Endless Vineyards: things to do in Botrivier in the Overberg

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.

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​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.

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.

Old labourers' cottages have been converted into lodge accommodation

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. 

Muted patchwork in the bedroom

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.

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 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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

The stoep at 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.

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.

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.

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.

Romantic moonrise at Endless Vineyards Boutique Lodge

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.

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.

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.

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