Where to see
Where to see the English Oak in South Africa
The oaks of the Cape came with the Dutch. Simon van der Stel planted them along the streets of Stellenbosch in the late 1600s, and the town is still called Eikestad, the town of oaks. They were meant for wine barrels, and grew too fast in the Cape’s mild winters to make good ones, so they stayed as shade instead.
Planning a trip
When and where to find the English Oak
The oaks of the Cape came with the Dutch.
The best cities
Stellenbosch
South Africa
Eikestad, the town of oaks. Simon van der Stel planted the first ones in the late 1600s, and Dorp Street and the Braak are still lined with them.
Stays in StellenboschPaarl
South Africa
Main Street runs for kilometres under old oaks, past Cape Dutch and Victorian houses at the foot of Paarl Rock.
Stays in PaarlFranschhoek
South Africa
Oak-lined roads into a valley of old Cape Dutch wine farms.
Stays in FranschhoekTulbagh
South Africa
Church Street, a row of restored Cape Dutch houses under old oaks.
Stays in TulbaghCape Town
South Africa
The oak walks of the Company's Garden at the top of the city centre, and the old oak avenues of Newlands, Bishopscourt and Constantia.
Stays in Cape Town
Questions travellers ask
A record means a host has seen the English Oak on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.
More about the English Oak
The oaks of the Cape came with the Dutch. Simon van der Stel planted them along the streets of Stellenbosch in the late 1600s, and the town is still called Eikestad, the town of oaks. They were meant for wine barrels, and grew too fast in the Cape’s mild winters to make good ones, so they stayed as shade instead.
Today the oaks are the look of the Boland towns: Dorp Street and the Braak in Stellenbosch, the long Main Street of Paarl, the roads into Franschhoek and Church Street in Tulbagh, all under old trees in front of Cape Dutch gables. In Cape Town they shade the walks of the Company’s Garden and the old avenues of Newlands, Bishopscourt and Constantia.
They are green and cool through the hot summer, and in April and May they turn gold, which is also harvest time on the wine farms around them.
Why is Stellenbosch called the town of oaks?
Its founder, Simon van der Stel, had oaks planted along its streets in the late 1600s, and the Afrikaans name Eikestad means oak town. Dorp Street and the Braak are still lined with old oaks.
When do the oaks turn in the Cape?
In April and May, the Cape autumn. The Boland towns and the wine valleys are gold for a few weeks, and the summer crowds have gone.
Where else can you see old oak avenues?
Paarl’s Main Street, the roads into Franschhoek, Church Street in Tulbagh, and in Cape Town the Company’s Garden, Newlands, Bishopscourt and Constantia.
Stays that give back
Where to stay for a chance to see the English Oak
Every stay on the English Oak page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.
See where to stay