Most walks in De Kelders begin the same way: out of the door and towards the sea. The fynbos opens up, the sound of the swell grows louder, and the path follows the line of the cliffs above Walker Bay. At the western edge of the village it leads into Walker Bay Nature Reserve, and to one of the most remarkable places on the South African coast.
A cave with a very long memory
Klipgat Cave is a wide mouth in the limestone just above the shoreline. It is reached through the reserve’s De Kelders gate and down a boardwalk, followed by a little rock-hopping. CapeNature, which manages the reserve, describes two chambers. The first has a rocky floor that runs down towards the sea. A smaller opening to its left leads into the main site, where a circular boardwalk carries you through the cave.
The sense of shelter is immediate: the roar of the ocean softens, the light turns cool and grey, and the view through the entrance becomes a framed picture of the bay.
People have felt that shelter for a very long time. Archaeologists have found evidence here of occupation in the Middle Stone Age; CapeNature gives a range of roughly 65,000 to 85,000 years ago. South Africa’s heritage agency, SAHRA, lists the site as occupied more than 70,000 years ago. Much later layers record Khoe and San people living on this coast about 2,000 years ago. SAHRA notes that the cave holds early evidence that Later Stone Age Khoe pastoralists were already present in the Western Cape between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago.
In other words, you are walking into one of the oldest homes on the coast.
Walking there
From the village, the approach is part of the pleasure. Paths wind through low coastal fynbos, and in spring there are flowers underfoot and sunbirds in the bushes. Out to sea there is a good chance of whales. Take your time. The cliffs here are high, the rocks below are sharp, and the swell can be powerful, so stay on the marked paths and keep well back from the edge, especially with children.
The boardwalk into the cave is easy going down; the return is uphill but short. Wear shoes with grip for the rocky section, and bring water and a windproof layer. A conservation fee applies at the reserve gate, so check current gate times and fees with CapeNature before you go.
What to look for
- The view back to Hermanus. From the cave mouth, the whole curve of Walker Bay opens up to the west.
- Layers in the rock. Look closely at the cave walls and you can see the bands of sandstone and limestone that shaped these hollows.
- Birdlife. Watch for cormorants and gulls over the water. In summer, CapeNature notes the African black oystercatcher on this coast, a shorebird that nests on open beaches, so give it space.
- Whales, in season. Between roughly June and November, keep scanning the bay.
Along the cliffs
Beyond the cave, the De Kelders coastline is a series of ledges, inlets and smaller caves (the “cellars” of the village’s name). Walk it in the late afternoon, when the low sun turns the rock gold and throws long shadows into every hollow. At the western end, the view opens onto Die Plaat, the long white beach of the nature reserve, running away towards the Klein River mouth and the mountains beyond Hermanus.
It is not a long walk, but it is the kind you repeat every day of a stay, at a different hour each time.
Stay here
Our sample stay, Villa Stilte, shows how a De Kelders home could sit within walking distance of the cliff path and Klipgat Cave. It is illustrative only, not a bookable property. Owners of homes along this stretch of coast are warmly invited to get in touch.
