Last Updated on March 20, 2025 by Hannah Stephenson
In 2024, the Durbanville wine safari launched in Cape Town. As of right now, it’s mostly used by locals and is CRIMINALLY underrated by tourists.
Visitors to Cape Town usually flock to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch for their wine tastings. And while I love both of those regions dearly, Durbanville is just as worthy of a visit.
The wine safari is an easy, fun, and convenient way of going wine tasting, so I’ve written this guide containing everything you need to know about it. Let’s dive in!
- How does the wine safari work?
- When does the wine safari operate?
- How to book the Durbanville wine safari
- How much does the Durbanville wine safari cost?
- Which route should I choose?
- The best wine farms to visit on the Durbanville wine safari
- Would I do the Durbanville wine safari again?
- Where to stay in Cape Town?
How does the wine safari work?
The wine safari is basically a shared tour of the Durbanville wineries.
Saying that, we ended up being the only people on our safari truck, so we got a private experience!
Anyway, you meet your guides at the Protea Hotel in Durbanville at your chosen start time. This is about 30 minutes outside of the city center and easily accessible by Uber.
Then, you board the safari bus and choose which 3 wineries you would like to visit on your chosen route. If you’re not sure, you can ask your guides for recommendations!
They will drop you off at your first winery of the day and let you know when they’ll be back to pick you up. Usually, you get about 1.5 hours at each winery.
Finally, the safari will drop you back at the Protea Hotel at the end of your tasting tour, where you can call an Uber back to the city.
When does the wine safari operate?
Currently, the wine safari only operates from Friday to Sunday.
In December and January, it was running during the week as well, but outside of peak season this experience is weekends-only.
There are three departure times to choose from: 9:30 am, 10:15 am, or 10:45 am. It lasts for about 5 hours in total, so you should be done by 4 pm at the latest.
If you want to go wine tasting on a weekday, check out the Franschhoek wine tram instead – I’ve got an in-depth guide here!
How to book the Durbanville wine safari
We booked the wine safari through the official website about a week before we went. They offer free cancellation until 24 hours before your departure.
How much does the Durbanville wine safari cost?
Tickets for the wine safari cost R330 per person. This is for transport only, as you’ll pay for wine tastings and food at each estate on the day.
I spent a further R540 on food and drinks throughout the day. This covered three wine tastings and my share of two cheese and charcuterie boards, which we split between three people.
It’s worth noting that it’s definitely a bit cheaper to go wine tasting in Durbanville than it is in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch!
Which route should I choose?
The Durbanville wine safari currently offers two routes: North and South.
Each route covers a different set of wineries, which are as follows:
Northern Line:
- Canto
- Diemersdal
- Groot Phesantekraal
- Meerendal
Southern Line:
- Bloemendal
- D’Aria
- Durbanville Hills
- Klein Roosboom
- Maastricht
- Nitida
Honestly, I don’t think that it matters too much which line you choose, so don’t lose any sleep over it. With that being said, we opted for the Southern Line as it offered more choice.
The best wine farms to visit on the Durbanville wine safari
I absolutely loved all three of the wineries that I visited on the wine safari, so I can honestly recommend all of them. I’ll go into more detail about each one below, just bear in mind that all of these wineries are on the Southern Line.
Klein Roosboom
Our first stop of the day was Klein Roosboom, which I totally fell in love with.
We did their cap classique tasting out in the garden for R100. It was the perfect way to kick off the day!
For those of you who don’t know, cap classique is the same thing as champagne, they just can’t call it that because of the infamous “champagne rule.”
I loved sitting out in the garden but it’s worth noting that Klein Roosboom also has unique wine caves! They used to be fermentation tanks but now function as private tasting rooms – how cool is that?
Each one has its own theme, and you can check out the full list of caves here. These do need to be booked in advance, though, which you can do online.
If you do book a tasting cave, I would recommend snagging the 10 am – 12 pm timeslot. Then, book the 9:30 am wine safari, and let your guides know about the booking. They’ll make sure you get to Klein Roosboom on time!
Maastricht
Next up, we headed onto Maastricht. It’s a gorgeous, old-school winery. Tastings are conducted inside the old barn, but if you’d rather sit outside and enjoy the glorious views then you can always order a bottle to enjoy in the sunshine.
We opted for the wine tasting so we sat inside. We got 5 wines plus a glass of cap classique for R110 – what a bargain! We also ordered a cheese and charcuterie board which was absolutely delicious. It came with this incredible freshly baked brioche, which was just what we needed to soak up all of the wine.
D’Aria
D’Aria is a modern and elegant winery with a spacious garden. We got another cheeseboard here and did The Choir tasting, which meant we got to pick any six wines from a list of eleven in total. Honestly, this was a bit ambitious for our last tasting of the day and I left feeling very drunk.
Would I do the Durbanville wine safari again?
Hell yeah, I would!
It was so much fun and great value for money. All of the wineries we visited were absolutely beautiful, and our guides on the safari were great fun, too. I’ll definitely do this again the next time I’m in Cape Town!
You can book the Durbanville wine safari here!
Where to stay in Cape Town?
Deciding where to stay can be the hardest part of planning a trip, especially if it’s your first time in a new city! In Cape Town, you want to make sure that you stay in an area that’s both safe and close to all of the city’s top attractions. With that in mind, I recommend the following…
Luxury – The Glen Boutique Hotel & Spa
The Glen is a little slice of paradise tucked away in Sea Point, which just happens to be one of Cape Town’s coolest neighbourhoods! It’s within walking distance of Sea Point’s fun bars and restaurants, as well as the promenade and Saunders rock pool.
This boutique hotel boasts stylish modern rooms that come with everything you need – and more! Some rooms also offer ocean or mountain views, and they’ve got a lovely outdoor pool which, trust me, you will be VERY grateful for during the Cape Town summer. Oh, and did I mention free breakfast?
I would honestly stay here for the beautiful dining terrace alone! But you don’t have to take my word for it because you can read 1,350+ 5-star reviews here.
Prices start at 4,000 ZAR per night during the summer or 3,000 ZAR during the winter. Booking in advance will generally help you to find the best deal!
Check availability and book your stay here!
Mid-range – The Tropicana
The Tropicana Hotel is a real goldilocks spot. It gets everything just right!
The hotel offers spacious family rooms and apartments which even come with their own kitchens! But my personal favourite thing about this place is that the rooms have air-conditioning, which you won’t find in most Airbnbs.
Location-wise, this place honestly couldn’t be better. It’s smack dab in the middle of Sea Point, steps away from some of my favourite spots like The Nines and Mojo Market.
And if all of that weren’t enough, this place offers free cancellation up to a week in advance, allowing you to stay nice and flexible. Prices start at 1,500 ZAR per night during the winter, and 2,100 ZAR during the summer.
Find out more and book your stay at the Tropicana here!
Budget – Never At Home
If you’re looking for an affordable stay with a great vibe, then allow me to introduce you to Never At Home!
This is THE place to meet new people and party the night away. Even if you don’t end up staying here, it’s definitely worth swinging by for a beer, a pizza, and a round of ping pong.
When I lived in Green Point, I walked past this place pretty much every day and let me tell you, the bar is always packed, no matter the time of day!
Speaking of which, Green Point is an ideal area to stay because it’s within easy reach of all of Cape Town’s top attractions, including the nightlife on Bree and Kloof Street!
The hostel has dorms, private rooms, and even female-only accommodations. Plus, there’s a rooftop pool and sun deck.
Prices for a dorm bed start at R500 per night, while a private room with an en-suite will set you back around R1,500. These are pretty standard hostel prices for Cape Town, just FYI.
Check out all of the great reviews and book your stay here!