Olifants River Meander

The Olifant’s River meanders through the valley bringing life to the surrounding area. Without the water this beautiful world of green, the heavy fragrance of the citrus groves that greet you as you drive along, the proud farming community with the renowned Groen Vallei wines would cease to exist.

There are many beautiful villages hidden away, that offer warm hospitality to visitors. You can travel around the region for days and days and never get bored.

The majestic Cederberg mountain range towers over Citrusdal; the hub of the citrus growing industry in South Africa. Only two hours drive from Cape Town … this town seems worlds apart with its old-world charm and values. Citrusdal is unique in that it is surrounded by mountains; the Koue Bokkeveld, Swartberg and Cederberg form a ring around the town with its far stretching orchards that become a wonder world when the orange trees are heavily laden with ripe oranges.

Driving along the farm roads at this time of year is a surreal experience, no matter where you look, you are surrounded by the heavy smell and the bright orange that make the trees look like they are hung with Christmas decorations. The valley produce high-quality honey, rooibos tea and excellent wines, but the oranges are the real treat. By the time you get to your destination at the Hot Springs Resort you are enchanted and ready to forget about work, stress and city life.

For those workaholics who cannot tear themselves away, there are numerous establishments offering both catered and self-catering, basic and luxurious accommodation in Citrusdal that will cater to your every need. For the more energetic; the Cederberg hiking trails beckon and the Observatory on Dwarsrivier farm is worth a visit.

The hamlet of Clanwilliam beckons to be explored. This is one of the ten oldest towns in South Africa, where you can walk trough the museum that was originally the jailhouse and see San artefacts. The  village is famous for the local industry; veldskoene [loosely translated as leather shoes], this is a unique type of hardwearing raw leather shoes that are handmade and worn by farmers.

Clanwillian is situated on the Olifant’s River Dam; an 18 km long dam that feeds a huge part of the region and in a year with good rainfall it is truly an awesome spectacle to see all the sluice gates open and feel the vibration as the water thunders over the dam wall.

Useful Links
For more in depth information about the area please visit:
Olifants River Valley
Olifants River Valley Wine Route
Olifants River Valley Accommodation
Western Cape Accommodation

Also See:
An interesting post about the wild flowers in the region is available at the Velvet Escape Blog at A Kaleidescope of Colour. The author aptly describes his experience of the phenomenon of the Cape Flower Route in Spring.