South Africa's Overberg on Safari

SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARIS AND THE OVERBERG

The Overberg lies just east of Cape Town between the Cape Peninsula and the Garden Route. This region is surrounded by the Hottentots-Holland Mountains, Riveriersonderend and the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is found here; it is a registered and recognised UNESCO site – many plants in this region are endemic to this region. This Overberg region is also the breeding ground for the ‘Blue Crane’ which is the national bird of South Africa.

The Overberg is commonly known for its grain (wheat) farming; producing massive amounts of grain for world markets. Elgin is also a well know area within the Overberg; ‘Elgin Fruit Valley’ is the 2nd largest fruit supplier in South Africa!

The 4 main regions that make up the Overberg are; Hermanus, Caledon, Swellendam and the Cape Agulhas area. The most popular region, without a doubt, is Hermanus! Hermanus, well-known for being a magnificent ‘whale watching’ area in winter (June to October), is also a popular retirement village and used to be called ‘Hermanuspietersfontein’… At the end of September Hermanus hosts an annual whale festival - the Southern Right Whales can be seen here in masses near the shoreline as they mate in the harbour.

Caledon is a small agricultural town in the Western Cape, growing grain and specializing in stock farming. Caledon is known, mainly, for the ‘Caledon Spa and Casino’, many South African’s love to visit this area… Caledon has a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters.

Swellendam is the 3rd oldest place of European settlement in South Africa. The Swellendam area includes 3 nature reserve; Marloth Nature Reserve, Sanbona Wildlife Reserve and the Bontebok National Park. The Bontebok National Park was successfully established to protect the bonteboks that were nearing extinction… Swellendam contains a wide variety of safari animals; zebra, bushbuck, mongoose, leopard, baboon, grysbok and many more.

The Cape Agulhas area is commonly known as the most southerly tip of Africa – where the cold Atlantic and the warm Indian Oceans meet. The Cape Agulhas region comprises of curving coastal lines and rocky beach areas. In the past, the Cape Agulhas was a dangerous place to sail past as the coast was very rocky and unpredictable. Nowadays there is a working lighthouse to warn ships.

Have a look at our South African safaris that include the Overberg area below. There are also other South African attractions beneath that you might want to visit on your South African Safari.