Malgas – Breede River, history and wine

A trip to Malgas brings together several distinct interests: the Breede River, local history, and a tasting at Sijnn Wines. This lets you choose what to focus on in Malgas based on your travel interests.

Breede River: water sports and fishing

The Breede River near Malgas offers various water sports and is considered a fishing area. Activities mentioned on the river at Malgas include boating, water skiing, tubing, swimming, kayaking, windsurfing, and fishing. For planning purposes, you can consider water sports and fishing as separate interests. River conditions and regulations may vary; take both into account when planning activities on the river.

Church and local history

The Malgas Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1856 and is a National Heritage Site. Its construction date and designation offer two specific historical points of reference for those interested in Malgas. Regular services are held in the church. If you would like to attend a service, check the current arrangements in advance. This place therefore brings both its historical context and a regular church service into focus.

Another way to explore the past is to look beyond the church building to the town’s former role in transportation. Before modern roads were developed, Malgas served as an inland port in the 20th century. Steamships transported supplies from Cape Town to Swellendam. The church and the port thus tell different aspects of local history: the year 1856 relates to the church building, while the port’s role relates to Malgas’s former function in transporting goods. The inland port therefore offers a different historical point of reference from the story of a single building. An inland port is located inland and is therefore different from a coastal port.

Tasting at Sijnn Wines

At the Sijnn Wines Malgas Tasting Room, visitors are welcomed for a curated tasting of limited-release wines. This focus differs from the historical references to the church and inland port: here, the emphasis is on wine tasting. If you would like to include it in your travel plans, check the current visitor arrangements before your visit.

Malgas Pont ferry

On 2 April 2026, the Malgas Pont ferry was fully operational and open to the public. If you are planning to take the ferry on a future trip, check its current status in advance.

Find hotels based on your travel interests

You can use your interests as a starting point when choosing a hotel in Malgas. Water sports and fishing draw attention to the river and its variable conditions; the church and inland port offer different historical points of reference, while the tasting provides a distinct wine focus. Decide which theme matters for your stay, then compare hotels to suit your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: De Rust, Witsand, Oudtshoorn, Wilderness, Riversdale, Molen Drift, Still Bay, Rheenendal.

For the broader travel overview: Eden.