Stellenboch is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, situated 50 km east of Cape Town, along the banks of the Eerste River at the foot of the Stellenbosch Mountain. The city is in the heart of the Cape Winelands region, a beautiful setting of rolling hill vineyard terrain, verdant valleys, and some taller mountains around. It’s a popular visitor destination for its wineries, and a recreation destination for its cycling, hiking, and trail running. Our guide to running in Stellenbosch features a few specific routes, as well as recommendations for some of the more scenic wine roads and the several conservancies popular for trail running.
Our ‘runseeing‘ tour of the oak-lined center of Stellenbosch has a lot of variety for a city run. We also recommend some of the quieter, scenic wine roads and trails just outside Stellenbosch, with the proper precautions. We’ve also researched the nature preserves that offer some easy-to-moderate trail running include Jonkershoek, Banhoek Conservancy, Simonsberg Conservancy, and trails at some wineries including the Plaisir Wine Estate. There are major options for more challenging trail running in the mountains near the city.
Stellenbosch has a good climate for running. Summers are warm and dry, but not hot. Winters are cool but not frigid.
