A Slow Visit to Bokkom Laan - Velddrif

Bokkoms are part of the West Coast in the same way salt air and wooden jetties are.

Bokkom Laan sits alongside the Berg River, exactly where it needs to be. This is where the harders were brought in, cleaned, and strung up in long rows to dry in the West Coast breeze. For generations, it was and still is a livelihood.

There’s something here that’s hard to pin down. Perhaps it’s the unpretentiousness, the realness of life along the river.

You see it in the bokkoms hanging in rows in the open air. In the bokkom peelers, working steadily. In an easy, friendly way, people greet you as you walk past.

Bokkoms hanging to dry — A peek into the Bokkom industry – bokkoms hung out to dry

There are a few places to sit between the working spaces, coffee shops and small restaurants where you can pause and look out over the river. But even here, nothing feels overdone. It’s still a little weathered around the edges.

The Berg River sets the pace

I stood for a while watching old wooden boats, seagulls drifting overhead, and waders picking their way along the shallows. Further along, near the salt pans, there are flamingos—too far off to capture properly, but you can drive there to get a closer look.

The river moves slowly, and everything along Bokkom Laan seems to follow. Boats drift, conversations stretch, and the day loosens its grip a little.

Little boats by the river and an abundance of birdlife

If you’re visiting Bokkom Laan

Bokkom Laan works best when you don’t try to rush it. It’s the kind of place that reveals itself as you slow down and spend a bit of time there rather than moving through it quickly.

Mornings are usually a good time to visit, when the light is soft over the river, and things are just starting up. But even later in the day, the pace rarely feels hurried.

"Traffic" in Bokkom Laan — “Traffic” in Bokkom Laan

You can park nearby and walk along the lane at an easy pace, stopping where something catches your attention. There’s no set route to follow. The working spaces, the small restaurants, and the river all sit close to one another, and part of the experience is simply moving between them. If you feel like trying a bokkom, this is the place to do it.

Along Bokkom Laan, there are a few places to sit and enjoy the view or perhaps taste a bokkom

It also fits naturally into a wider West Coast drive. If you’re coming from Cape Town, it makes for an easy stop along the way to places like Langebaan or further up the coast. You don’t need a full plan, just enough time to pause properly.