The Big5:
Experience Helderberg’s five main attractions

- Vergelegen Wine Estate and its impressive 18th century farmhouse built in Cape Dutch style. The farm is now owned by a subsidiary of the large mining company Anglo American, who have restored the farmhouse to its original magnificence and continue to produce some of South Africa's best wines there. Stroll through the estate and come across the five huge camphor trees declared as national monuments, the oldest oak tree in South Africa and an ancient mulberry tree, the Octagonal Garden, the rose garden, the Lady Phillips Restaurant, the Rose Terrace, sit down and relax for a picnic (baskets are available and have to be pre-booked), see the Koi-ponds, visit the homestead and the library. www.vergelegen.co.za

- Helderberg Nature Reserve with picnic spots, exhibitions and hiking trails for young and old. Bontebok, squirrels, ducks, goose and guinea fowls can be seen roaming around and you can watch the huge tortoises lazily mowing our lawns. www.helderbergnaturereserve.co.za

- Whale & Penguin watching: The penguins are comical, clumsy and very eye-catching in their black and white dress. Stony Point in Betty’s Bay is one of only three breeding colonies on the mainland in South Africa. The Jackass Penguin Colony at Stony Point can be viewed from a viewing platform and the penguins are best seen in the late afternoon when they return from their day's fishing. An interesting fact is the Speniscus demersus, (African Penguin) is one of 18 species worldwide, and the only penguin specie that breeds around  the African coast.  www.viewoverberg.com/PenquinPage.asp
From Gordon's Bay (THE best kept secret for whale watching) along the coast to Rooi Els, Hang Klip, Betty's Bay you can watch the whales during their breeding time from July to November www.viewoverberg.com/WhaleWatching.asp or you can go on a boat from the harbour in Gordon's Bay www.southseasafaris.co.za

- Monkey Town: get close to more than 25 exotic monkey species incl. chimpanzees. There are more than 200 primates in a leavy park. www.monkeys.co.za

- A visit to the people in Lwandle. Come and accompany Elke on a very private walk through Lwandle (Xhosa = ocean, the sea) and meet the community on a more personal level, we don't want to call it a township tour because this would not describe it correctly. We visit the Lwandle migrant museum. This is the first township-based museum to commemorate migrancy in South Africa. Lwandle started in 1958 as single dwelling hostels for migrant workers. It is now a Community of families. The museum now exhibits the trials, tribulations and triumphs of migrant workers and hostel life in Southern Africa. We also visit the library, the creche/kindergarten, a local pub (shebeen) and one of the homes of our employees. You will experience that the people are very friendly and they love to have their photos taken.

Somerset West was named after an English governor of the Cape Colony during the 1800s, Lord Charles Henry Somerset, with the suffix 'West' being added to differentiate it from Somerset East, another South African town in the Eastern Cape.
Somerset in the year 1862 described by Rev William Moister: The village itself is a pleasing object as it breaks upon the view about a mile before it is reached. Travellers … behold the lovely little village slumbering in the centre of the valley, with its neat, whit-washed houses and well-cultivated gardens, with extensive vineyards and farmhouses in the distance, surrounded by rocky mountains which rise a considerable altitude.

Nowadays Somerset West has grown bigger and more modern, but is surrounded by the Hottentots Holland Mountains with the Helderberg as the “name giver” to the area. 600 acres of forest, fynbos & vineyards, yet within easy reach of several beaches, close to Cape Town and a premier location for shopping. Somerset Mall offers 204 stores and everything it takes to give families from near and far a safe, fun-filled entertainment environment, alongside a superior browsing and shopping experience.  Somerset Mall is the third largest shopping centre in the Western Cape. The entertainment arena encompasses an international food court, 8-screen movie complex, 10-pin bowling alley, games arcade and book and music stores.

A Christmas tradition, Somerset West is know for its annual display of Christmas lights along the Main Road. Every year people come from all over the country to drive slowly down the Main Road to see the brilliant display of glimmering lights, bells, angels, reindeer, candles and a lot more! The Helderberg Lights Festival (also known as the Strawberry Festival) traditionally complements these lights when the Main Road is closed off in the evening, and floats, parades and flea market stalls are lined up under the lights. A wonderful outing for the whole family! Another popular Christmas tradition that has been held annually for the past 20 years at Vergelegen is "Candles By Candelight". Visitors are invited to bring a picnic basket, blanket and torch and celebrate the joy of Christmas with family and friends on the sprawling lawns of this magnificent wine farm.