Swellendam is originally the third European settlement that was built in South Africa by the early settlers. Once a grazing zone for herds of game that populated the area before humans even migrated to Swellendam, today the town is very pretty with a fair sprinkling of colonial buildings amongst wide open roads. Built along the old Cape Wagon road the town has morphed into a friendly rural town that offers plenty of hotels and other accommodation for the wary road traveler. For the more adventurous there is rafting and canoeing on the Breede river, while the Longeberg mountains attract plenty of hikers and horseback riders. Called the Overberg region, the town is surrounded by soft rolling and fertile farmland.
Scenes from the movie “Out of Africa” come to mind while soaking up the scenery around Swellendam. Local real estate often comes with plenty of land attached and property owners can use this to their advantage by keeping horses or even game. With the wide open spaces and the stunning mountains as background, many properties have views to die for. With easy access to major cities, living in Swellendam comes close to living in paradise.
