Roxanne Reid
  • Home
  • Book author
    • Travels in the Kalahari >
      • Photo gallery: Travels in the Kalahari
      • Book reviews: Travels in the Kalahari
    • A Walk in the Park >
      • Photo gallery: A Walk in the Park
      • Book reviews: A Walk in the Park
    • The Essential Guide to Self-Editing >
      • Book reviews: Essential Guide to Self-Editing
    • Betrayed
    • Book reviews online
  • Editing & proofreading
  • In the media
    • Travel features
    • Health features
    • Online media
    • Media kit
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Links
  • Contact

Endless Vineyards: things to do in Botrivier in the Overberg

7/11/2018

2 Comments

 
Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge, Botrivier
By Roxanne Reid
Explore vineyards and fruit orchards on foot or in the saddle, enjoy a wine tasting or simply relax. Stay at Endless Vineyards and you’ll discover these and other things to do in Botrivier in the Overberg.

​There used to be a joke about the little settlement of Botrivier (or Bot River) on the eastern side of the Houw Hoek pass in South Africa: don’t blink or you’ll miss it.

Certainly it’s not a big town centre, just a hotel and a sprinkling of shops. But it has an official wine route and is stuffed with true country style. We recently stayed at Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge on the Wildekrans Wine Estate. It’s a peaceful enclave where you’ll wake to the sound of birds, go for gentle walks, drink in the views and watch the sun set in a flush of candy floss pink.
Botrivier accommodation self-catering, Endless Vineyards
The cottages overlook the vineyards
​Just over an hour’s drive from the busy centre of Cape Town, it’s a world away in atmosphere. If you’re feeling stressed and overworked, you can unwind and let your tension just fall away.
Botrivier accommodation: Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge
Old labourers' cottages have been converted into lodge accommodation
Botrivier accommodation: Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge
The cottage's long porch is perfect for daydreaming
The accommodation is in old farm labourers’ cottages that have been restored and filled with squashy sofas, oak tables, old-style reed ceilings and subtle patchwork quilts. 
Accommodation in Bot River, Cape Overberg
Muted patchwork in the bedroom
Bot River accommodation: Endless Vineyards
Sitting room with double doors to the porch
There’s a wide porch with fireplace/braai where you can sit to daydream. Inside, there’s a fridge, stove, microwave and everything you need for self-catering, though meals are available if you’d prefer to be lazy. They’ll even deliver a meal to your cottage.
Botrivier accommodation selfcatering, Overberg
The kitchen is equipped with everything you need to self-cater
​Surrounded by the Overberg mountains, vineyards and fruit orchards, with ponds, dams and a river nearby, it’s hard to believe you’re so close to the city. 
Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge, Botrivier, Cape Overberg
Endless views of vineyards, orchards and mountains
Things to do on the farm
Kick back and relax or get busy and enjoy some of the activities on the estate and nearby, the choice is up to you.
  • Go for a guided walk through the estate and learn about the vineyards, the different types of fruits that are grown here, like plums and pears, as well as the natural vegetation. Enjoy views of the surrounding mountains.
  • Saddle up at the horse stables and go horse riding along a scenic route under wide blue skies. The horses are valued members of the Endless Vineyards and Wildekrans family and enjoy some of the nicest accommodation on the estate. 
Things to do in Botrivier: go horse riding
Meet the horses and go riding on the farm
  • Bring your bikes and tackle one or two of the mountain bike trails that cross the estate, giving views of the surrounding vineyards and orchards. Choose your distance from 10km, 21km or 42km.
  • If fishing is your thing, you’re in luck – go catch-and-release fishing in the dam at the top end of the estate. I’m not into fishing but I enjoyed the views around the dam. You might even spot some birds in the area.
Things to do in Bot River: catch-and-release fishing in the dam
Go fishing in the dam
  • Take a dip in the swimming pool or simply relax on one of the sun loungers in the walled enclosure. 
Things to do in Botrivier: go swimming
Relax at the pool
  • Don’t miss having dinner (weekends only) or lunch at Forage Restaurant on the estate. It’s not just a meal but an experience. There’s a fireplace for cold days and an open hatch to the kitchen so you can watch the magic happen. 
Botrivier restaurants: Forage restaurant
The stoep at Forage restaurant
Bot River restaurants: Forage restaurant
Inside Forage, with views out the long windows on the right
Forage’s food is inspired by indigenous and sustainable ingredients foraged in the area and presented with theatrical aplomb. The menu is complex and a bit daunting at first because you may never have met some of the ingredients before – think protea nectar, river salsify, buchu or anysbos. But the most important part – taste – is never forgotten. A truly different experience foodies will enjoy as much as we did.
Botrivier restaurants: Forage Restaurant, Botrivier, Cape Overberg
The beautifully presented food also tastes delicious
  • Enjoy a wine tasting in Wildekrans Wine Estate’s welcoming tasting room, where you can sit inside, outside on the stoep or in a courtyard. You can taste three to six wines, including the intriguing Deep Purple, which is a non-traditional blend of pinot noir, pinotage and cabernet sauvignon. For something more special, ask to do a wine and fynbos honey pairing.
Wildekrans Wine Estate wine-tasting
Wine-tasting at Wildekrans Wine Estate
  • If your interest in wines goes beyond the mere tasting of them, do a cellar tour at Wildekrans Wine Estate to find out what the winemaker gets up to behind the scenes.
Wildekrans Wine Estate tasting room
The tasting room at Wildekrans Wine Estate
  • ​Plan a country wedding (up to 300 people) to make the most of the country-style serenity of the estate.
Enless Vineyards Boutique Lodge, Botrivier, Cape Overberg
Romantic moonrise at Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge
Endless Vineyards, Botrivier, Overberg, wedding venue
The lodge's breakfast room doubles as a chapel for weddings
Things to do nearby
  • Explore the wider Bot River wine route, which has some ten to twelve estates. We enjoyed a tasting and lunch at Gabrielskloof, and a personal tasting with winemaker Niels Verburg at Luddite Wines on the eastern slopes of the Houw Hoek mountains. A bit of a technophobe, he makes his wines in a low-tech manner with lots of hands-on personal attention. The packaging is unusual (think different kinds of labels and crown closures for the whites) and the name of one of the ranges, Saboteur, reflects his aspiration to be a disrupter. Other wineries in the area include Arcangeli, Beaumont, Goedvertrouw and Paardenkloof.
Luddite Wines tasting room, Botrivier, Overberg
Part of the tasting room at Luddite Wines
  • ​If you’re travelling to or from Cape Town, you’ll drive the Houw Hoek Pass, originally built back in the 1830s. Enjoy the mountain scenery, stop for tea or a snack at the Houw Hoek Hotel, which dates back to 1779, or at the Houw Hoek Farmstall for one of their famous chicken pies.
  • If you’re in the area over a weekend, don’t miss the art-deco themed Elgin Railway Market. The restored old building is a festival of sweeping staircases and metal archways where you’ll find live music, arts and crafts, clothing, and lots of good food, craft gin, wine and hand-roasted coffee.
  • If you stay at Endless Vineyards longer than a day or two, make a day-trip to Hermanus, just 30km away and with lots to do. See 15 things to do in Hermanus on the Cape Whale Coast.
Hermanus old harbour, Cape Whale Coast, Overberg
There's lots to do at Hermanus, just 30km away
  • Another feasible day-trip is to the villages of Greyton and Genadendal about 50km away. See 15 things to do in Greyton in the Overberg.

Like it? Pin this image! 
Stay over in Botrivier in the Cape Overberg. Find out where to relax and things to do in Botrivier, Botrivier accommodation at Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge, Botrivier selfcatering accommodation, Botrivier restaurants like Forage restaurant, wine-tasting at Wildekrans Wine Estate, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, swimming, horse-riding, exploring the Botrivier Wine Route, driving Houw Hoek Pass. #Botrivier #Overberg #EndlessVineyards #thingstodoinBotrivier #SouthAfrica
Stay over in Botrivier in the Cape Overberg. Find out where to relax and things to do in Botrivier, Botrivier accommodation at Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge, Botrivier selfcatering accommodation, Botrivier restaurants like Forage restaurant, wine-tasting at Wildekrans Wine Estate, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, swimming, horse-riding, exploring the Botrivier Wine Route, driving Houw Hoek Pass. #Botrivier #Overberg #EndlessVineyards #thingstodoinBotrivier #SouthAfrica
You may also enjoy
21 things to do in Kleinmond in the Cape Overberg
Why to visit Genadendal Moravian mission village

Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
2 Comments
Sarah
7/11/2018 10:00:05 pm

We stayed there some months ago and loved the tranquility, wine and food. An ideal week ender

Reply
Roxanne
8/11/2018 10:12:45 am

You nailed it, Sarah - all the things that make it special.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Get email links to the latest posts

    Buy my books
    The Essential Guide to Self-Editing, amazon.com e-book
    E-book 2017
    A Walk in the Park, amazon.com e-book
    2nd ed e-book 2015
    Travels in the Kalahari, amazon.com e-book
    E-book 2012​

    About 

    I'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel.
    My travel buddy and husband Keith is the primary photographer for this blog.
    We're happiest in the middle of nowhere, meeting the locals, trying something new, or simply watching the grass grow.
    Use this website to discover new places to go, revisit places you've loved, or take a virtual tour of destinations you only dream about.

    Categories

    All
    Baviaanskloof
    Books
    Botswana
    Camping
    Cape Town
    Chobe
    Conservation
    Drc
    Eastern Cape
    Etosha Namibia
    Food
    Free State
    Garden Route
    Gauteng
    Issues
    Kalahari
    Karoo
    Kenya
    Kruger National Park
    Kwazulu Natal
    Lesotho
    Limpopo
    Linyanti
    Malawi
    Mozambique
    Mpumalanga
    Namaqualand
    Namibia
    Nature Parks
    Northern Cape
    Okavango
    Overberg
    People
    Photography
    Richtersveld
    Tanzania
    West Coast
    Western Cape
    Wild Creatures
    Zambia
    Zimbabwe

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    January 2010
    November 2009


Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without written permission from roxannereid.co.za

Privacy Policy and GDPR compliance
​* We promise that we take data safety seriously and use your private data only to offer a personalised experience
* If you subscribed to our newsletter, you will receive our newsletters. You can always unsubscribe by following the link in email or by emailing us
* If you gave us your name, it will only be used to personalise the newsletters
* We have never sold, we are not selling, and we will not sell any of your personal data provided to us
* The blog uses cookies to track activity. It is anonymous except for telling us your location and what you did on our blog
​
Photo used under Creative Commons from berniedup