There are very few countries in the world that can provide so many beautiful landscapes and natural wonders as the southern part of the African continent. This country is rich in rivers, mountains and pastures, but was very sparsely populated until Portuguese settlers reached it for the first time in 1487. The numbers of native Hottentots and Xhosas were not strong enough to resist the invasion by European colonists. Taking advantage of the endless independence war against Spain, the Dutch discovered that Philippe II, who became King of Portugal in 1580, held the trading rights, established during the 16th century by the Portuguese in Africa and Brazil. It is in this way that an organised colonial empire replaced an uncertain trading system. After the repeal of the Edict of Nantes (1685), many French Calvinists settled near Cape Town and, like the pioneers of America, steered society towards religion and church services, which later reached its peak during the “Big Trek” (1836-1844) and the Boer War (1899-1902). The skilled Dutch administration succeeded in making the inhabitants abandon their original language in one generation. However, nobody managed to stop England from conquering the country in 1814 and to avoid the start of a secular conflict between Europeans, which would complicate the future of this society of such distinct races.

Our tour in region of the southern hemisphere aims to make you discover the wonderful Dutch cities, which survived in one of the most beautiful regions in the world. Cape Town, Constantia, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek (French’s Corner), Paarl and Swellendam are some of the miraculously well preserved towns that recall the Netherlands of the Golden Age. Situated in spectacular mountain ranges with blueish contours, these towns demonstrate in their exterior and interior architectures a great respect for tradition. Principally in Cape Town , buildings constructed during the reign of Queen Victoria recall the previous grandeur of the British Empire.

The first two days of the tour will be dedicated to visits of Cape Town and the Table Mountain. Passing the day thereafter through Simonstown, a pretty small port known for penguin colonies, seals and whales, we shall travel to the Cape of Good Hope (a nature reserve of nearly eight thousand hectares where hundreds of baboons frolic). The next morning we shall admire the extraordinary garden of Kirstenbosch with some of the rarest plants and most unique trees in the world. At Groot Constantia we shall visit a (wine) estate of the 17 th century. The next day will be devoted to further enhance our knowledge of the cultured world of South Africa’s wines: Stellenbosch is a perfectly preserved Dutch town, which can also be said of Paarl at the foot of the Peerlebergh, as well as of Franschhoek and Boschendal, all being towns with an abundance of old houses, which recall the arrival of the Huguenots in the region after 1685. The sixth day will take us to Swellendam, a town at the foot of the Langeberg founded in 1746, but we shall also have the opportunity to stop at Genadendal, a missionary post established by the Moraves brothers in the 17 th century, where one may imagine being in Bavaria. After the miracles of the wine culture, we shall discover those of the fruit culture (at Montagu, Bonnievale, Ashton, Barrydale) and witness the breeding of ostriches in the Little Karoo: Oudtshoorn and Graaff Reinet (a museum town, where 200 buildings are classified historic monuments) constitute the apotheosis of a journey that will reveal to us all the facets of the style of living the Dutch embraced in the period when the United Provinces were concentrating on European politics.

We have selected hotels that are worth a special journey (among which the famous “Mount Nelson” in Cape Town), and that combine the beauty of traditional buildings with nostalgic gardens. In smaller towns, where the choice of hotels is less extensive, we have reserved the best ones available.

For those of you who are fascinated by nature, a six days extension of the tour (not organised by Europa Nostra, but by Antares, and also led by the Marquis de Trazegnies) will let you discover the Namibia Desert and the most beautiful nature reserve in the world - the Okavango. For any further information about this special tour, please contact Antares.

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