Klawer is a rural town lying in the emerald green, tranquil, Olifants River Valley, just off the N7 to Namibia.
The town is the gateway to the Olifants River Wine Route, and home to Klawer Wine Cellars, a top notch winery that has won many accolades.
Just 14km south of Klawer is Trawal, where you will find the Stellar Organic Winery, the world’s largest producer of no-added-sulphur wines, and only 21km west of Klawer is Vredendal, neighboured by Lutzville, both big players in the wine industry.
The Olifants River Valley is watered by the irrigation canal siphon at ‘Kransbrug’ which was constructed by Italian prisoners of war and is a unique sight in Klawer.
The agricultural activities supported by the irrigation scheme include a variety of fruit and vegetables such as grapes, potatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes and many more.
These fruits and vegetables are also exported to the international market and make for interesting scenery.
Klawer is also part of the well known Cape Flower Route and the country side is carpeted from the beginning of August to early September.
Fresh water fishing in the Olifants River is also a popular pastime. The nearby ‘Doring’ River offers the adventure lover river rafting and exploration of the rock art sites on the river banks. The best time of the year to raft on the ‘Doring’ River is just after the winter rain season (June- August). The river offers the not-so-faint-hearted visitor rapids that vary from grade 2 to grade 4!
The highly rated Bergkraal 4×4 Route, between Klawer and Vredendal, especially beautiful in flower season is 54km long and takes 8 hours to complete.
Temperatures in Klawer are known to climb to above 40°c in the summer months and as low as an average of 12.4°c during winter.
Klawer is half way between Cape Town and Namibia and is an ideal stop-over. It is less than three hour’s drive (approximately) 300km north of Cape Town on the N7 and 60km from the coastal town of Strandfontein. Vanrhynsdorp (55km) and Clanwilliam (55km) can easily be reached. The Cederberg Mountains offer hiking and cycling trails, just south of Clanwilliam.
For more information about this area, visit ShowMe Cederberg or ShowMe West Coast.
