The Full West Coast Road Trip
Keep driving north and the holiday towns give way to something dustier and stranger. This six-day West Coast trip runs from Cape Town to Alexander Bay through fishing villages, former diamond-mining towns and long stretches beside the Atlantic.
Highlights include:
- Eating roosterkoek on Route 27
- Visiting the fossil beds at West Coast Fossil Park
- Sailing from Port Owen Marina
- Having lunch at the Jetty Restaurant at Fryer’s Cove
- Walking to Hondeklipbaai Rock
- Exploring Kleinzee and Port Nolloth’s mining history
- Swimming or walking at McDougalls Bay
- Seeing the lichen fields near Alexander Bay
- Visiting the Orange River Mouth wetland
South Africa road trip from Cape Town to Alexander Bay (954 km, about 15 hours driving). Plan this trip with Sideroads Africa.
Stops along the way
- Cape Town
- Roosterkoek Route 27: Roadside roosterkoek stop on the R27 West Coast route.
- Die Strandloper: West Coast open-air seafood restaurant near Langebaan.
- Calypso Sunset Accommodation: Langebaan Calypso Beach guest house for lagoon sunsets before the N7 run north
- GB Coffee Cafe: Langebaan waterfront cafe on Bree Street — house-roasted coffee, breakfasts, and light meals
- 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.
- Art Shed at the Wharf: Gallery and craft shed in Paternoster’s Crayfish Wharf — local paintings ceramics and jewellery in the old crayfish factory.
- De See Kat: West Coast seafood restaurant.
- 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.
- Port Owen Sailing Charters: Private yacht charters from Port Owen Marina in Velddrif — sunset sails and St Helena Bay cruises.
- Isabella's Restaurant: Harbour-front Lambert’s Bay lunch with Bird Island in view — West Coast seafood sushi and a mussel-shell floor since 1996.
- Sea Breeze Accommodation: Self-catering flats on Voortrekker Street in Lambert’s Bay — a short walk from the beach and Bird Island.
- Mad Hatters: Lambert’s Bay Main Street coffee shop — breakfast and cake before the run north to Doringbaai.
- The Jetty Restaurant at Fryer's Cove: Harbour restaurant at Fryer’s Cove on the West Coast.
- Hondeklipbaai Rock: The granite “dog rock” that named the village — a short walk on the Diamond Coast shoreline.
- Kleinzee: Former diamond-mining town on the Namaqualand coast — quiet beaches, coastal dunes, and a gateway toward Port Nolloth.
- Kamieskroon Hotel: Century-old Namaqualand hotel at the heart of flower country
- Die Kliphuis: Kamieskroon kitchen on Ou Hoofweg — traditional Namaqualand meals just off the N7; dinner by booking
- Kokerboom Padstal: Springbok Namakwaland padstal offering succulents and Karoo crafts
- McDougalls Bay: Sheltered bay just south of Port Nolloth with calm lagoons for kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and swimming — also ideal for coastal walks and shore-based rock angling.
- Port Nolloth Museum: Local museum of mining and maritime history — historic photographs, shipwreck porcelain, snoek teeth, Khoi ostrich-shell water containers, and tools from the copper-shipping and diamond-diving eras.
- Lichen Fields near Alexander Bay: Expanses of colourful desert lichens near Alexander Bay — a striking coastal wilderness day trip across the arid shoreline plains.
- Living Museum & Mine Tours Alexander Bay: Organised community tours of Alexander Bay's diamond-mining legacy and local biodiversity — guided mine tours and shoreline excursions to view seal colonies.
- Orange River Mouth Wetland (Ramsar Site): International biodiversity hotspot where the Orange River meets the Atlantic at Alexander Bay — excellent birdwatching for migratory waterbirds and Barlow's Lark at a rare river-desert estuary.