- Western Cape
- Darling
Darling, Western Cape
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Approximately an hour outside of Cape Town, along the West Coast road, lies the charming little village of Darling. The quaint farming town is most famous for its spring wildflowers. Darling is also home to South Africa’s famous satirist, Pieter-Dirk Uys, known to most as Evita Bezuidenhout. He has greatly assisted in turning the town into a tourist destination with his well-known theatre and restaurant venue, Evita se Perron, being another main attraction in Darling.
Tourists come from all over the country to visit while the wildflowers are in bloom. The town is framed by a tapestry of flowers, boasting more than 1200 species of flowering plants of which 80 are endemic to the West Coast. The area offers a few Wildflower and Nature Reserves that are open to the public for walks all year round and Darling also forms part of the Cape West Coast Flower Region and the Cape Flower Region.
Darling town is best enjoyed on foot as there are plenty of little bric-a-brac shops, craft shops, art galleries, antique stores and quaint coffee shops just beckoning you to stroll through. The ancient trees lining the streets and old Victorian buildings add a special kind of charm to the town which offers wonderful small town hospitality to it visitors.
Darling is the ideal weekend getaway with plenty of Guest Houses, Self-Catering Units, Farm accommodation and B&B’s to choose from.
Places to Visit
Things to do and see
- Darling Museum
- Hildebrand Monument
- Evita se Perron
- !Khwa ttu San Culture & Educational Centre
- Mantis Trading Store
- Splitpiece Murals in Darling
- Darling Cellars
- Cloof Wine Estate
- Groote Post Wine Tastings
- Ormonde Private Cellar
- Tukulu Wines
- Darling Brewery
- Darling Morning Market - 1st Saturday of every month
- Renosterveld Reserve
- Tienie Versveld Reserve
- Bird Island Nature Reserve
- Cape West Coasts Biosphere Reserve
- Darling Stagger Trail
- Wheels of Time Trail
- Dassen Island Nature Reserve
- Yzerfontein Beach
- Grotto Bay Coastal Nature Reserve
- Darling Wind Farm
- Berg River Estuary
Climate
The area receives its rainfall mostly between April and August.
Summer months, November to March will have average temperatures of between 15˚C and 27˚C.
Winter months, May to August will have average temperatures of between 7˚C and 16˚C.
Transport
There are daily domestic and international flights intoCape Town International Airport and Darling is approximately 80 km away via the N7 and R307. Car rental companies are located at the Airport.
Festivals
January / February – Darling Music Experience: A two week long fiesta with classical music, jazz and contemporary tunes.
September – Darling Wildflower Show: The Show, over three days, represents a concentration of plants that flower in Spring.
September – Darling Voorkamer Festival: Three days celebrating the Arts. Tree stage performances are held in separate homes, “front rooms” with seven different routes on offer each night. On purchasing your ticket you will be given the map route for the performances you will be enjoying for the evening. A unique way to present an Arts Festival!
History
The history of Darling and the surrounding areas dates back centuries to when the San roamed the land. Groenkloof, the name of the area that Darling is located in, was first founded in 1682 when Oloff Bergh, a pioneer explorer, took the journey North through the sands of the West Coast.
Darling was named after the Lieutenant Governor of the Cape, Charles Henry Darling, and was founded on the farm Langfontein in 1853. The Darling Trustees Board bought the farm for the purpose of a Village and Church on 12 February 1853.
Darling is mainly a farming community in a region which produces a lot of wheat and is ideal for sheep farming. Potatoes are also grown here and there are some large wine producers in the area.
From our gallery
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