Information on Grabouw, Western Cape, South Africa

Grabouw is a town located in the Western Cape province southeast of Cape Town. It is located over Sir Lowry's Pass from Somerset West in the Elgin Valley, which is sandwiched between the Kogelberg, Groenland and Hottentots-Holland Mountains.

The town's economy is based on servicing the surrounding agricultural trade, with the Elgin Valley being intensively used for viticulture and the cultivation of plums, pears, apples and other deciduous fruit. One of the biggest factories in Grabouw is Appletiser which provides the popular Appletiser soft drinks. Tourism is also of importance to the economy. The town experiences a mild Mediterranean climate, more moderate than most other Western Cape locales, with abundant rainfall, mostly in the winter months, although strong summer southeasterly winds can sometimes bring squalls, typically called the Black South-Easter for its gusting winds and showers.

For hiking enthusiasts there are many trails to choose from, ranging from day hikes to more gruelling ten day hikes. These include kloofing, cliff jumping and navigating some of the many mountain pools.