History
Some burghers (citizens) of the erstwhile Cape Colony started spreading their wings in the early 18th century venturing ever deeper into the interior. Realising that these burghers were slowly freeing themselves from the Cape Governor's rule the Colonial fathers decided to spread their authority further north and thus Swellendam was declared a magisterial district in 1743. It is the third oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town and Stellenbosch. The town was named in honour of Governor Hendrik Swellengrebel and his wife Helena, nèe Ten Damme.

In 1795 the burghers of Swellendam actually declared their town a republic expressing their desire to be free from colonial rule. Due to the occupation of the Cape by the British soon afterwards, the new republic died in infancy. However, new British settlers in Swellendam did encouraged an economic boom led by the mercantile empire of Joseph Barry.

The town also survived a devastating fire in 1865, which razed much of the town. Another devastating development occurred when town planners rid the main street of its rows of Oaks in order to widen the road… luckily the Oaks along Swellengrebel Street survived. Today Swellendam is the capital of the Overberg and a flourishing agricultural and tourism centre.

(For more on South Africa's history, click here.)

Walking tour
Swellendam is a medium-sized rural town. It's historic heart, which contains most of the town's architectural jewels, is spread over a relatively small area making a walking tour a viable option. You can also take a break at one or two of the Swellendam's very pleasant tea gardens along the way.

On such a walking tour we recommend visiting the Oefeningshuis (Afrikaans = exercise house); the Dutch Reformed Church (an ornate building incorporating four architectural styles); Voortrekker Street no's 4 & 6; Schoone Oord (Cape Georgian style); La Belle Alliance in the old Masonic Lodge and garden (our preferred tea garden / restaurant in Swellendam); Swellengrebel Street's oaks (national monuments) and the Drostdy Museum Complex (old jail, Mayville, trades museums, former offices and residence of the magistrate of Swellendam and Zanddrift - former farm house, which houses coffee shop).

The above walking tour will require at least half-an-hour although it will be much more enjoyable if you budget two hours and include a rustic lunch or mid-morning/afternoon tea along the way. The two furthest points on this walking tour are ±1km apart. You can easily navigate this tour on your own, but as with all tours your experience will be tremendously enriched if you make use of a reputable tourist guide - which Africa Deluxe Tours will gladly arrange, if required.

Historical buildings & museums

Oefeningshuis
The Oefeningshuis (Afrikaans = exercise house) is a Cape Dutch Building built in 1838 as a venue for the religious instruction of freed slaves. The museum, which also houses a tourism bureau, contains some excellent exhibits.

Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church building, built in 1901, is arguably the most fascinating building in Swellendam. The ornate building features no less than four architectural styles: Baroque gables, Gothic windows, an Eastern cupola and steeple in Renaissance style. The Church is still very much in use by a Dutch Reformed congregation.

You may view the interior by entering through a door on the right-hand side of the building, which is open from 09h00 to 16h00 on weekdays, or if you like you could attend a Sunday church service. If you have time available walk around the building where you will find a couple of very interesting old tombstones. As most inscriptions are in Afrikaans or Old Dutch you will need a tourist guide to interpret for you unless you speak one of the two languages (or Flemish, which is related).

Voortrekker Street no's 4&5
Numbers 4 and 6 in Voortrekker Street served as the retail section for the Overberg traders Barry & Nephews. Joseph Barry lived next door at Auld House, built in 1802. The building, in Cape Georgian/ Cape Dutch style, is regarded as one of the finest period structures in Swellendam.

Drostdy Museum Complex
A collection of Cape Dutch buildings along Swellengrebel Street, lined with oaks that are National Monuments, make for an interesting stop. Included in the Complex are the Drostdy, the Old Goal, Ambagswerf (Trades Yard), Mayville House and Zanddrift.

La Belle Alliance
Housed in the old Masonic Lodge, La Belle Alliance is Africa Deluxe Tours' preferred refreshment and/or meal stop in Swellendam. Most meals are served in the peaceful garden, under shade trees next to the Koornlands River. The latter is really just a small stream except after heavy rains. The little bridge nearby spanning the "river" is called Die Steg (Dutch) and was part of the Ou Kaapse Wapad (Afrikaans/Dutch = Old Cape Wagon Trail). The establishment is owned and managed by the Ceulaers family, originally from Belgium. Swellendam attracts a lot of European nationals who either immigrate or split their year between Europe and this lovely Overberg town.

Accommodation
Swellendam has a medium-sized 3-star hotel as well as a 5-star country hotel just outside of town. In addition tot this there's a variety of B&B's and guesthouses in the 2 to 4-star luxury brackets. Some are located in historic buildings. You may also opt for a location in the centre of town, on a smallholding or nearby farm.

Activities

Hiking Trails
Swellendam's location in the foothills of the Langeberg Mountains lends itself perfectly to hiking. The region offers both short half-day or day trails as well as overnight trails, such as the 81km Swellendam Trail (6 overnight huts). The nearby Bontebok National Park also features two short nature trails, starting and ending in the rest camp area.

Horse Trials
Two Feathers Horse Trails is located in the foothills of the Langeberg Mountains (near Swellendam) and on the edge of the Marloth Nature Reserve. They offer a range of trails from 1-hour to 5-days in length. Groups are mostly made up of 4 to 8 people and when possible riders of similar riding ability are grouped together.

National park, game reserve & nature reserves
Within easy reach of Swellendam visitors have access to the Bontebok National Park (SANP), the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve close to nearby Barrydale (a private big 5 game reserve) as well as the Marloth, Grootvadersbosch and De Hoop Nature Reserves. All three the nature reserves are managed by Cape Nature Conservation (see link below).

Bontebok National Park
One of South Africa's 20 national parks, Bontebok is managed by South African National Parks. It is located virtually on the southern edge of Swellendam (on the opposite side of the N2). With the Langeberg Mountains as backdrop it is bordered to the south by the Breede River. The Park features bontebok, Cape mountain zebra, red hartebeest, grey rhebok and other antelope and small game species. It is not a big five reserve. Bontebok National Park is situated within the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest, but richest of the world's six floral kingdoms. The best known species within the Floral Kingdom is probably the Protea group.

Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
An exciting addition to South Africa's private game reserves, Sanbona opened to the public in November 2002. It’s the first big five reserve in the Western Cape and perfectly located on Route 62, not far from Swellendam.

It's quite different from the Mpumalanga Reserves in that it is located in the arid Karoo as opposed to the former's Lowveld-bushveld environment. The Karoo does not have the carrying capacity of the Lowveld and therefore can only support smaller and more spread out animal populations. For a private reserve, Sanbona covers an impressive 50 000ha of surface area, which makes it a viable ecosystem for the big 5, even in the arid Karoo. The Reserve currently features two five star lodges.

Marloth Nature Reserve
Marloth Nature Reserve is located on the southern slopes of the Langeberg Mountains near Swellendam. Its main features are the mountainous terrain and fynbos vegetation known for a wide array of flowering plants.

A variety of mostly 1-day or shorter hiking trails run through Marloth. Because it is a nature reserve you have to purchase a permit before tackling any of the routes. For the adventurous hiking enthusiasts there is the multi-day 81km Swellendam Trail, which features six overnight huts. Private 4x4 excursions in the Nature Reserve are also available.

Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve
The Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve, which is managed by Cape Nature Conservation (see link below), lies along the foothills of the Langeberg Mountains between the towns of Heidelberg and Suurbraak near Swellendam. The Reserve includes 250ha of indigenous forest, similar to - although much smaller than - the Knysna Forests.

The forest is a birder's paradise. Two hides are set in the forest canopy to aid you in viewing some of the 200 species recorded in the area. Small antelope and other small game are also found in the reserve. The Reserve also offers a couple of short hiking trails. A 58km mountain biking trail runs through surrounding farmlands.

De Hoop Nature Reserve
The 34 000ha De Hoop Nature Reserve is located on a very scenic stretch of coastline near the Breede River's mouth, about an hour's drive south from Swellendam. A marine belt reaching 5km into the ocean is also protected.

De Hoop has many attractions, but is most famous as a stunning whale-watching location (in season). It also features huge sand dunes as well as vlei areas (wetlands) supporting a wide range of birds. As with the other nature reserves in the Swellendam region, De Hoop also falls within the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest but most diverse of the world's 6 floral Kingdoms.

The reserve has 86 mammal species. Most notable are the rare bontebok and Cape mountain zebra, as well as eland, grey rhebuck, baboon, yellow mongoose, caracal and the occasional leopard.

Marine mammals such as dolphins and seals occur in the waters off the coast and southern right whales calve and mate in the sheltered bays of De Hoop each year between May and December. At least 250 species of fish occur in the marine protected area.