Ironwood trees. Thunderstorms are generally
rare in the province, except in the Karoo interior, with most precipitation being of a frontal or orographic nature. Extremes of heat and cold are common
inland, but rare near the coast. Snow is a common winter occurrence on the higher lying ground, however frost is relatively rare in coastal areas and many of
the heavily cultivated valleys.
The inland
Cederberg mountains lie about 250km north of Cape Town. The Cederberg is an extensive, little-visited but fabulous mountain range. Visitors to the
mountains are treated to some weird and spectacular rock formations as well as some jaw-dropping views. From the top of Sneeuwberg on a clear day you will be
able to see the distant ocean!