The Western Cape, Africa's southwestern-most tip, is the most popular tourist destination in South Africa, and with good reason. Aside from the sybaritic pleasures of Cape Town and its wine routes, a vast Southern Right whale nursery stretches along the Cape's southern coast. Some of the best land-based whale-watching sites in the world are in the Overberg, with whales migrating to its shallow coastal basin to mate and calve from mid-July to November. The Whale Coast, of which the coastal town of Hermanus is the unofficial capital, is an easy (and beautiful) 90-minute coast-hugging drive from Cape Town, but there's plenty to do and lovely places to stay, should you choose to spend a few days here.
East of the Overberg are the coastal lakes and forests of the Garden Route, fringed by the majestic mountains that separate it from the ostrich farms and vineyards of the Klein Karoo, and the distinctive architecture of the small settlements dotted in the vast arid plains of the Great Karoo. This is a wonderful part of the world to explore by car, and although you can drive the entire Garden Route from Cape Town in approximately 5 to 6 hours, you should spend at least 2 nights along the route -- preferably 4 -- to discover the beauty off the beaten N2 track. It's a great place to do nothing but unwind -- but this scenic coastal belt, which encompasses South Africa's "Lakes District," also takes pride of place on the itinerary for adrenaline junkies, with a rush of activities ranging from the highest bungee jump in the world to cage-diving with great white sharks.
Moving north from Cape Town, along what is simply known as the West Coast, you'll find numerous treasures, among them laid-back open-air beach restaurants, the bewitching Cederberg Mountains, and -- after the first rains fall, usually in August -- the annual miracle of spring, when the seemingly barren plains bloom with spectacular flower displays. You can explore the West Coast on a day trip, but to find yourself alone, surrounded by a floral carpet as far as the eye can see, you'll need to take a side trip to Namaqualand in the Northern Cape.
Africa's Floral Kingdom -- The Cape Floral Kingdom covers .04% of the world's land surface, yet it contains 24,000 plant species and is considered the most diverse of the world's six floral kingdoms -- comparable only to the Boreal Kingdom, which comprises all of northern America, Europe, and Asia. Popular indigenous species that have found their way into gardens across the world include the gardenia, red-hot poker, arum lily, strelitzia (bird of paradise), agapanthus, gladioli, and freesias.
