Original subtitles

(wind blustering)

(uplifting music)

(uplifting orchestral music)

- Our journey begins at Stellenbosch,

in the heart of the Cape Wineland District.

From here, we explore several vineyards

before heading south to the coast at Hermanus,

one of the best places to see right whales

during the mating season.

At L'Agulhas, we find the southernmost point

of the African peninsula.

Along the coast at Pinnacle Point,

are caves where early man once lived thousands of years ago.

We then follow the dramatic coastline,

as rolling waves batter the shore, to Mossel Bay

and its impressive lighthouse.

One of the most beautiful beaches can be found at Noetzie,

along with some interesting castle-like houses.

Our journey ends at Robberg Peninsula,

a very popular place to walk, swim,

and perhaps glimpse the seal colony,

also enjoying the peninsula.

Stellenbosch is the second oldest European settlement

in the Cape District after Cape Town.

The name translates as Stel's bush,

after the founder, Simon van der Stel in 1679.

Within 10 years, Huguenot refugees

had settled in the area, and had started to grow grapes.

Today, Stellenbosch is the center

of the South African wine industry,

and its university even has a degree course in viticulture.

The region has a Mediterranean climate,

with hot, dry summers, and cool, wet winters,

ideal for growing vines.

And the Cape Fold mountain range provides soils

favorable to wine making.

(upbeat African music)

Rustenberg Winery has a history going back to the 1680s,

though the estate has changed hands several times.

By the late 18th century around 3000 cases

were being produced.

Which by the early 19th century had been doubled.

Today the winery is run by the Barlow family

who have been producing a variety of wines here

for the last 70 years.

Perhaps the best known winery in the region is Boschendal.

Which also has a history from the late 17th century.

The beautiful Dutch inspired design of the estate owners

house, which is typical of the region, was built in 1812.

In the late 19th century much of the area suffered

a catastrophic vine disease

that almost destroyed the industry.

And it would be decades before the newly imported

American vine stock would take hold.

In 1897, Boschendal along with 20 other farms,

was bought by Cecil Rhodes after he was forced to resign

as Prime Minister of the Cape colony.

He transformed his land into fruit farms.

Introducing modern methods of pruning,

grafting, and irrigation.

They planted 200,000 deciduous fruit trees,

pears, apricots, plums, and peaches.

Along with new refrigerated ships, his fruit could now

be exported worldwide.

As the new vine stock gradually took hold,

the winery slowly began to produce top quality wines again.

Today, the winery is a major tourist attraction.

Where people can taste the wines and tour the estates

manor houses and gardens.

(chamber music)

Sir Herbert Baker, who was the architect of many

of the great government buildings in South Africa,

including the parliament buildings in the capital Pretoria,

also designed a more humble cottage for Cecil Rhodes,

under the Simonsburg Mountain at the end

of this connecting avenue from his Boschendal estate.

It was designed to be a simple country retreat.

It has recently being restored and is now available

for visitors to rent.

Rhodes cottage is a South African National Heritage site.

(chamber music)

Close by is the Bellingham winery, which was bought

by the Podlashuk family as a near derelict estate

during the second world war in 1943.

They then enlisted fourteen Italian prisoners of war

who had experience of both farming and vine growing

to replant the vineyard.

Bellingham produced the Cape regions first Rosé in 1949.

And have been producing fine wines ever since.

We now head north towards the town of Paarl

and the Taal monument, commemorating the Afrikaans language

which had influences from Dutch, Malay, Portuguese, French,

German, as well as indigenous Khoi

and other African languages.

The monument was completed in 1975, fifty years

after Afrikaans replaced Dutch

as a South African official language.

The town of Paarl, was begun shortly after Stellenbosch

in the 17th century.

But its real claim to a place in history,

is that it was here in 1990 that Nelson Mandela

walked to freedom.

From what was then called the Victor Verster prison

ending 27 years of imprisonment.

Paarl is another center of the wine industry

and is surrounded by well-tended vineyards

producing a variety of different wines.

Many of them go back to the late 17th century

with the state houses from those early days.

(classical music)

The third center of Cape wine making is at the end

of this valley, Franschhoek.

The name means French corner in Afrikaans.

As the area was settled by French Huguenots.

Some of the families became successful wine makers,

and the town grew in prosperity.

Today it's famed for having some of the top restaurants

in the country and is now often described

as the food and wine capital of South Africa.

There is a monument to the cultural influences

that the Huguenots brought to the area

during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The monument was completed in 1945.

The three high arches symbolize the Holy Trinity,

the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It confirms their Protestant faith after their persecution

and banishment from Catholic France.

Inscribed on the monument is the Protestant motto

"After darkness, light."

(classical music)

With dramatic clouds building over

the Drakenstein mountains along with high winds,

it's safer to go around them as we head south

towards the coast.

South Africa has always had a love of golf

and can boast a whole host of world class course resorts,

such as here at the Arabella Country Estate.

The resort lies between the Palmiet mountain range

and the Bot River Lagoon.

South Africa has produced world class golfers

from Bobby Locke to Ernie Els and perhaps

the greatest of all, Gary Player.

One of the glories of South Africa is its coastline

which stretches for an enormous

2,500 kilometers.

Onrus, in the town of Onrusrivier translates as restless,

referring to the pounding surf on the rocky coast.

As our journey follows this varied and dramatic shoreline.

(gentle music)

From around the world visitors come to the town

of Hermanus to see the right whales.

Back in the 19th century when whales were spotted,

the boats were put to sea and the killing would begin.

Today when whales are spotted, it's cameras

that shoot the whales.

From the shore it's possible to see right whales

from June through to December, as they arrive

to calve in the shelter of the bay.

These huge barnacled creatures often with calves

could be seen close to the shore quietly drifting

with the tide.

Though out at sea, they can be seen breeching,

an action that is still not truly understood.

By talking, playing, or just scratching an itch,

whatever the answer it's a truly dramatic sight.

This is the majestic beach in the Walker Bay Nature Reserve,

which has a 24 kilometer hiking trail along its shoreline.

(gentle piano music)

It ends at the De Kelders caves.

Formed millions of years ago through the erosive action

of underwater streams and much later opened up

along the coastal cliffs by rising sea levels

and pounding waves forming huge caves.

These would become the home of the late stone age people

known as the Khoikhoi.

Excavations in 1969 revealed 2,000 year old pottery,

stone, and bone artifacts and the remains of shellfish,

fish, and other animals that the

Khoikhoi bushman had discarded.

The Khoikhoi or people-people are an historical division

of the Khoisan ethnic group,

the native people of Southwestern Africa.

The Agulhas National Park is a windswept, ruggedly

beautiful coastal plain at the southernmost tip of Africa.

With it's rich, cultural, and natural heritage,

it was proclaimed a national park in 1999,

due to it's huge biodiversity with many plants

unique to this location.

The area is also known as the Cape of Storms,

because over the centuries many ships were wrecked

on these rocky shores as early explorers braved

one of the most dangerous sea crossings of the age,

and the meeting of two seas.

(gentle music)

These people are standing at the southernmost tip of Africa

and the official meeting point of the Atlantic

and Indian Oceans.

(gentle music)

Nearby is the Agulhas lighthouse, the second oldest

lighthouse in South Africa.

It was built in 1848 to aid the early explorers

on their passage through the rough seas of Cape Agulhas.

71 steps lead up to the lantern.

Stone mined from the adjacent limestone quarry

provided the raw materials for its construction.

The lighthouse is no longer in use but it does house

a unique lighthouse museum, as well as stunning views.

(seagulls squawking) (gentle music)

The coastline is endlessly varied as we go

from a rocky shoreline to pristine beaches

backed by sand dunes.

This is the De Mond Nature Reserve which is at

the mouth of the Heuningnes River.

It is an area for bird watching as well as great hiking

through the various trails across the shifting sand dunes.

(gentle music)

Where the Duiwenhoks River meets the sea

is a cliff side hideaway known as Puntjie.

It is known only to those who stay here.

You won't find it on a map and it's not on travel brochures

or tourist routes.

To have a house here, you need to have had a history

in the area.

Houses often remain in the same family for decades,

consequently there is a long waiting list.

The truss style houses have no walls,

there is no electricity,

and the latrine is in its own thatched building.

(gentle acoustic guitar music)

But what Puntjie does have is nature at its finest,

and absolute peace and quiet from the modern world.

Except that is for the thunderous noise

of the breaking waves as they pound the sandy shore.

(waves crashing)

On this stretch of coast they can reach heights

of well over 15 meters, making it ideal conditions

for skilled surfers.

(waves crashing)

High winds were the reason that in 1601

the Dutch explorer Hollis Van Carden

was forced to seek refuge in a sheltered bay to the east.

He was pleased to discover that local Khoi people

were willing to trade their well-fed livestock

for scrap metal and other fancy Western articles and goods.

He then named the place Vleis Bay, the old Dutch word.

Directly translated into English this means Bay of Meat.

Today, the town is a seaside vacation destination

with most houses used as holiday retreats.

It's also on a very popular walking trail

known as the Oyster Catcher hiking trail

which takes visitors along some of the finest

stretches of the coastline, including Fransmanshoek Point

jutting out into the Southern Ocean.

It's a beautiful and unspoiled part of the coast.

Fransmanshoek translates as Frenchman's corner

and named after the French ship La Fortune

which was stranded on the rocks here in 1763.

The peninsula is a protected nature conservancy

and well known for its unusual sharp edged

orange rock formations.

(gentle music)

Back in the bay, great sand dunes pile up

along the Oyster Catcher hiking trail giving walkers

a great view out to sea.

And from the top of the dunes it's also a good place

to spot right whales as well as dolphins.

Heading east along the coast is Pinnacle Point,

close to the town of Mossel Bay.

And on the headland is one of South Africa's

newest golf resorts.

It was constructed in 2006 and was declared

one of the top 10 new courses in the world.

Darren Clarke, the 2011 open champion, described the course

as, "The best golf course on the planet."

Apart from the golf, the breathtaking scenery

over the cliffs could inspire you to take up the game.

Though a bad shot could land your ball in the sea.

The resort also offers the very rich luxurious villas

with views across the links and out to sea.

(string music)

But how many golfers realize that underneath their feet

homo sapiens may well have first evolved in Africa

thousands of years ago.

These caves have revealed occupation by stone age people.

After debating for decades, paleoanthropologists now agree

there is enough genetic and fossil evidence to suggest

that homo sapiens evolved in Africa

around 180,000 years ago.

And at that time, much of the world was in an ice age,

and Africa was dry and arid.

As archeological sites dating to that time period are rare

in Africa, scientists analyze geological formations,

sea currents, and climate data to pinpoint likely

archeological sites, one of them was Pinnacle Point.

Back in the days of fully manned lighthouses,

one of the best postings in South Africa was to be assigned

the light keeper of the Capes St. Blaize lighthouse.

Because it stands right next to the bustling seaside town

of Mossel Bay and not in some remote place

miles from anywhere.

It was completed in March 1864, and up until the late 1970's

the lens turned on a clockwork system, which meant

that a light keeper had to climb the tower

and wind it up every three hours.

Today it's open to the public,

and the view from the lighthouse tower of the cliffs

and ocean are spectacular and well worth the climb.

Many of the workings of the lighthouse are now

fully automated but there still remains

a senior light keeper and two assistants who help

with radio watches and meteorological duties.

Across Mossel Bay is George Airport

and a very convenient place for us to land and refuel.

It was built in 1977 to service the growing popularity

of the area and the increasing number of holiday makers.

In 2003, the airport served 154,000 passengers.

And 10 years later, the figure had risen to nearly 570,000.

(upbeat classical music)

Taking off to the north towards the Outeniqua Mountains

we come across another helicopter, though this one

is somewhat larger.

This is a Kamov Ka-27, developed for the Russian Navy

for ferrying and anti-submarine warfare.

Design work began in 1969 and the first prototype

flew in 1973.

Like other Kamov military helicopters, it has coaxial rotors

meaning two layers of rotor blades

spinning in opposite directions which removes the need

for a tail rotor.

The Ka-27 has also been certified for commercial operations

throughout the world and is chiefly used for construction

purposes as it has a high lifting capacity

due to its powerful engines.

(upbeat classical music)

Over these hills is the river Kaaimans, and at the mouth

is the railway bridge.

The wonderfully named Outeniqua Choo Tjoe Heritage

steam trains ran across here until 2010

when the line became uneconomic.

We are now joining the Garden Route which is a stretch

of the southeastern coast which extends from Mossel Bay,

in the Western Cape, to Storms River in the Eastern Cape.

The name comes from the abundant and ecologically diverse

vegetation encountered here.

The route has an oceanic climate with mild to warm summers

and mild to cool winters.

It's said that it has the second mildest climate

in the world after Hawaii.

Temperatures rarely fall below 10 degrees Centigrade

in winter and seldom climb beyond 28 degrees in the summer.

This makes it a very attractive place to live,

or have a holiday house with many expensive homes

overlooking the sea.

This is the Noetzie River as it gently winds

its way to the sea through lush

and pristine natural forest.

Aware of its beauty the local residents applied

to have the area made into a conservancy in order

to protect it from further development.

They won, and in 1999, on the eve of the millennium,

Noetzie was officially protected.

(African choral music)

The river empties into the thunderous sea across golden sand

overlooked by a series of, castles.

Which are not as some think, the ancient haunts of pirates

but built in the 1930's.

The story goes that the owner had no intention

of building a castle but simply used the local stone

for practical reasons until a friend jokingly suggested

that he add a few turrets and turn it into a castle.

So he did.

Other buildings copied the style

and today there are five castles which are a mixture

of private homes and luxury hotels.

(African choral music)

(dramatic music)

The coastline of the garden route is one of the main

tourist attractions in South Africa.

However, most of them will never see it like this.

Our unique view from a helicopter gives us the feeling

of seeing it through the eyes of a bird,

as we swoop low, past the rugged and dramatic coastline.

(tribal music)

Over thousands of years the sea has carved out caves

and in some places spectacular rock arches.

(tribal music)

We now come to our final location, the Robberg Peninsula.

It's situated on the east side of Plettenberg Bay

and is not only a nature reserve

but also a national monument and world heritage site.

Rocks from this region date back over 200 million years

and there is later evidence of stone age habitation

found in a few of the caves along the peninsula.

For today's visitors, there are stunning views,

fantastic hiking and swimming from the sandy beaches.

The Robberg Peninsula is home

to a large cape fur seal colony.

Which can often be seen in the surf off Robberg Beach.

Though they prefer to live on rock ledges and reefs.

They are the largest and most robust of all types

of fur seals.

They have a large and broad head with a pointed snout.

They have external ear flaps and their whiskers

are long, especially in adult males and can be found

right around the South African coast.

Their main predator is the great white shark

and they too can be spotted out at sea

like patient visitors on the headland.

They may also glimpse Southern right whales,

orca killer whales, and three species of dolphins.

Robberg Peninsula is one of the many highlights

of the Garden Route, where people can get a true experience

of the natural world and a great place to end this journey.

(uplifting music)

(whoosh)

(whoosh)

(whoosh)

(whoosh)