Porterville, Swartland
Porterville is a quaint town nestled on the slopes of the Olifant's River Mountains. Situated 140 kilometres from Cape Town, Porterville is a friendly, welcoming town which is well known amongst locals as the paragliding and hang gliding capital of the Western Cape Province.
Porterville attracts para gliding and hang gliding ethusiasts from all over the world when the active sky and powerful thermals provide ideal conditions for cross country flying.
Porterville was first established in 1863 after Frederick John Owen, one of the original 1820 Settlers subdivided his farm into plots, naming the town after the then popular Attorney General of the Cape - William Porter. However, centuries before the arrival of Dutch Settlers, the region was inhabited by San and the mountains in the region contain numerous relics of the past, the most outstanding of which is a rock art painting of a sailing ship east of Porterville. (located on private land).
The Groot Winterhoek Wilderness area, with its extraordinary rock formations and popular hiking routes, is situated in the Groot Winterhoek mountain range just east of Porterville. Various examples of rock art, believed to be between 300 and 6 000 years old, can be found in the area. Rock paintings illustrate the religious and social life of the Bushman or San, whose ancestors have lived in southern Africa for more than 100 000 years.
In the vicinity
Hotels & other accommodation options

Rendezvous Guesthouse
Rendezvous Guest House offers accommodation in the Swartland town of Porterville. The establishment has a guest lounge, restaurant and garden wit...

Mayor's Manor
This lovely eight sleeper cottage in Porterville consists of three bedrooms. It is decorated in a simply yet elegant way and has a warm, cosy fee...

Buffalo Drift
Located in the Breede River Valley, Buffalo Drift is situated on Ruigtevlei Farm, near Tulbagh. This working farm on the banks of the lush Berg R...

Villa-Cho-Co-Latt
Villa-Cho-Co-Latt in Porterville offers accommodation for the weary traveller, tourists and ‘just married’ couples looking for a special honeymoo...

The Stable
Once used as stabling for oxen and horses in the early 1900's,The Stable is a beautiful old building that has been lovingly renovated to offer co...

The Views Guesthouse
Set at the foot of the Piketberg Mountain range, The View Guest House offers luxury accommodation for the whole family. The guesthouse can accomm...

Excelsior Farm Self Catering
Excelsior is an old colonial style farm house which offers five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large cozy farm kitchen, a small second kitchen and ...

Mossies Nests
Chilled out, rustig, warm and inviting. No need for hectic schedules and full itineraries. Just good friends and family, a nice fire, cool pool a...

Porterville Hotel
Porterville Hotel offers lovely accommodation on the slopes of the Olifants River Mountains. Onsite you will find a bar, a restaurant, an outdoor...
Things to do in the area


Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Hiking Trails
Start: Cape Nature's wilderness area near PortervilleFinish: in the reserveDuration: 1 hour – 6 hoursFitness: easy to challengingOur tip: hike in...

Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Trail
Start: Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area, 35 km from PortervilleEnd: where you startDuration: 1 to 5 daysFitness: moderateOur tip: there are self-...

Self Drive Citrusdal to Porterville
Route: Citrusdal, Prince Alfred Hamlet, Ceres, Tulbagh, PortervilleDescription: a number of mountain passes both east and south of Citrusdal's or...

Leopard Trail, Beaverlac
Start: Beaverlac campsite, KouebokkeveldFinish: Beaverlac campsite, KouebokkeveldDuration: about 3 hours if you take it easyFitness: it's an easy...

Porterville Farmers Market
The charming little town of Porterville in the Western Cape hosts the Porterville Farmers’ Market every Saturday from 09h00 to 14h00. This is a f...

Piket-Bo-Berg Farmers Market
The Piketberg Mountains promise really breath-taking backdrops to many of the West Coast accommodation options, as well as to the charming Piket-...

Indie Ale Craft Brewery
Just 130 kilometres north of Cape Town, in the heart of the pretty little town of Porterville, is the hub of beer-loving activity - Indie Ale Cra...
Noteworthy attractions

Swartland Wine Route
Meaning ‘black country’ and named after the indigenous Renosterbos, which turns a dark colour at a certain time of the year, the wine route exten...

Dasklip Pass
Near the town of Porterville you will find Dasklip Pass, famous for its launching pad for experienced hang-gliders. Local paragliding championshi...

Renosterveld Reserve
Situated in the village of Darling, the Renosterveld Reserve, which you will find at the top of the village on a hill just behind the Darling Pri...

Tienie Versveld Reserve
The Tienie Versveld Reserve lies just outside Darling en route to Yzerfontein, part of a farm that was donated to the National Botanical Society ...

Berg River Region
North of the Berg River lie the little towns of Piketberg, Porterville, Wittewater, Goedverwacht, Veddrif, Aurora, Eendekuil and Redelinghuys. Kn...

Bartholomeus Klip Renosterveld Reserve
On Bartholomeus Klip's grassy plains you will find wild animals in one of the last spaces, so close to a city, that still allows for game to free...

Bothmaskloof Pass
Bothmaskloof Pass connects the towns of Malmesbury and Riebeeck Kasteel on the R46. Sometimes also known as Bothmanskloof, the pass takes one ove...

Nuwekloof Pass
The Nuwekloof Pass connects the town of Tulbagh with Riebeek-Kasteel and Wellington. Historically it has been called the Oudekloof, Tulbaghkloof ...

Verlorenvlei Heritage Settlement
What was once a thriving little hamlet on the shores of Verlorenvlei (40 buildings or ruins were still in evidence in 1992) is only a few survivi...
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