Things To Do In Paarl

Proudly bearing the title of the third oldest town in South Africa, Paarl is a scenic gem found at the gateway of the Cape Town winelands. Found at the foot of the second largest granite outcrop on the planet, Paarl Rock and flanked by the Berg River Valley — Paarl is a buzzing hive that has become famous for it’s architectural longevity and scenic beauty.

Our journey begins with a trip down the 12km main road of Paarl, which happens to be among the longest in South Africa. Surrounded by 700 species of plant life and flanked by rivers and mountains; a trip down Paarl Main Road leads us by the hand down memory lane past world famous schools, historical sights & exhibits well preserved architecture that combines the best of Cape Dutch, Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco ages of design.

Found within 1 hours drive, visitors to Paarl looking for an afternoon on the greens will be pleased to find approximately 30 world class golf courses — including the legendary Paarl Golf Course. Gary Player — a South African golfing great has played the magnificent tree lined fairway established in 1954. Visitors looking to squeeze in a ‘chukka’ or two before moving on will be happy to know that just outside Paarl is Villa de Vie — the best laid out and most famous Polo course in Africa.

Young ones will find tons entertainment on hand in the region and should be entertained most of the day. Paarl’s very own crocodile farm is an ideal opportunity to see over a 1000 crocodiles, ranging from 1 – 5 meters in length, in their natural habits as well as purchasing crocodile leather products. Plus, guests to the region will find the largest butterfly collection in Africa at Butterfly World as well as horseback riding and a snake park.Sailing over the Paarl region from the amazing perch of a hot air balloon has become a massively popular attraction for couples or honeymooners!

Guests to the region will find a number of establishments all offering quality Paarl accommodation in the form of bed and breakfasts, self catering accommodation or Paarl guest houses that cater for most budgets. Due to it’s allure as tourist destination — a number of quality Paarl hotels can be found in the district.

Charles Darwin made the trip up Paarl Main Road in 1836 and has to be the most famous visitor to the region. South Africa’s most famous character Nelson Mandela spent the last years of his incarceration down the road from Paarl at Groot Drakensberg Prison. Palpable history that allows guests to walk along the paths that world famous personalities of times gone by have — combined with inspiring natural beauty has resulted in Paarl becoming an enticing option when visiting the Cape.