Somerset West – Close to the Majestic Helderberg Mountains
Located around 50 kilometers east of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, the town of Somerset West forms part of the scenic Helderberg Basin, offering visitors the convenience of being close to both the sea and the magnificent Helderberg Mountains. The town lies on the border of the renowned Cape Winelands and offers easy access to the many wine routes of this area.
The Vergelegen Wine Estate is one of the must-see destinations in Somerset West. It is around this historic vineyard that the town of Somerset West developed, later being named after Lord Charles Henry Somerset, the Cape Colony governor during the 1800s. The enormous Chinese camphor trees that were planted by Willem Adrian van der Stel on the front lawn of the beautiful Cape Dutch homestead in the early 1700s have been declared a national monument and the grounds are a delight to explore.
Somerset West has an old world charm about it and is well worth considering as a base for exploring the nearby attractions, including the Helderberg Nature Reserve, the
Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, the Harold Porter Botanical Gardens at Betty’s Bay and the historic town of Stellenbosch, which is a mere 15 minute drive away.
