It is the second oldest town in South Africa dating back to 1679. The then Dutch Governor of the Cape Colony, Simon van der Stel, named the town after himself. He also named Simon's Town after himself… With its oak lined streets and peaceful atmosphere it is easy to understand why students love it so much. The town is alive with history and a wide variety of museums and other attractions are mostly within walking distance from each other.

Stellenbosch on foot
The best way to explore the town is on foot as most of the architectural beauties are within easy walking distance of each other. You can do this using a tourist guide or a useful brochure-map titled “On foot through historic Stellenbosch”, available from the very professional and helpful Stellenbosch Tourism Information Office.

Some of the attractions in Stellenbosch are the VOC Kruithuis (powder magazine), the Rhenish Church, the highly recommended Village Museum (consisting of Schreuder House - 1709, Bletterman House - 1789, Grosvenor House - 1803 and OM Bergh House), Oom Samie se Winkel ("Uncle Samie's Shop" featuring old-worldish delights), Krige’s Cottages and Libertas Parva (a gallery with contemporary South African Art as well as a modest wine museum).

Wine estates
Stellenbosch's location places it very central in the Cape Winelands. Every road in and out of Stellenbosch passes various wine estates. Some of the more prominent estates are Neethlingshof, Zevenwacht, Morgenhof, Muratie, Kanonkop, Lievland, Lanzerac and Spier (also see "South African wines").

Woman wine-makers
A couple of women have entered the profession of wine-making in South Africa during the last decade. They include one woman of colour, Carmen Stevens, an especially welcome novelty. Some of these women are Norma Ratcliffe (owner of Warwick, produces a Cape blend called Three Cape Ladies and a Bordeaux-style blend called Trilogy); Rianie Strydom (Cabernet Reserve at Morgenhof); Kathy Jordan (a sauvignon blanc and cabernet at Jordan) and Carmen Stevens (a shiraz at Welmoed). In nearby Paarl, Louise Hofmeyer produces "Estate Reserve".

Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
Jonkershoek Nature Reserve is located just a couple of kilometres outside of Stellenbosch. The road to the reserve leads through a number of beautiful smallholdings.

The reserve encompasses fynbos fields, some plantation land and a small dam. It is very popular with birders and hikers. Jonkershoek caters very nicely for mountain biking with easy surfaces in most places but a lot of downhill (and uphill…) and more technical sections as well.

As it is a formal conservation area you have to obtain a permit (small fee) - permits are available at the gate on entry.

Dining

A picnic area at the Spier Wine Estate near Stellenbosch.

Stellenbosch has a nice collection of restaurants and coffee shops. The best options however are the restaurants located on several of the surrounding wine estates. At Spier Wine Estate you can rent a stocked picnic basket, buy a bottle of their wine and enjoy it in a beautiful picnic area at the Estate. The Estate is also home to some other top restaurants.

Theatre
Stellenbosh has a lively theatre scene because of its close proximity to Cape Town and the presence of a top-notch university in town. While there are a couple of theatres in town the open-air amphitheatres at Oude Libertas and Spier makes for a unique theatre-under-the-stars experience. Africa Deluxe Tours will gladly arrange for our clients to attend a performance, suited to their taste, at one of these venues.

University of Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch University, previously known as Victoria College, became a university in 1918. The mainly Afrikaans university is one of the top residential and research institutions in South Africa. Its campus is interwoven with Stellenbosch's suburbs. Maties, as it is affectionately known, is well known for its quaint and relaxed environs and very active student life. In 2000 there were approximately 19 000 students and 800 lecturers. The university has 12 faculties: Arts, Science, Education, Military Science, Forestry, Agricultural Sciences, Medicine, Dentistry, Theology, Economic and Management Sciences, Law, and Engineering.

(Also see: South African wines; South African wine routes)