Quirky West Coast Road Trip
This is the West Coast with its strange side showing. One minute you are on the Atlantis dunes; the next you are eating roosterkoek, sleeping beside wind turbines or peering into a tiny fairy village. Paternoster brings the trip back to the sea.
Highlights include:
- Go sandboarding or tackle the Atlantis Dunes at Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve
- Stop for roosterkoek on Route 27 at lunchtime
- Explore the heritage museum and trails at !Khwa ttu
- Spend the night in a glamping tent or A-frame beside the wind turbines at Peace Haven
- Wander among miniature cottages and mosaics at the Pixie and Fairy Village in Jacobsbaai
- See ancient bone beds at the West Coast Fossil Park
- Finish with a seafood dinner, local art and breakfast in Paternoster
South Africa road trip from Cape Town to Paternoster (161 km, about 3 hours driving). Plan this trip with Sideroads Africa.
Stops along the way
- Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve: City of Cape Town reserve inland of the R27 at Atlantis — 4x4 and sandboarding on the Atlantis Dunes, plus Cape Flats dune strandveld.
- Roosterkoek Route 27: Roadside roosterkoek stop on the R27 West Coast route.
- !Khwa ttu San Culture & Education Centre: The embassy of the San of southern Africa. Home to a immersive heritage museum and trails.
- Peace Haven @ Windfarm Accommodation: Glamping tents and A-frames beside the R315 wind turbines between Yzerfontein and Darling — Table Mountain views and a bush overnight.
- Rosemead Artisan Bakery & Café: Artisan bakery and café on the West Coast.
- The Pixie and Fairy Village: Hand-built fairy garden at The Plot on Main Road, Jacobsbaai — miniature cottages, mosaics and a succulent nursery.
- West Coast Fossil Park: Mio-Pliocene fossil site at Langebaanweg — visitor centre and walkways over bone beds of extinct African fauna, a short detour inland from Langebaan.
- Groot Paternoster Padstal: Paternoster coastal stall selling sea salt and fynbos honey
- Noisy Oyster: Seafood restaurant stop in Paternoster.
- Ah! Guest House: Owner-run Paternoster guesthouse on Mosselbank Street — art-filled rooms and a communal breakfast table.
- The Hobnobbery: Women-run Paternoster deli and café on St Augustine Road — breakfast coffee and a shop of local goodies.
- Art Shed at the Wharf: Gallery and craft shed in Paternoster’s Crayfish Wharf — local paintings ceramics and jewellery in the old crayfish factory.