Guided Activities
A walking trail exploring coastal rock pools and sandy beaches while a qualified guide points out interesting marine life forms. Also a great way to experience the Southern Right Whales in the bay between June and December.
Depart an hour before low tide from the meeting tree. Times of daily low tide should be confirmed with the guides the day before. Please book at reception.
Duration 2 hours
Explore the De Hoop Vlei and enjoy bird, game, otter and even porcupine sightings with our new eco cruise experience. Daily cruises can be booked by arrangement. Morning cruises include tea, coffee as well as pastries and croissants with jam and cheese. Guests opting for the evening cruise can enjoy house wines, local beers, juices and savory snacks. Please note that this excludes spirits and specialty wines. (duration 1 1/2 - 2 hours)
Mountain bikers are encouraged to explore the magnificent terrain with one of our guides or at their own leisure, which sustains part of the world’s smallest and most threatened plant kingdom – the Cape Floral Kingdom. Close-up encounters with bontebok, Cape mountain zebra, eland, baboons and ostrich are a highlight. A qualified field guide will share his knowledge of less obvious natural and historical aspects of De Hoop.
Depart from meeting tree at various times during the day. To be booked and confirmed with the guides.
Duration 2 - 3 hours
View trails here
A wonderful walking experience with a qualified field guide focused on the identification and behavior of the abundant birdlife found in De Hoop Nature Reserve. Length of walk dependent on fitness levels of participants. Included at no charge in any three-night stay excluding campsite bookings.
Depart from the meeting tree at the Opstal at 06h00 October - March and 08h00 April - September.
Duration 1 - 3 hours
View our bird and species list here
- Stargazing & Star Identification
Experience the magnificent stars and constellations that the clear De Hoop night sky has to offer.
Learn about the various star signs and other interesting facts about the sky.
Times may change according to season and weather conditions. Please discuss and confirm with the guide.
Duration 1 hour
The De Hoop Bespoke Trail Experience
Restaurant: The Fig Tree
The Fig Tree Restaurant is open daily, from 08h00 - 21h00, and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, teas, coffees and cakes and is licensed. Ask about our local wine selection, craft beers and ciders.
Situated in the main Opstal area, next to reception, De Hoop Collection’s Fig Tree Restaurant offers day and overnight visitors a welcoming and comfortable setting in which to enjoy local culinary creations. The building that dates from the 1800’s was built by farmer Cloete as his sheep shearing shed and renovated by De Hoop Collection to a warm, cosy restaurant.
The Fig Tree Restaurant is steered by the experienced hand of Head Chef, Marcia Tyobeka. Being a vegetarian does not hold back this career driven, passionate chef; her meat and fish dishes are just as delicious as her vegetarian dishes. Marcia studied at Vector College in Braamfontein, Johannesburg and has 13 years’ experience in the kitchen. Originally from Rustenburg, she worked with Madikwe Collection for 4 years before moving to De Hoop Collection and has been successfully running the Fig Tree Restaurant Kitchen since 2010.
William and Nini Stephens of De Hoop Collection have used their kitchen as a training ground since they first began in hospitality. Staff from neighboring Bredasdorp and Elim were introduced to the culinary world not only to better their skills, but to ignite a passion for local produce and home cooking. Judy Dyason, best known for co-founding the world-renowned Prue Leith School of Cooking in South Africa, together with Head Chef Marcia, headed the culinary skills training at De Hoop. With the right attitude and motivation, cooking is something that can be taught, and it is no different at The Fig Tree Restaurant.
The Fig Tree Restaurant offers a la carte menus for breakfast and lunch and set dinner menus. Delicious picnic baskets can be pre-ordered from reception and enjoyed on the beach, under a fig tree, or next to the reserve’s 19km vlei.
Land Based Whale Watching
The Southern Right whale has made the De Hoop Reserve in South Africa one of the world’s best land based whale-watching areas. This marine protected area is a World Heritage Site and one of the world’s most important nurseries for this endangered mammal. During the winter months (June to November), Southern Right whales come so close to the shoreline that visitors can relax on the unspoiled sand dunes and watch in awe as these beautiful creatures calve, blow, breach and belly-flop.
Increasing numbers of whales visit De Hoop
The Southern Right whale spends the summer months in the far Southern Ocean feeding close to Antarctica and migrates north in winter for warm-water breeding. The fidelity of the females to safe feeding and calving habitats brings these mammals in increasing numbers to the De Hoop region. The mother passes these instincts onto her calves which results in visitors being able to view this transient population of literally hundreds of whales that visit De Hoop shores annually.
Art Workshops
Art Workshop @ De Hoop - with Karina Behr
Day one, we start with a Tonal drawing in charcoal of a couple of objects under the spotlight to emphasize shadows and lights, lost edges and atmosphere. Next is the preparation of the canvas and a drawing of the still life that we are going to paint. The composition being an important part of the painting.
Onto the now prepared canvas, we will outline the composition and then put in the shadows and the darks (without using any white) and some of the bold pure colour. As we go along, we correct the drawing, adding more detail and the mid tones, and filling in the background. Towards the end we put in the light colours and highlights.
I will teach you perspective, drawing of the ellipse, negative spaces and colour mixing, and at the end of the workshop you will have completed an oil painting!
Contact us with a group of friends who will enjoy being in a beautiful nature reserve while creating a masterpiece!
The Ultimate Family Getaway
- Kiddies Programme at set times of the year - including star gazing, treasure hunts and lots more! Please ask when booking.
- Guided Walks
- Children’s Bikes
- Swimming Pool
- Tennis Court
- Croquet
Spa @ De Hoop
We are thrilled to partner with brands Africology & ELEMIS at our De Hoop Spa.
Your skin, your body and your wellness lie at the heart of ELEMIS.
Hands-on, our ELEMIS therapists harness the power of nature and science to create ground-breaking formulations that genuinely transform your skin. Personally prescribed. Sublimely sensory. The experience is exceptional, the results are real.
Africology offers a luxury, natural and eco-friendly skincare range, fragranced only with pure essential oils. From humble beginnings in a small Johannesburg kitchen, Africology is fast growing into a well-respected international brand. We are an ethical company committed to fair trade while respecting the earth and supporting local communities.
We invite you to browse through the menu and choose the treatment that speaks to you. Our selection of treatments has been chosen reflecting nature around you, brought to you by our experienced therapists and their touch.
Elim Wine Route
The Elim ward which is hugged by two oceans and easily accessed via Bredasdorp on a newly tarred road, falls within the Agulhas district along the Cape South Coast - an interesting geographical location that has resulted in the Elim ward becoming one of the most closely watched wine producing regions in the world.
Perpetual winds off the sea on this peninsula, cool laterite, sandstone and broken shale soils, cool temperatures during the ripening stage, and high light intensity, engraves in the berries flavours such as nettle, capsicum, gooseberry, figs and passion fruit. The wines have a full palate, are crisp and minerally, have lots of concentrated fruit with an excellent finish.
The meaning of the word Elim, ‘place of God’ could not be more apt for this picturesque, historic town, where the vast skies and swirling blue oceans lapping at the shores of this coastal paradise define its special allure. Spectacular wines are the order of the day for four wine producing partners in the Elim ward; The Berrio, Black Oystercatcher, Zoetendal and First Sighting, who have joined forces to create the Elim Winegrowers.Their slogan, ‘Real wine, Real people’, captures the essence of this small hamlet, where there is no better place to experience flavorsome wines, delectable cuisine and genuine hospitality.
In order to preserve the exceptional biodiversity of the area, the Elim Winegrowers, along with other farmers in the area, have incorporated their farms into the Nuwejaars Wetland Special Management Area Initiative, established to develop a sustainable ecology in harmony with farming in the Nuwejaars Wetland Ecosystem. In accordance with international standards, this project aims to preserve the unique fauna and flora of the Agulhas coastal plains, some of which are listed on the Red Data endangered list. A largely sustainable ecology is created, ensuring the protection and enhancement of the heritage and culture of the sub-region, generating benefits for all stakeholders, helping to meet social and environmental requirements, and encouraging community lifestyles compatible with environmental sustainability. Spanning 21 468 hectares, this project puts the Elim Winegrowers at the forefront of environmentally sustainable viticulture practices.
Attractions, Stops and Cape Country Routes
Fly In @ De Hoop
The purpose of this document is to outline the operational procedures of De Hoop Airstrip, as agreed upon between the SAAF, Cape Nature Conservation and De Hoop Management. It is specifically aimed at minimising noise and visual impact on the existing operations in the area by minimising flights and routing aircraft via a specified corridor. This will hopefully lessen the expected impact that flights to De Hoop Airstrip will have on sensitive areas such as the De Hoop Wetlands and Visitor facilities.
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