The Nice Guy’s Guide To Meeting Women in Stellenbosch (South Africa)

What’s the town with the cutest girls in South Africa? There may be some disputes about this, but I’ll betcha R10000 that Stellenbosch is in the Top 3. Cape Town will also be in the top 3. The 3rd candidate I haven’t found yet. Maybe Pretoria? Comment your own top 3 below. Then scroll right back up to read the post.

Stellenbosch Women

Similar to Cape Town, there are white, colored, and black girls in Stellenbosch. Often there are also European women visiting from countries like Germany, Netherlands, France and Scandinavia. These tend to be mostly exchange students spending a semester at the local university.

There’s also many students from South Africa’s neighbouring countries, e.g. Namibia (hordes, since Afrikaans is also widely spoken in Namibia), Zimbabwe (I know a few), Swaziland (I’ve met one), Botswana, Lesotho, and Mozambique (never met any).

Stellenbosch girls’ personalities range from shy, prudish virgins, to extroverted girls who’s “been around the block”. Even the girls who appear like virtuous saints by day, have their kinky horny freak sides, who they will show to the right guy.

Obviously, you should respect the women of Stellies. But at the same time, make your move, try your luck, approach them in a friendly way. The girl is not doing you a favor (nor vice versa) if you hook up. You’re simply having fun together. This is very normal in a fun student town where girls come to learn more about:

• themselves
• their society
• and their sexuality.

It’s not for me to say the women want specifically this or that type of guy. These are young girls in their 20s. Even they themselves usually aren’t sure yet what exactly they want. That’s why they’re in Stellies. Yeah they’re also there to study, but obviously they want to meet and potentially sample a wide array of men. Admittedly, there are also more conservative chicks who want to catch a degree and a husband at the same time. And of course this could also be you 😉

Stellenbosch Background Info

So to summarize Stellenbosch: It’s a medium-sized tertiary education town around 40km’s from Cape Town. If you study here, you’ll find endless gaming opportunities. If you don’t, it’s not as great, but still pretty good.

It’s also known as Stellies. Or the Eikestad (Oak City) due to all the oak trees. Origin of the word “Stellenbosch”: It’s the founder, Simon van der Stel’s Bush.

The town has a mostly Afrikaans history and culture. The University of Stellenbosch used to be exclusively Afrikaans, while the University of Cape Town was created for the Rooinekke (“Rednecks”) or Souties (local slang for Englishmen). Nowadays, all university classes are bilingual. Thus, it’s unfortunately not anymore an exclusively Afrikaans town.

Apart from the colleges and university, it’s a touristic town. Stellenbosch is widely known for wine tastings in the surrounding farms. Plus, there’s the upmarket tourist shops in Kerk Straat (Church street). And a few similar activities such as walking through these historic streets.

This place isn’t hardcore Africa, with favelas all around you. It’s more like a pleasant piece of Europe, within Africa. Nevertheless, there’s still some beggars walking around especially at night. Some may attempt to pick-pocket you, if you’re not careful.

Outside of the town center, as a man you can walk wherever you want, no ones gonna try and rape you. Though scrawny male friends of mine have been mugged at knife-point. This is similar to what I mentioned in my Brazil guide: street-filth generally target men who don’t lift weights.

Females have been murdered and raped should they venture outside alone at night in dark semi-residential areas of Stellies. In the town center it’s well-lit with many people around, thus safer. South Africa does unfortunately have a rape culture (thanks to leftism). But social skills training definitely helps to fight it.

Daygame in Stellenbosch

In the daytime, it’s really pleasant walking around in the center of town. Get a double espresso at Legato Coffee, a green smoothie at Kauai, beer at Craft Wheat And Hops, or greasy pizza and wine at Bohemia. And while you’re walking around, do a daygame approach, or 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or… get the idea.

It’s especially great in Summer, from around mid-January to early March. As it’s sunny outside, girls are sometimes skimpily dressed. While it’s a party vibe in the air. The study vibes start in March. Students who don’t study enough, don’t pass their exams. Thus they may get forced to go back to their boring home towns.

Doing pickup in between classes is an awesome way to meet women if you’re a student. If you can do this in a classy way, many of the girls you approach will end up as your girlfriends, “one-night stands”, or simply friends. Either way, if you’re smooth, you may get thanked for having the courage to approach, or for being flattering.

If you don’t study at the local academic institutions, you can still find good gaming opportunities in the town itself, e.g. at the Eikestad mall, or in the touristic area around Church street. If you do study in Stellies, the small Neelsie Shopping center, on the campus, is specifically for you. It’s swarming with students.

On the outskirts of the town there are some grocery stores, e.g. at Die Boord Shopping Centre, Simonsrust Square (with the large supermarket, shops and takeaway joints), Stellenbosch Square At Jamestown, Welgevonden shopping square, Stelmark Centre in Merriman Street, and so on. At “Die Boord”, you’ll mostly find married women. It’s not a student area. At Simonsrust square, you’ll find some students to approach in a non-student environment. In the center of town, for as far as there are shops, and wherever you can walk, you will walk into hot women. Thus be approach-ready for these girls, and gather up phone numbers.

Daygame in Stellenbosch is better than Cape Town during the week. The only negative is the lack of older women (25+), of which there are plenty in Cape Town.

Weekends, central Stellenbosch is much quieter. But do check out the food & craft markets:

• There’s the new Dorp Street Sunday Market, in the center of town. Dorp street is decent in the week. But with this market, Sundays will now get some life as well.
• While the Root44 food market is open Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 5pm, for great food from around the world. And potentially meeting one or two girls.
• Blaauwklippen Market (Saturday & Sundays from 10am to 3pm) usually don’t have much pickup potential, apart from one or two cute hired guns.

Stellenbosch Nightlife

The Stellies nightlife layout has changed a lot from previous years. Due to the commie lockdown, which was intended to destroy small business, the main nightlife square got sold off in 2021. It’s now being converted to student accommodation.

As a result of this, there currently is some congestion in the nightclubs on busy nights. There are long lines to get inside, with students waiting outside from much earlier than the usual 10pm of previous years. Hopefully a few more clubs will open in the future, to ease up this congestion.

Here’s a peek into the current 2022 nightlife situation:

• Bohemia is for sitting down, eating pizza and drinking beer.
• Next-door to Bohemia in Andringa street is Dorp Bar. Look for the hidden staircase leading to the upstairs loft and dance floor.
• Catwalk used to be in the famous nightlife square which was demolished last year. It had a bit of a rep as a place to meet “easier” girls. However, it didn’t actually close down. It simply moved to a different location, at the former Springbok pub, across the road from the BP garage and McDonalds. The previous Catwalk had three rooms on two levels – for Afrikaans “sokkie” music, electronic music, and trance. The new one has the Afrikaans side for longarm dancing, and the English side for electro, trance, etc.
• De Lapa also survived the scamdemic. And it gets busy weekends, and during mini-weekend (Wednesday). There’s also a top dance floor up the staircase, in addition to the bottom chill and dance rooms.
• Visit Nubar in Plein street: a quality club, where you can dance the night away. I used to go there often. It was the place of my first nightclub-pull ever at the tender age of 21. Nowadays, its less appealing – considering it’s solely 20 year olds all around you.
• Centraal is probably the most interesting and popular new bar/club in Stellenbosch for 2022. Situated inside a small square next to the Eikestad Mall. There’s a beer garden seated-area, as well as dance floor.
• There’s not much of an older crowd in Stellenbosch at night. But check out Balboa, the small upstairs cocktail bar, close to Nubar.
• De Akker, the oldest pub in Stellenbosch (opened in the early 19th century), is another option for working adults in Dorp Street. But it’s more for social circle game.
• The other Dorp Street bars like Tiger’s Milk are also social circle oriented.

Nightgame is only really on during the semester. In vacation times, the clubs close down and it’s not a good place to party.

Wednesdays are party nights, plus Friday and Saturdays. Sunday nights there may be some student social circle hangouts, but no clubbing. If you really need a 4th night in the week to go clubbing, try Thursdays. It will still be a little empty, but it’s the best 4th option behind Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday.

Fridays are the busiest, as on Saturdays many students go home to their families. Or they rather drink and smoke weed in their student houses and apartments. In South Africa, since September 2018, marijuana is legal to possess in small amounts and to use – but not legal to sell.

The clubs in Stellenbosch officially start getting busy at 10 pm, and unfortunately, due to liquor laws are forced to close at 2 am. While in Cape Town, the clubs stay open until 4 am. Many years ago, there was a Springbok Pub, that stayed open until 4 am, after everything else was already closed for the night. The Stellenbosch municipality then passed new laws outlawing serving alcohol after 2 am. Since Stellies is relatively small, with student accommodation close to the town center, this is understandable (to stop drunk students and noise nuisances from continuing throughout the night).

In 2022, you could go out in Stellies before 10pm already, to get a solid nightgame session in.

After 2am, some party animals go to e.g. Somerset-West to keep partying. But most finish off with an at-home after-party, or they go to bed.

Somerset-West

Somerset-West is a regular town, less than 30 minutes drive from Stellenbosch. Many Stellenboschers go shopping at the large Somerset Mall. This mall is typically the best daygame option in Somerset-West. I have had daygame success in this area. But the success you’ll have there will generally be with single girls working 8 to 5, instead of students. Of course, these girls also love some distraction in the night-time from their tedious jobs. And if you’re an exciting guy, then why not.

Apart from the Somerset Mall area, you may find unmarried girls here and there in shops in the town itself. But going out to these places e.g. grocery stores, simply to pick up chicks is a bad idea, as you’d spend more time walking around looking for someone to approach, than actually meeting anyone. However, if you live there and do grocery shopping, keep your eyes open for the occasional cutie to chat with.

For nightgame, visit Somerset-West Nubar in Main Road, as well as Amics close by. When Stellenbosch gets quiet, e.g. in the June/July holiday, then Somerset West can have a little more life at times. Friday nights are probably your best bet, but don’t expect a lot of girls to approach every Friday.

Nightlife in Somerset West is quiet. You have to work with what you are given. Approach all the chicks, and also befriend the guys (or bring your own friends along), then you could still have a cool night out. The local Nubar is an option for some late-night “after 1am” clubbing, but it’s a very small crowd.

During the week, you may find one or two girls to talk with at night. But it’s not really worth going out for pickup specifically. Instead, follow up on daygame numbers or online dating and have dates instead.

Strand & Gordon’s Bay

In Strand and Gordon’s Bay the social options are even more limited. Weekends, you can try e.g. Die Watergat Pub at night, but you’ll find extremely limited sarging potential. For daygame, there are not much quality options either. Go for a beach stroll (especially on a Saturday or Sunday), and once in a while you’ll find single attractive women. In December you could hang out at Bikini beach in Gordon’s Bay. It’s a small blue flag beach, but also not remotely as busy as the beaches in Cape Town itself. It has more potential for chilling with your current girlfriend instead of finding a new one.

At the grocery stores, I have here and there found women to approach, but these girls are mostly in LTR’s (long-term relationships). Single girls don’t wanna live in quiet towns. The day and nightgame in large cities are much better.

You can also surf in Strand, but the waves are small and not as good as Muizenberg.

Strand reminds me of Santos in Brazil – it’s a beach town but also very close to the city industrial areas.

Stellenbosch Pros and Cons

Benefits of living in Stellenbosch

• Less pollution
• Much less traffic (except during the peak hour at 5pm)
• Everything is central in one place (including the nightlife)
• Less expensive than Cape Town
• Close to nature
• Relaxed place to raise your children.
• Slower-paced than Cape Town. However, Jo’burg is faster paced than Cape Town.
• By South African standards, it’s great for dating especially if you’re in your 20s.

Negatives to living in Stellenbosch

• Fewer activities and meetups in Stellies, than in Cape Town. Unless you are a registered student at the university.
• Normal disadvantages of smaller towns. For example, in Cape Town you’ll find all the supplies you need.. Although Stellenbosch has great businesses, you won’t find everything like in the big city.
• The really great beaches are in Cape Town, or further along the Coast. Not in Stellies, and not in Strand. Not even in Gordon’s Bay.
• It’s a place you somewhat “outgrow” as you get older. The students come and go, but the nightlife median age stays exactly the same at around 20 years old. While Cape Town’s big city life features more diverse people from all walks of life. Not 90% students like in Stellies.

Online Dating In Stellenbosch

• Tinder is the obvious choice. When I was a student here, there was no Tinder. Thus students actually mingled and asked girls out for dates. Nowadays, Tinder is a factor.
• Bumble is also active over here. It’s a slightly more feminist type of app, where women make the first move.
• The weirdest app I’ve had some fun with in this area, is the Chinese app, WeChat.. Use their People Nearby functionality, and select “only females”. However, this was 8 years ago. Nowadays I don’t think WeChat is still active. Unless you’re traveling in areas with a lot of Asians.
• I had a few great dates on Zoosk very long ago when I was still new to game. However, same as WeChat, Zoosk isn’t something I’d still recommend nowadays. Tinder became the new go-to app.
• Another option for meeting cute black chicks in South Africa, is AfricanLove. Create a free profile today. If you enjoy the site, convert to paying membership for all those extra perks.

 

Free Activities

Enjoy these activities if you have your own means and knowledge of getting around:

• Go hike the first and second waterfalls at Jonkershoek Nature Reserve.
• Hike up Stellenbosch Mountain for a view of the town and the ocean.
• Wine-tasting, also as a date activity with a cute girl. There are many wine farms to choose from.
• Check out the Strand and/or Gordon Bay’s Beach.
• Stroll around the town-center in the daytime. This includes streets like Andringa Street, Bird St, Church, Dorp, Plein, Victoria, and Ryneveld Street.
• Work-out at one of the best gym and sport facilities in Africa: SUSPI gym at Coetzenburg (They’ve got day-, week- & month passes).

Paid Activities

I’ve ranked the below excursions from 1 to 5 based on what I would’ve done as a tourist in Stellies. Apps like GetYourGuide or Viator often have free cancellation policies. Thus, check the policy, then book your activity immediately to reserve your spot. If anything happens and you can’t attend, simply cancel and get fully refunded [100% Risk-Free].

1. Historical Cycling and Wine Tasting Combo (GetYourGuide). I love being physically active. Cycling through Stellies is awesome. Taste wine on the same day – a winning combo.
2. Do an inexpensive Stellenbosch Historical Walking Tour (GetYourGuide) for R180. Learn about the town’s history from a local’s viewpoint. You could visit Stellies, only party, and leave again. But don’t let the history of the places you visit pass you by. Of course, you’ll also get to know the streets of the town more intimately if you wanna do some solo daygame later on.
3. The VineHopper Hop-On Hop-Off Wine Tour (Viator). 6 Stops @ R350. At this low price, it seems like a good deal to experience the wine culture of Stellenbosch. However there may be extra costs involved for the actual wine at the farms.
4. Stellenbosch E-Bike Tour with Wine-Tasting (GetYourGuide). E-Bike’s = getting some adrenaline flowing. Not cheap, but what an adventure.
5. Do the 7 hour Stellenbosch wine farm tour (Viator). This is for those with serious wine ambitions. Pricey, but also in-depth by a pro-winemaker.

Conclusion: Stellenbosch Women

If you prefer a smaller town instead of a big city like Cape Town, then it’s a better quality of life than Cape Town. For the locals, the question is not whether Stellies is better than Cape Town, or vice versa. The question is rather, whether you want to stay in South Africa forever, or plant a second residence flag overseas somewhere. S.A. is too communist for longterm living. The national government is way too corrupt to even keep the lights on.

For tourism, both Stellies and the Cape are fun to visit. Experience a friendly bubble of Europe in Africa. May the Western Cape see you soon. And may you meet (and date) plenty of cute Eikestad women along the way.

Appendix:  Tradition of Stellenbosch

In below video, one of the traditions in Stellenbosch when I studied there. The Yearly “Soen in die Laan” / Kiss at the Laan. All students would go to this street next to the sport fields and river. You either went with a girlfriend, or you simply showed up single. Then consensually grab a cute single girl standing around. There is a count-down, then everyone makes out at exactly the same time. Back then, perhaps kissing was still an achievement. Nowadays, simply show up at a nightclub, and if you’ve got game, you’ll kiss girls easily enough.

Further Reading

• The NGS Ultimate Cape Town Dating Guide. The Stellies guide which you read now was originally merely a few paragraphs in the Cape Town guide.
• Meet Women In Namibia. South Africa’s closest neighbors. Thousands of Namibians study in Stellenbosch. The Namibian border is only a 7-hour drive away from Stellenbosch.
• Only for the adventurous: Our Lesotho Dating Guide.

Instantly delete your accommodation stress, by securing a room today in Stellenbosch with Booking.com. Check if the room has a free cancellation policy to book a room right now with this link absolutely RISK-FREE.

Have you been to Stellenbosch (South Africa)? And what’s your view of Stellenbosch women… or as locals would call them: the Stellies chicks. Comment below!