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Arts and Crafts Somerset West is famous for its craft markets, which are held at Southey’s Vines in the main Street on Saturday mornings. Monkey Town  Primate Centre. Have fun with 25 exotic monkey species and chimps frolicking in a leafy park. Take a guided tour or enjoy a relaxing lunch in the restaurant while the kids play in the farmyard and jungle gym. For more info, visit their website - click here Beaches and Swimming  Gordon's Bay beach The long, sheltered beached of False Bay are excellent fro swimming, bathing and is especially popular with water-sports enthusiasts. Strand’s main beaches are Milk Bay beach and Harmony beach. Both Strand and Gordon’s Bay’s main beaches are flanked by a promenade, which is lined with café’s restaurants, and shops. The narrow sheltered Bikini Beach nestles between the mountain and the Gordon’s Bay Harbour. For the best surfing experience Kogelbaai Beach is a must. This long stretch of pure white beach, situated on Faure Marine/Clarens Drive just outside Gordon’s Bay, is an ideal spot for camping and caravanning and also the only braai area on the Helderberg coast. The Strand also boasts a heated Olympic size indoor swimming pool situated next to the Strand Pavilion on Beach Road for those cooler days. Charter Cruises An alternative means of viewing the Helderberg is from the deck of a charter boat, which leave daily (weather permitting) from the Gordon’s Bay Harbour and Harbour Island. Coastal Drive The coastal road from Gordon’s Bay to Rooi Els and Betty’s Bay, named Faure Marine/Clarence Drive, is a spectacular route with steep cliffs and lovely coves. Locals label it as the Helderberg’s own “Chapman’s Peak” and the route offers amazing views over False Bay, right up to Table Mountain and Cape Point. Whale Watching Between June and December each year, hundreds of Southern Right Whales visit the sheltered, shallow bays of the South African coastline to calve and nurture their offspring. Many of these massive mammals visit False Bay each year and the best place to spot them are at official whale watching spots found on the Faure Marine/Clarence Drive, the coastal road from Gordon’s Bay to Rooi Els. Steenbras Dam The Steenbras Dam is primarily a water source for the Unicity of Cape Town. There are several secluded picnic sites and braai areas within the 1200 hectares of pine plantations around the dams. The waters are well stocked annually with trout and fishing is permissible provided a permit is obtained. Bird life is plentiful and hundred of Egyptian geese nest on the shores and islands of the upper dam. Amenities The Helderberg offers the visitor a wide range of accommodation to suit every taste, from five star hotels, excellent guesthouses and bed & breakfast to self-catering chalet and camping facilities. The Helderberg is home to a large number of conference venues from small to large and has in the past hosted international conferences. All major banks are represented and most have foreign exchange facilities. Each town has a main post office and there are two private hospitals within the area. |
