It takes you through the two main Winelands centres but covers more ground, showing you a greater variety of the countryside: both cultivated farmlands and pristine mountain landscapes. (For more of a focus on wineries and wine tastings, click here for the Winelands Meander.)

Leave Cape Town and travel to Stellenbosch, heart of South Africa’s Winelands, famous for its whitewashed Cape Dutch architecture and university, and surrounded by mountains and vineyards. From this picturesque town, take the Helshoogte (Heights of Hell!) Pass over the mountains and through idyllic countryside to the other Winelands town of Franschhoek, meaning French Corner, named for the French Huguenot settlers who joined their Dutch counterparts here as farmers and vintners in the 17th Century.

The Franschhoek Pass, the most dramatic of them all, climbs steeply from the town and valley, up the mountain range and down the other side, winding its way through a spectacular mountain landscape, past one of Cape Town’s biggest water storage dams, and then through vast apple and pear orchards.

The route then heads up the Viljoen’s Pass and turns onto the N2 highway at the apple farming centre of Grabouw.

From there, continue along a high plateau, through orchards and vineyards and past some charming road side stops selling local produce and some delicious treats, before dropping down to the Cape Flats via Sir Lowry’s Pass, with views of False Bay below and Table Mountain in the distance.

Depending on what else we do, another option is to visit the Cheetah Outreach project in the Strand on the way back. This conservation project with a sound track record and the highest standards of best practice works with captive born “cheetah ambassadors” to raise funds in innovative ways, to support cheetahs in the wild which are the most endangered of Africa’s big cats, primarily through the breeding and placement of Anatolian shepherd dogs as a non-lethal predator control on livestock farms. One of the ways of doing this is for you to have a personal encounter with a cheetah, though this is not required to visit the project and learn about its work. See http://www.cheetah.co.za for details.

There are many places at which to enjoy lunch en route, some on beautiful wine farms. A variety of other attractions can be visited, based on your interests such as wine, scenery, walking or hiking, history, heritage, architecture, gardens, art or shopping. The state-of-the-art Franschhoek Motor Museum http://www.fmm.co.za is something special for car lovers.

Suggested pick up time: 9:00 am. We usually get back between 5 and 6pm.

Price: Half day: R5 200 (South African Rand) for up to 3 passengers, R5 600 for 4 to 7 passengers. To maximize flexibility, this does not include entrance fees, which you can pay as you go.

To inquire about or book this or any other tours, please click here.