A Roadtrip To Bokkomlaan – Your Route To Nature

So when Carmen Lerm of the West Coast Way invited me to meet the people of Bokkomlaan, I eagerly accepted, knowing that the journey would lead me to the heart of Velddrif’s charming landscape and the vibrant community that calls it home.

A little research or personal experience provides clues to uncover the unique footprint of any natural hotspot. These factors can encompass everything from the season and localised weather patterns to the time of day for optimal light and wildlife sightings, as well as the mundane yet essential details of operating hours and available facilities.

With that in mind, here is my personal recipe for making the most of a day trip to Bokkomlaan in Velddrif. Note: If you are not a morning person, you can reverse this plan to include sunset at Bokkomlaan. 

Proper Planning Achieves Perfection

Columbine Co is an exceptional roastery and coffee shop in Bokkomlaan, and it opens at 8 am. However, sunrise in spring is around 6:30 am, which means it is light from about 6, and if there are clouds about, the sky will light up in vibrant pinks and purples before the sun comes up over the horizon. The best light for spectacular views and stunning images is from pre-sunrise to about 8:30 am. 

We know that the trip from Cape Town to Bokkomlaan is 160 km via the R27. Google tells us this will take one hour and 54 minutes.

Google Maps does not factor in the necessity of a stop for Wimpy coffee, nor does it know the frustration of getting stuck behind any of the many trucks travelling at 80 km/h and refusing to pull over to the hard shoulder to let the long snake of cars overtake. 

Google’s final failing is not recognising that women of a certain age who drink Wimpy coffee need to take a comfort break an hour after consuming it. These essential facts bring the total travelling time to two hours and fifteen minutes. It will probably be less, but it gives one a little wiggle room. 

I want to capture Bokkomlaan at sunrise, so I must leave home by four in the morning. Plan B presents itself as a much better option: staying in Velddrif overnight, waking up at six, and being in time for sunrise. 

Early Mornings in Bokkomlaan

I compromise on sunrise for this trip and leave home at 5:30 am, avoiding most slow trucks, and arrive at 7:15. 

Bokkomlaan looks gorgeous waking up. It is quiet, a hint of a mist hangs on the horizon, gulls circle overhead, drifting gracefully on the thermals, and a pelican paces outside the fish factory, waiting for the delivery trucks and the chance of a cheeky snack. 

A little boy walks down the gravel road with his ouma, fascinated by everything. It is obvious that they are delighted to spend this time together, and she is giving him the most precious gift a child can receive. An appreciation and love for nature. As she points out and identifies various birds, and the beautiful light of the rising sun, it prompts endless questions from him, which she answers with patience and enthusiasm. 

The sun warms the air, and the day starts to unfold. Strollers and dog walkers appear, and to the delight of the pelican, the first bakkie arrives with its catch. It is school holidays, and many young boys have accompanied their fathers to work. They jump off the back of the truck and push and shove one another, getting under the feet of the men trying to unload. 

One lively young boy, shirtless in baggy pants and his dad’s gumboots, starts an impromptu dance, delighted with his audience of one. It ends too soon with a call to get in the car, time to go back out to sea. A fleeting connection that made us smile. I wave goodbye, and he waves back. Brief moments like this add joy to life. 

Small pleasures are abundant in Bokkomlaan when you pause, and align your rhythm to the leisurely pace of the river and the people it gives purpose to.

Coffee Kickstarts the Day

As the clock strikes eight, I walk into Columbine Co., joined by a few coffee loving locals. My taste buds react to the familiar grinding and hissing sounds of the coffee machine and the yeasty aroma of freshly baked bread. 

Sitting at a table on the stoep of Columbine Co., the Berg River is mere steps away, and the view is mesmerising. My coffee arrives, piping hot, and I raise the gorgeous ceramic cup of liquid bliss to my mouth—another Bokkomlaan moment of pure joy. I chatted to owner Albert Cornelissen, the brewer baker artisan of this West Coast boulevard, about the unique blend of beans that makes their coffee so exquisite.

A few cups later, my coffee addiction is sated. Relaxed and content, I wander down the road and stop to chat with an Oom sitting in the doorway of his small structure. He has finished fishing for the day and is spending the rest of the morning watching the river and mending his nets. The needle and yarn look minute in his huge hands, but his movements are as dexterous as a tailor making adjustments to a designer suit.

Further down the road, I spend some time standing in the doorway of the fish factory. A bakkie has reversed halfway in, unloading harders— South African mullet (Chelon richardsonii).  The bakkie leaves, the fish are washed and piled in a huge mound at the back of the shed, and a young man hoses down the floor, diluting the strong smell of fish. A group of women arrives and turn crates into makeshift seats as they begin their workday, cleaning, gutting and preparing the fish for the drying racks. This is where the harders will hang in covered sheds, drying in the sunshine and breezes of the West Coast, to be sold as Bokkoms, the salty dried fish that gave Bokkomlaan its name.

Birds, Boats and Bliss on the Berg River

Cracklin Rosie glides smoothly away from the dock, and Bokkomlaan fades from view as we head inland on the Berg River. Wendy Wentzel is the owner of the boat and our birding and river guide. The sun is high and it is over 30 °C, but the river provides a welcome breeze, and the boat features shaded and covered areas, providing ample space to move around and find a comfortable spot. Wendy’s intimate knowledge of the river and its birdlife is phenomenal.  The two hour trip passes in a flash as we spot kingfishers in trees, the red flash of Bishop birds in the reeds, and a group of pelicans resting on a sandbank. A pair of Blue Cranes pose and preen on the embankment, a spoonbill wades purposefully in the shallows, and a heron plunges its beak into the water, aiming for a fish. Wendy adds to the experience, peppering the conversation with little pebbles of information about each bird or section of river. 

A Grey heron spotted on the banks of the Berg River, in Bokkomlaan

Slow Food, not Fast Food

All that fresh air and excitement on the boat has made me hungry. It’s time to enjoy lunch on the jetty at Ek & Djy . Owners Gert and Magdel have been running this restaurant, pub, and shop for eighteen years, and they have a winning formula in a stunning location. Gert tells us that good food takes a little longer to prepare, and everything is cooked fresh when ordered, but he assures us that it is worth the wait.

Want to book a table on the jetty at Ek & Djy Retaurant, Bar & Shop?

We don’t wait long for our calamari, fish and chips, and coffee, and he is right – it is excellent.

One last coffee enjoyed while watching the river flow by, and it’s time to hit the road for Cape Town, refreshed, rejuvenated and planning the next visit to Bokkomlaan – my route to nature.

Find Bokkomlaan on the West Coast Way Berg Route

Cracklin’ Rosie River Tours: +27 (0)71 897 9611 | [email protected] 

Columbine Co.: +27 (0)84 879 7006

Ek en Djy Restaurant, Bar & Shop: +27 (0)82 781 3878

Written by Di Brown
Di is a pint sized travel writer, photograph snapper, and drone flyer earning her wings on the West Coast Way.

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