R320 - HEMEL EN AARDE to CALEDON
Tempt Your Senses Route
Distance – 35 km

Hemel en Aarde Village, Hemel en Aarde Valley, Vineyards, De Bos Dam, Agricultural region, Shaw's Mountain Pass, Caledon

Hemel en Aarde Village Centre
Begin with a browse around the Hemel en Aarde Village Centre, home to an interesting mix of Soul Spoiling;  from the largest Wine selection of South African wines to wine tasting Cellars, from Interior Decor galleries to Art galleries, from Jewellery Design to Property agents, from Garden Nurseries to Organic Food ...

Leaving the R43 in Hermanus at the Sandbaai / Hemel en Aarde Village intersection, take the R320 towards Caledon. This 35 km trip in a north-easterly direction is for the most part tarred, but there is a section of gravel road near the northerly end of the valley. It is bordered by the Kleinriviersberge to the south and overlooked by the towering Babilonstoren 1167 m in the north. Babilonstoren or the Tower of Babilon, is occasionally covered in a smattering of snow during the winter months.

Vineyards
The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley falls within the Walker Bay wine ward. Some of the best wines in the country come from farms such as Bouchard Finlayson, Hamilton Russell, Sumaridge and Newton-Johnson. There are many cellars in which to sample the delicious wines and because wine is best accompanied with food, once you have chosen a case or two, there are a number of excellent restaurants with lunches extraordinaire. The view from some of the dining-rooms is beyond compare.

De Bos Dam
The main source of Hermanus' water supply comes from De Bos Dam seen on your left after about 7 km.  The valley, below the dam, originally home to a leper colony in the 1820's, was also once home to an eccentric horse-lover, Ella Gordon. You can still see the grave-yard where she buried her beloved four-legged friends when they died on the Karwyderskraal farm. The graveyard is on the gravel Karwyderskraal road which crosses the dam wall, and goes through the gap in the mountains back to the Bot River lagoon.  

Agricultural Region
On both sides of the road it is evident that this area is most fertile.  There are stud farms, some vegetable and berry farms, deciduous fruit orchards and more vineyards. 

Shaw's Mountain Pass
The Shaw's Mountain Pass is ecologically significant as it provides a habitat for a number of Red Data Book species of fynbos, three of which are endemic to the site which occur there and nowhere else. The pass ascends out of the valley at the end where you will notice a couple of gravel roads to the right to a little village called Teslaarsdal. It is of interest to note that the source of the Klein River is on the slopes of Babilonstoren. The Klein River runs in an easterly direction and eventually opens into the Klein River Lagoon at Stanford, nearly 80 km later!

On both sides of the road it is evident that this area is most fertile.  There are stud farms, some vegetable and berry farms, deciduous fruit orchards and more vineyards.  The Shaw's Mountain Pass is ecologically significant as it provides a habitat for a number of Red Data Book species of fynbos, three of which are endemic to the site which occur there and nowhere else. The pass ascends out of the valley at the end where you will notice a couple of gravel roads to the right to a little village called Teslaarsdal. It is of interest to note that the source of the Klein River is on the slopes of Babilonstoren. The Klein River runs in an easterly direction and eventually opens into the Klein River Lagoon at Stanford, nearly 80 km later! Caledon
If you do choose to drive all the way to Caledon, the hot springs at the Caledon Hotel, Spa and Casino will probably be most welcome if you have enjoyed a long leisurely lunch on the way!