When we were first planning our time in the Cape Town area of South Africa, we had two days to fill. There are a crazy amount of choices but we settled on Robertson and Montagu.

We wanted to go to these places because they ticked all the boxes for us – there is plenty to do that appeals to both adults and kids, there’s good value accommodation and they are an easy distance from Cape Town.

It only takes a couple of hours to drive here and it’s an easy drive. There are definitely some lovely, varied attractions and it was the perfect way to see more of South Africa in two days from Cape Town.

Robertson and Montagu are located east of Cape Town and only about 30 minutes apart – so it’s easy to visit both at the same time. Robertson is known for its wine farms and Montagu for its hot springs so they make quite a combination.

Something we didn’t expect was how beautiful this area is. It’s gorgeous and there’s a fair bit of variety between the hills at Protea and the river at Viljoensdrift. In fact, some of the landscape even reminded us of Outback Australia which we did not expect.

To help you enjoy the area, below you will find our guide to what to do in Robertson, what to do in Montagu, information about visiting this region with kids, where to stay in Robertson and other information to help you enjoy your time here as much as we did.

Fun Things to do in Robertson and Montagu

Viljoensdrift Wine Farm

Our pick of the wine farms in Robertson is Viljoensdrift. This wine farm is the perfect place to stop for lunch in the Robertson area thanks to the innovative option they have for your lunch – they have a boat cruise.

Viljoensdrift is located right by a river and they take advantage of it by offering one hour river cruises complete with picnic tables and chairs. A ticket on the boat includes wine tasting and there is a deli so you can easily taste some wine, pick one to take on the cruise and then pick up some food in the deli.

It’s incredibly well done. They put the food you buy in a picnic basket complete with chopping board and knife. There are wine buckets with ice and glasses for the wine. There are also special snack boxes for the kids.

We loved our cruise. It was a lovely leisurely hour up and down the river with lovely views. It’s a stunning area and actually reminded me of Broome in Australia thanks to the red earth.

The winery also has a playground area with adjacent picnic tables. It’s easy to spend a lazy half day here and we highly recommend it!

You can find more information on their website.

Van Loveren

Van Loveren is another of the Robertson wineries that is worth adding to your list of things to do in Robertson South Africa. It’s just a few minutes drive from Viljoensdrift.

It’s a lovely wine farm that also hosts a great garden. You can get a leaflet and do a self guided tour.

We loved the wine tasting menu most of all as there were lots of choices all with accompanying snacks. Since we had just had lunch on the boat cruise, this worked especially well. We had a dessert wine tasting which was perfect.

If you are travelling in Robertson with kids, this Robertson wine tasting works especially well as they have a kid option. The kids had two different grape juices to share which came with lollies, papers to colours in and crayons.

We very much enjoyed our visit here.

Find more information on their website.

Avalon Springs

One of the top things to do in Montagu, South Africa is to enjoy the Avalon Springs. In fact, this was the first of the Montagu activities which attracted us to visiting this part of South Africa.

The pools at Avalon Springs are filled with 43 degrees Celcius water from undergound and it’s known for its healing powers. There are multiple pools and it’s a great way to relax and enjoy the area.

You can just visit the pools or stay overnight at the hotel. You can find more information here.

Tractor Tour at Protea Farm

The Protea Farm, high in the Burgers Pass, has transformed itself from a working farm growing apples and pears to a farm cum tourist attraction with hiking trails and accommodation and tractor rides up the surrounding heights.

There are two tractors, each of which have seats in front of the engine as well as a trailer behind. The tractor goes straight up to the top of the ridge with stunning views.

At the top, you can see all the way to Robertson on the floor of the neighboring Brea Valley. The top of the ridge is 1500m above sea level and the climb covers over 500m of that ascent. If you’re after what to do in Montagu to get high then this is it. It takes 2.5 hours for the entire trip.

There are some stops along the way for photos as well as a chance to enjoy a pear and apple. At the top, there’s a stop in a hiking cabin on the property for a drink and a snack.

Our tip is to get there early if you can, these rides are popular. The best seats – on or in front of the tractor – were gone more than half an hour before the start when we arrived. It can get cold, too, especially at the top of the ridge.

This is a suitable Montagu and Robertson tourist attraction for kids of all ages. S, Z and even 13 month old J enjoyed the ride (or parts, anyway, in J’s case) and Sharon and I did too. The view were grand However, all of us felt that the ride would have been better if it had been shorter as it goes for some time. That said, we don’t regret going at all.

Visit http://proteafarm.co.za/ for more information on the tractor rides, including current prices.

Potjeikos lunch at Protea Farm

Another option for a visit to Protea Farm is the Potjeikos lunch. You can just go for the lunch or do it before or after a tractor tours (which currently run at 10am and 2pm). Either way you can enjoy a traditional Boer style farm lunch.

The Potjeikos serves a range of dishes of meat and vegetables, stewed slowly in cast iron pots over hot coals, along with bread. There’s pudding and ice cream for dessert. Water, juice and wine are available, as well as tea and coffee. You get to enjoy as much as you can eat in a lovely outdoor setting.

The food is delicious and we all enjoyed it. The kids especially loved the dessert (unsurprisingly). J and I really liked the breads. All in all it was probably the most delicious of the things to do in Montagu Western Cape worth your consideration.

Visiting Robertson and Montagu with kids

We visited this area with our three kids aged 5, 7 and 13 months old. We found it a great place to visit with kids!

The Montagu and Robertson activities work very well with kids. The Protea tractor tour was a big hit. Mr 5, in particular, lapped it up and had a huge smile on his face most of the time. They loved having their own tasting at Van Loveren and enjoyed the river cruise and playground.

Where to stay in Robertson

Gubas de Hoek

We loved staying at Gubas de Hoek which is centrally located in Robertson. This guesthouse has multiple accommodation options including garden cottages which are just superb.

Our garden cottage had two bedrooms, a large living area, full kitchen, big walk in wardrobe for all our luggage, desk area and bathroom. It’s a great size and well presented. The best part, however, was the large, private backyard area complete with sand pit and toys. We all loved it.

The whole place was very private and comfortable and we wished we had had longer.

Click here to see the latest prices.

Map of Robertson attractions and Montagu attractions

Getting there and around

I definitely recommend taking your own (or a hire car) to explore this region.

We drove from Cape Town to Robertson which is an easy drive taking about 2 hours. A good stop on the way is at the Spice Route in Paarl (more about that here).

It took us a fair bit longer driving from Robertson to Cape Town because we went via Montagu and the Protea Farm which is quite a detour. The scenery was also not as interesting going this way.

Our verdict

We loved our stay in this region. Both Robertson and Montagu are in very picturesque areas with more than enough to do in a couple of days. In fact, we would have loved to stay longer.

This area is very accessible from Cape Town making it an easy side or weekend trip.

We loved all the attractions listed above and hope to visit them again one day.

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