Hermanus Wildflowers, Wild Woman and Whales; Moyo Dining Experience

Spring (UK fall) in Hermanus yields wild flowers and whales in abundance. Easy trails through Fernkloof Nature Reserve lead us through green hills decorated with sprays of pinks, yellows, reds, whites, blues and even charcoals.



Waterfalls pour into a pool of liquid stained by tannins to the color of dark brewed tea. The rockfill dam reservoir is up to 70% this week, but will empty in summer.


A steep descent drops us into to Bientang's Cave Restaurant in Walker Bay, named after a completely self-sufficient woman who protected her cave in the late 1800s. She hurled rocks and insults at intruders, and then disappeared under mysterious circumstances. While gorging ourselves on grilled line-fish and calamari ($35 for 2), we spot our first whale, a Southern Right. (And no, I am not trying to pass off a log floating on the Thames for a whale - this is for real!)


After lunch, we stroll along the Fernkloof Cliff Path, spotting almost a dozen Southern Right and Humpback whales breaching, diving, spouting, and swimming on the surface

One final photo of a Dassie (Cape Hyrax - most closely related to the elephant) lounging on the patio of a posh house overlooking the ocean is a whimsical end to a day of flora and fauna in Hermanus.

The day may have ended but we still need to experience Moyo at Spier. It is a chilly evening to dine under tents, and the blankets Moyo provides never quite keep me warm. Shortly after we are seated, a woman uses a delicate brush to paint our faces with what I describe as "white-out." We swivel around to view dancers on one entertainment stage and can peer a bit in the distance to see entertainers on a second stage. The buffet offers ostrich, venison, mussels, fish, and many native dishes I cannot begin to describe. We enjoy everything we try. A man gives us each a postcard to fill out and address to any place in the world, and he promises to stamp and post it for us (mine arrives home in the UK a few days after I return). Five singers croon sweetly at our table during dessert. Our bill for two, including our share of two bottles of Pinotage, is less than $60 including tips. After living in the UK, this is like eating for free!

Vergelegen, Lanzarec, Rust en Vrede

Our next stop was Vergelegan on the “Helderberg” wine route. We passed through a guarded gate to a fabulous estate. The founder, Willem Adrain van der Stel, was an employee of the Dutch East India Company. The company exiled him to The Netherlands and divided his estate into quarters when they learned he had built up his holdings using company funds. Anglo American Corporation of South Africa recently bought and restored the estate to glory. The home has a South African style thatched roof which appears thinner than those in UK. We wandered through the home admiring the Cape Dutch furnishings and an especially flattering picture of Bill, Hillary, and Nelson Mandela. In the gardens, we marveled at ginormous (neologism) camphor trees planted by van der Stel between 1700 and 1706.

We were then whisked off to learn how wine is produced in South Africa (like most places in the world). The winery is largely built into the side of a small mountain with views of mountains on one side and the sea on the other. It was so windy that it was difficult to walk from the van to the winery. After our tour, it was back down the hill for another seated wine tasting.

We drove to the Lanzarec winery in the Jonkershoek Valley for lunch. Kris had fish but I went for the buffet – oxtail soup, curried fish, sweet sour chicken, flan, cheesecake – not many vegetables. ($30 total). Of course, after lunch we proceeded to the obligatory wine tasting.

Rust en Vrede were in the midst of renovations, but we persevered through our last wine tasting of the day.

We stopped in town for snacks and an internet fix (<$1 for 0-15 minutes). We skipped dinner again, noshing on fruit and left over Dieu Donne cheese.

Lourensford Coffee and Wine Tasting

The weather was not cooperating so Elizabeth took us out for a day of coffee and wine tasting. On our way to the coffee tasting, we passed through Somerset West which is on the southern tip of Stellenbosch with a view of the sea. The homes were beautiful but highly secure. Groups of homes were bordered with high metal fences, individual homes were surrounded by high metal fences, every home had an alarm system and every window had burglar bars. They tried to make these security defenses as decorative as possible, but these homes were mini-fortresses. I sense real fear in the midst of spectacular mountain and ocean views.

At Lourensford, we watched beans being roasted and packed for mail delivery to customers. The Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel had some fairly horrific descriptions of what can go wrong. Kris tried the Terranova from Zambia. I bought and shared “husks” which were like healthy biscotti – made from flour, buttermilk, coconut, sesame seeds, currants, sunflower seeds, bran, butter, raising agents, and sugar.

I'm posing in front of a metal sculpture of a wine vine. By now, it was 10 am and time for our first wine tasting. We sat down and had 4 varieties poured for a small fee.

Stellenbosch Walking Tour & Dieu Donne in Franschhoek

After settling into our rooms, we proceeded to the university town of Stellenbosch for a walking tour. The local guide handed out umbrellas and started with a brief history of Stellenbosch, founded in 1679 and the 2nd oldest town (after Cape Town) in South Africa. First stop was to the H-shaped Rhenish (of or related to the Rhine River) Parsonage.

Our guide was most excited about the Stellenbosch water scheme for residents. The river running through town is diverted down two paths before it reaches the “mill”. Half the residents get free water for their gardens on one day and the other half get free water on the next day. Our guide knows residents who won't leave home until their water has been received.

We strolled through South Africa’s oldest hostlery d’Ouwe Werf Hotel and its fine 1802 Restaurant. We briskly passed by key sights, including the Moederkerk (French Huguenots) and ending at the Theological Seminary, established in 1859 to train ministers for the Dutch Reformed Church. Between the difficult South African accent of our walking tour guide and Elizabeth's relative lack of interest in history, I did not glean many factoids from this tour.

We passed over Helsoogte Pass to Franschhoek (French corner). We enjoyed our first of many wine-tastings ($2.50 per person for 5 wines – we sampled Maingard Brut, Shiraz, Pinotage, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon) at one of the smallest wine estates in the country – Dieu Donne. This was followed by a leisurely (all-afternoon leisurely) lunch at Dieu Donne. Kris and I both started with lamb and lentil soup. I had a cheese platter, and was able to save half of the cheese for our mini-bar. Kris had paella and a delicious ale from the Dieu Donne microbrewery ($45 for both meals). By now, it was 4 pm and time to return to Rosenview for some rest before dinner (which Kris and I skipped in favor of sleep).

South Africa - Arrival and Rosenview Guest House

No landing card is required for immigration, but you must have a printed itinerary or something that proves you intend to return home and when. We were lucky we had not packed our return documents.

Even though we arrived 2 hours earlier than the rest of the group, our guide Elizabeth met us as we exited with our bags. She works for Mask Expeditions (mask.exp@mweb.co.za +27 11 807 3333) who are subcontracted by Exodus. We got ZAR "Rand" at an ATM (1 USD = 8 Rand) before Elizabeth brought us to a pleasant coffee shop to wait. When the other 3 arrived (Emma, Jacqueline, Jon) on South African Airways, we walked out to meet our driver (Goodman). The 15 passenger van (plus guide and driver) becomes an Exodus van by applying magnetic signs on the side of the van. Goodman drove directly to Rosenview Guest House (www.rosenview.com), a working wine farm on the outskirts of Stellenbosch.

Rosenview is within view of the Hedelberg mountains. The scent of eucalyptus wafted across the courtyard during one of the intermittent moments of sunshine as we walked toward the reception area. Our room was basic and comfortable – 2 single beds with many blankets, mini-bar, kettle, desk, armoire with drawers and rods for hanging clothes, stuffed chair, heating/cooling, and recently renovated bathroom with a great hot shower. There were no TVs or phones in the rooms, but there was a TV in the common area where breakfast is served. Breakfast included a full English cooked breakfast (eggs, mushrooms, tomato, ham, toast), yogurt, fruit, muesli, oatmeal, juices, and hot beverages.

In our room, there was a large sign stating that we were NOT to wash and hang our clothes in the room, which is exactly what I was planning to do. On the 2nd morning, we brought our laundry to reception at breakfast. It was returned later that evening to our satisfaction for ~$5.

We were encouraged to wander around the grounds but not to be alarmed if we set off any sirens - there are perimeter alarms. We enjoyed the vines, views of the beautiful homes in the vicinity and a fish eagle.