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Hessequa

Witsand - slangrivier - heidelberg - riversdale - vermaaklikheid - stilbaai - melkhoutfontein - jongensfontein - albertinia - gouritsmond

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THE ENTRANCE TO THE WORLD-FAMOUS GARDEN ROUTE

IT'S ALL IN THE NAme

Hessequa – is a Khoi-khoi word meaning, people of the trees and refers to an indigenous tribe who lived within the area.

The region is linked to the Cradle of Human Culture, with the international renowned archaeological finds at the Blombos Cave (not open to the public) and the Ancient Fish Traps in Stilbaai as prime facilities. The specific findings include a piece of engraved ochre, which is the first known ochre engraving found in the archaeological record and dated to 75 000 years ago; “the oldest artist’s toolkit”, which is evidence of a 100 000-year-old ochre-processing workshop; “the oldest drawing (or hashtag)” dated to 73 000 years ago and some of the first evidence of body decoration, in the form of perforated estuarine shell beads.

Stilbaai form part of the Cradle of Human Culture Route, which includes several archaeological sites across the Western Cape.

Explore Our World

Hessequa is the entrance to the world famous Garden Route and is nestled in the shadow of the Langeberg Mountain, and in the embrace of the warm Indian Ocean, stretching from the magnificent Breede River in the west, and the majestic Gourits River in the east.

Hessequa is the half-way mark when you travel between Cape Town and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), with the N2 highway traversing through the region.

Riversdale connects with the R62, through the scenic Garcia’s Mountain Pass, which offers wide-open spaces for motorcycle enthusiasts and travel groups. The Cape Town International Airport (CPT) is 3-hours from Hessequa, while the George Regional Airport (GRJ) is a mere 1-hour drive away.

Geocaching is a world-wide treasure hunting game, using a GPS to hide and seek containers with other participants in the activity. Geocache enthusiasts can look forward to discovering many hidden caches along this stretch of the scenic Garden Route.