THINGS TO DO NEAR THE PARK
Eat out
All the accommodation options in the park are selfcatering, but you’re a stone’s throw from “the village” (as Wilderness locals call the CBD), where you’ll find a variety of restaurants, coffee shops and pubs. Visit the Milkwood Evening Market in Beacon Road on a Friday from 4 pm to 9 pm and browse the stalls selling handmade jewellery, curios and tie-dye shirts. You can also grab something to eat. On Saturday mornings, the Wild Oats Market in Sedgefield is worth a visit ( 082 376 5020; wildoatsmarket.co.za). It’s a big market where you can buy fresh fruit and veggies, meat, pancakes, bread and handmade products straight from the farm. Sit for a while on a hay bale and listen to live music. If you want steak and chips without too many frills, head to Joplins Steak Bar ( 073 347 8896) just after the Pirates Creek turn-off on the N2. This restaurant has a simple menu with a focus on beef. ( There’s one vegetarian option: quiche.) A holiday on the coast goes hand-in-hand with seafood, and Salinas Beach Restaurant in Zundorf Lane next to the N2 is just the place ( 044 877 0001; salinas.co.za). Ask for a table on the top floor for
a good view of the beach. For breakfast and light meals, pop into Beejuice Café ( 044 877 0608; beejuicecafe.co.za), which is in the old Wilderness railway station building in Sands Road and very close to the beach. It also has a playground for the kids. For a special Sunday lunch, try Bistro Celeiro ( 044 850 1026), a home-based restaurant on the Seven Passes Road about 19 km north of Wilderness. The Agrella family – Julio, Susan and Julio Junior – cook and serve “boerekos with a twist”. The menu changes weekly and the ingredients for the three-course meal (from R185 per person) come from the garden and neighbouring farms. Susan and Julio Junior prepare the meals in an openplan kitchen while Julio acts as waiter, dish washer and storyteller. Expect dishes like mussels in wasabi sauce, baked camembert, peri peri chicken, springbok shank, pork steak with crackling, and home-made ice cream. The bistro doesn’t have a liquor licence, but you can bring your own drinks. It’s very popular so book beforehand.
What else?
There are several lookout points with great views in and around Wilderness. Follow Hoogte Road from town, turn left into Whites Road and left into Remskoen Street to get to the Map of Africa viewpoint