Welcome to

UNESCO

Creative City of Gastronomy Overstrand Hermanus

Africa’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy

Some 70 top restaurants cater for every palate against spectacular natural scenery. The perfect background for SA’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy. The region is home to two wine routes, the Stanford Wine Route (9 wineries) and the Hermanus Wine Route (23 wineries). The latter incorporates the famed South African Pinot Noir haven – Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven & Earth). This area links to a further three wine routes and collectively this is known as the Cape South Coast wine region comprising 85 wineries.

Creation Wines on the Hermanus route is an industry leader in wine tourism and has won accolades in the Great Wine Capitals (GWC) Best of Wine Tourism Award three times in five years. In 2017 Creation Wines won the category ‘Innovative Wine Tourism Experiences’. The GWC is a network of ten major global cities in both the northern and southern hemispheres which share a key economic and cultural asset: their internationally renowned wine regions. The annual Best of Wine Tourism Awards is an international competition designed to reward the wineries in member cities and wine regions that have distinguished themselves in terms of delivering quality experiences to the public. Creation has done ground-breaking work in the field of wine and food pairing and is one of many local wineries to extend their wine presentation to include music and art.

Another pioneer in the Hemel-en-Aarde wine region is Hamilton Russell Vineyards who were the first vineyard to establish themselves on the most southerly site in South Africa on an undeveloped 170-hectare property in 1975 and today produces a selection of noble varieties that is sought after the world over and is sold out year after year. Bouchard Finlayson was the second winery to establish in Hemel-en-Aarde and is owned by the Tollman family who owns the Travel Corporation are the proprietors of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, The Oyster Box in Umhlanga, Twelve Apostles Hotel in Camps Bay and Bushmen’s Kloof in the Cedarberg. On the Hermanus Wine Route there are 6 restaurants at wineries, 2 farm stalls and one long standing country cook-house.

Springfontein on the Stanford Wine Route has the singular honour of having a Michelin star chef in charge of operations. The Overstrand’s Hermanus has a beverage economy that includes 3 beer breweries of which one has won gold at the National Beer Trophy Awards for the past 2 consecutive years.

Towns of UNESCO

The main towns of the area are Kleinmond, Hermanus, Stanford and Gansbaai; but the Cape Whale Coast is in fact made up of a collection of villages, farms, rivers, bays, coves and valleys – each filled with its own special magic. Explore the whales, sharks, wine routes, fynbos, birding, golf courses, penguins, mountain biking, hiking trails and adventure activities in our beautiful region, the Cape Whale Coast.

Hangklip-Kleinmond

The Hangklip-Kleinmond coast lies between massive Fynbos covered mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Sublime nature is punctuated by the villages of Rooiels, Pringle Bay, Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond, and wave-swept beaches.

 

Hermanus

Hermanus, in the heart of the Whale Route, is just 127km from Cape Town on the Cape south coast. It has developed from a rustic whaling and fishing village into one of the world’s best whale-viewing sites (via land or boat) from June to November.

 

Stanford

Stanford is the only one of the Cape Whale Coast towns that is situated inland. This leafy green and picturesque Victorian influenced village which lies on the banks of the Klein River offers something special to visitors…

Gansbaai

Gansbaai the Natural Adventure Destination is also referred to as The Great White Shark Capital Of The World due to the abundance of the Great White Sharks in these waters

Goals of UNESCO

As a Creative City of Gastronomy, Overstrand Hermanus we aim for:

Conservation

Recognised by the Africa Responsible Tourism Awards for its efforts made toward conserving biodiversity and improving the lives of residents.


Cooperation

Nurturing exchange of knowledge and experiences through the Food for Future programme focusing on food and gastronomy as key levers of sustainable urban development by enhancing North-South cooperation.

Development

Strengthening cooperation within the region with the aim to encourage the participation and development of food-related events and festivals.


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