Why Riebeek Kasteel belongs on your South Africa itinerary
A historic village under a mountain, an hour from Cape Town, with wine, olives and art on every corner.
Most visitors to the Western Cape follow the same route: Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. All wonderful, and all busy. About an hour north of the city lies a valley that many travellers never hear about, and that is exactly its charm.
Riebeek Kasteel sits at the foot of the Kasteelberg, in the heart of the Swartland. It is one of the oldest settlements in the country: a Dutch expedition reached the valley in 1661 and named the mountain after Jan van Riebeeck, the first commander at the Cape. Today the village is small, walkable and full of character, with a square framed by the Dutch Reformed church and the Royal Hotel, which dates from 1862.
Around the village, vineyards, olive groves and wheat fields roll out towards the horizon. The Swartland has become one of South Africa's most exciting wine regions, and you can taste at family estates that have farmed here for generations, or at young cellars making their names. In between there are olive farms, galleries, small shops and restaurants that range from a French brasserie to a Japanese ramen bar.
In 2009 the newspaper Rapport named Riebeek Kasteel one of the three most beautiful towns in the Western Cape. It has not lost that quality. Mornings are quiet, evenings are long and the light over the mountain at sunset is something you will want to photograph every day.
Whether you are on a longer trip through South Africa or live in Cape Town and want a change of pace, give the valley at least two nights. You will leave slower, and probably with a case of wine in the boot.
