Drinking and driving. It’s never a good idea. Especially when you plan on hopping your way from cellar to cellar through one of the Cape’s most popular wine destinations. Cycling tours, horseback rides, walking tours and the Franschhoek Wine Tram are excellent options further afield, but now it’s Durbanville’s turn to change the game, with the launch this month of the brand-new Durbanville Wine Safari.
‘The aim was to develop a service that not only enhances the wine-tasting experience but also supports the region’s growing reputation as a must-visit destination,’ says Joss Terry, who co-founded the Durbanville Wine Safari with fellow entrepreneur Henri Nimb.
‘The concept was born from our own experiences as regular visitors to the area,’ adds Henri. ‘We’ve always loved going but needed a reliable form of transport to get around for safe wine tasting. The Wine Safari does this in a fun way, because you get to enjoy the trip with other wine lovers too.’
Durbanville is, after Constantia, the closest major wine route to Cape Town, and an ideal option for time-pressed travellers and locals looking for an easy weekend escape. That the cellars here craft world-class cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc is just a bonus!
The Durbanville Wine Safari runs on two set routes, serviced by two 22-seater safari-style vehicles that operate on a loop linking some of the region’s most celebrated wine farms. With canvas roofs for shade and open sides to allow the best views, they offer a fun and novel alternative to hiring a taxi to shuttle you around the Valley.
Departing from one of two stations – close to the historic Durbanville Town Hall, or close to Tygerberg Nature Reserve, the two routes are split into Northern and Southern lines:
- The Northern Line stops at Groot Phesantekraal, Diemersdal, Canto, Meerendal, Bloemendal and D'Aria.
- The Southern Line visitors visits De Grendel, Durbanville Hills, Klein Roosboom, Nitida, Maastricht and Bloemendal.
The Safari is geared as a hop-on-hop-off service, allowing travellers to choose their adventure, stopping for longer at some farms or skipping over others. And if you choose to buy a few bottles, you won’t have to carry it around all day: just ask the drivers to take care of it and you can collect it later in the day.
Tickets for the Durbanville Wine Safari cost R300 per person, and the service operates Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm. Tickets do not include tasting fees levied by farms, meals or special activities.
More information, including route maps, participating wine estates and booking details, is available on the Durbanville Wine Safari website.