Wine farms
The Stellenbosch Wine area hosts more than 130 wineries. Most are open to the public. Don’t miss the Delaire Graff estate, Guardian Peak belonging to Ernie Els and the Dornier wine estate and restaurant. Also try Delheim, Morgenhof, Beyerskloof and Boschendal. Go for a dessert wine and cheese tasting at Asara. You can even go wine tasting by bicycle!
Eating out
At 96 Winery Road, you can enjoy wonderful steaks – ask to eat in the cellar. If you want to taste wines from various vineyards in the area, the Wijnhuis is a good bet, set in historic Stellenbosch. The amazing views of Hidden Valley’s Overture restaurant are not to be missed, and Rust en Vrede has one of the best restaurants in the country. Eight at Spier serves organic gourmet dishes using Spier farm produce for authentic flavour and straight-from-the-land freshness. Visit the Hillcrest Berry Orchards for a delicious breakfast or lunch with a view of the Groot Drakenstein and Jonkershoek mountains.
Outdoor activities
Klein Moerbei is fifteen minutes from the closest beach (Strand/Gordon’s Bay) and half an hour from Muizenberg, the best place to learn to surf around the peninsula. Or go strawberry picking at Mooiberg on the R44, about five minutes away. Or go bird watching, cycling, or hiking. Why not go on a Wine Walk day in the area, starting from Delvera, and learn about wine farming first-hand! The walk includes a picnic lunch. Ask about the other Delvera hiking trails. At the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, you can hike, mountain-bike, do some fly-fishing or relax at the coffee shop. If you have more energy, go quad-biking in nearby Somerset West.
Wildlife
Stellenbosch Botanical Gardens has wonderful displays, among which are a lotus and koi fishpond and Japanese garden. The Giraffe House Wildlife Awareness Centre between Klapmuts and Stellenbosch with their range of birds, animals and reptiles is a great outing for the whole family. Don’t miss Le Bonheur crocodile farm or the Drakenstein Lion Park. And on the way to Paarl, you can’t leave out Butterfly World and the goats and peacocks at Fairview (besides the Fairview wines, that is)!
Art and culture
Regular music festivals are held at Spier and Oude Libertas outdoor amphitheatres. The Stellenbosch Art Gallery has a selection of fine art as well as handmade glass and ceramics. The Wijnland Auto Museum displays South Africa’s largest collection of classic and vintage cars. At the Stellenbosch Village Museum, you can move through time by visiting a series of four restored and authentically furnished buildings representing four style periods over the last three centuries.
Shopping
In Stellenbosch you’ll find a wonderful variety of shops including boutiques, curios, jewellery and antiques. At Oom Samie se Winkel (Uncle Samie’s Shop), an old rural trading post, you can step back 200 years and browse through everything from handmade straw brooms to charming handicrafts. The Stellenbosch Slow Food Market at Oude Libertas on Saturday mornings from 9 am is not to be missed.