Velddrif History

The hugely popular West Coast village of Velddrif hugs the banks of the beautiful Berg River, just a few kilometres from where the river enters the ocean at St Helena Bay.

The origin of the name of the town comes from a time when a local farmer brought his cattle to find an area to graze across the river and they needed to pass through a “drift” in the veld. Nowadays, in addition to tourism, this growing town enjoys a thriving fishing industry, with many fishing trawlers coming in from the sea to dock in the Berg River at Laaiplek.

Visitors can look forward to soaking up the rich and welcoming culture and lifestyle of this coastal community, which offers an abundance of activities, accommodation options, and eateries to suite all tastes.

Of course, no trip to Velddrif is complete without a visit to the famous Bokkomlaan.  Fringed by the Great Berg River this quaint dirt road is scattered with a cluster of historic buildings and jetties. Bokkomlaan is named after the salted mullet strung into bunches and hung to dry like biltong. It is the signature local delicacy in this area.

In addition to the beautiful scenery, visitors can expect to spot graceful flamingos and pelicans, kingfishers, ducks, as well as the many other water birds that live alongside the Berg River – this is truly a bird lovers paradise.  In fact, this estuary is the third biggest in SA and rated as one of the most important birding areas in the world as well as being a key breeding site for many species of fish.