landmark
Robben Island
Former political prison island off Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, now a UNESCO museum.
48 km · about 55 min drive
AfricaSouth AfricaWestern Cape
Darling
Western Cape, South Africa · Africa
About Darling
Darling sits on the route: 20 minutes from Mamre, 48km from Robben Island.
Darling is in Western Cape, South Africa, with about 12,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Mamre, about 17 km away.
Darling is a small town in a farming area on the West Coast region of the Western Cape, about 75 km (46.6 mi) from Cape Town, like many small towns situated along the West Coast it is primarily inhabited by Afrikaans speaking people. It is also home to a dairy company bearing the same name.
At the beginning of theRead more
18th century, about 29 farmers lived in an area called Groenkloof and on one of these farms, Langfontein, Darling was founded in 1853. It was named after Sir Charles Henry Darling who came in 1851 to the Cape as Lieutenant Governor.
The Darling Museum showcases the history of the town and the Darling creamery which was established in 1899 by two Swedish settlers, Nils Georg Moller and G. Threnstrom, and was closed in 1950. The museum also holds a collection of large agricultural machines. Darling is famous for its wildflowers and since 1917 the annual Darling Wildflower show is held by the Darling Wildflower Society in the beginning of Spring in September, founded in 1915 by Mrs. Suzanne Malan and Mr. Frederick Duckitt of Waylands.
The Darling Wind Farm is situated between Darling and the coastal town of Yzerfontein. It is operational with plans for expansion.
The South African satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys performs many of his shows as Evita Bezuidenhout at Evita se Perron, a cabaret venue and restaurant in Darling. The adjacent arts and crafts market has been taken over in 2006 by the Darling Trust, a charitable organisation which addresses the problems of impoverished communities in the area through the establishment of grassroots projects. In 1998 the first private school opened its doors in the Swartland area, Darling College, which is close to the entrance of the town on the Malmesbury, South Africa
In 2006, the city launched the Darling Music Experience with the aim to organise small concerts in a rural setting for both classical and more popular music. The festival offers chamber music, popular choir works and jazz. A young local composer is commissioned every year to write a piece for the festival.
Where to Stay in Darling
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Darling?
Within an hour or so of Darling: Robben Island (48 km), Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (59 km), Two Oceans Aquarium (59 km).
Are there any good drives near Darling?
The nearest famous roads are N1/N4 Cape Town to Kruger, Bainskloof Pass and Chapman's Peak Drive.
Where is Darling?
Darling is in Western Cape, South Africa, about 17 km from Mamre.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 12,484
- Continent
- Africa
- Country
- South Africa
- Region
- Western Cape
- Timezone
- Africa/Johannesburg
- Coordinates
- -33.3782, 18.3794
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in South Africa
112 works from mobiles. Avoid driving at night in rural areas; keep doors locked in cities.
Full driving guide for South AfricaTags
Worth the detour from Darling
3 notable places within an hour's drive.
museum
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa
Africa's largest contemporary art museum, carved from a historic grain silo on Cape Town's waterfront.
59 km · about 70 min drive
landmark
Two Oceans Aquarium
Cape Town aquarium at the V&A Waterfront showcasing marine life from both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
59 km · about 70 min drive
Driving roads near Darling
- 61 kmN1/N4 Cape Town to KrugerSouth Africa's grand traverse from the Cape Winelands across the Karoo to Kruger National Park and its Big Five wildlife.
- 72 kmBainskloof PassAn 1853 Thomas Bain pass that runs as a narrow ledge blasted into the mountainside above the Witte River, barely altered since construction and now a national monument. The tarred road is single-lane in places with dramatic drop-offs.
- 77 kmHuguenot TunnelSouth Africa's longest road tunnel, boring 3.9 km through the Du Toitskloof mountains on the N1 near Paarl and bypassing the old scenic pass above it.
- 78 kmChapman's Peak ViewpointA series of pull-offs on one of the world's most scenic coastal drives, hugging the cliffs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek near Cape Town.
- 79 kmChapman's Peak DriveA breathtaking 9-kilometer toll road carved into the near-vertical face of Chapman's Peak between Hout Bay and Noordhoek.
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