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Cape Town

Cape Town seen from 1,085m up Table Mountain, July [winter].

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Cape Town is a gorgeous city and by far the most appealing in South Africa. It's sophisticated, has a variety of attractive buildings old and new, excellent beaches, bars, restaurants, clubs and entertainment facilities. Then there's the staggeringly beautiful Table Mountain in the middle of it all, a cluster of pretty, old Dutch style wineries and vineyards in the suburbs and some spectacular, scenic drives along the coast nearby.

Cape Town's biggest tourist attractions are:
***Table Mountain, if the weather is fine, is a totally awesome experience and deserves a whole day of gentle hiking around the 3km wide top. Views differ depending on which side of the rocky top you choose, city view, Camp's Bay beach town or the mountainous Twelve Apostles range. The cable car is expensive but the alternative is a three hour hike uphill on one of 350 trails.
There is an inexpensive bar, café and restaurant at the top, or take a picnic with you. Also remember to carry some warm gear as the top experiences sudden weather changes, cloud comes and goes freely. Expect to take a lot of pictures!
*Lion's Head sunset viewpoint [on the left in the picture], is a small, relaxed, cool place with picnic tables well placed to catch the sunset over the ocean and a have mild walk, but not much else.
**The Waterfront shopping and entertainment complex [including the excellent Two Oceans Aquarium and an interesting craft market], is the premier attraction, not unlike London's Covent Garden in atmosphere, but larger and with added water. It's new and not exactly subtle but enjoyed by South Africans as much as tourists and is starting point for boat trips, including those to Robben Island.
*Robben Island, a couple of kilometres offshore via high-speed catamaran, may be a little overrated. As a 'sight' Robben Island has little going for it as it's a very verbal experience and will not be enjoyed by kids or travellers uninterested in the apartheid era.
The real deal is that the mandatory guides are ex-inmates of the island. They tell the story of this prison island to tourists trapped in buses. A lot depends on who's your guide. Some are magical, fascinating orators, others are demagogues who enjoy locking tourists in a cell - after a claustrophobic bus trip - and giving them a punishing lecture.
Whatever, don't expect much time to wander lonely as a clod - there's not much time for freedom on this island. And the half hour boat trip is not necessarily going to be a smooth ride either!

*Township Tours are another interesting, politicised trip where tourists get to visit one or more of the huge shanty towns [though some buildings are substantial] on the outskirts of Cape Town, chat to the locals and drink in a shebeen [illegal, maize beer bar], under the protective wing of a township inhabitant. Not exactly 'fun', but educational. A guide is vital.
***Wine tasting tours/drives through suburbs like Constantia or nearby towns like Stellenbosch, Franschoek or Paarl are well signposted and yield attractive, varied old Dutch buildings - all whitewashed and often thatched - in spacious surroundings, with vineyards and wine tasting sessions on offer all over. If you enjoy a glass of good wine, this is a must. Guides are not necessary and there are at least 12 wine routes within a couple of hours of the city.
**Beaches adjacent to Cape Town like Camps Bay and Clifton have good stretches of soft sand and lovely surroundings, but suffer from very cold Atlantic waters.
***Scenic drives. Driving up to the wild and craggy Cape of Good Hope [also known as Cape Point], via Chapman's Peak Drive is another must-do. The coastal road is gorgeous and the smelly penguin colony next to Boulder's Beach [not on Boulder's as some guides suggest] is interesting, though you can't actually walk among the little stinkers.
Simon's Town is cutely Victorian and the Cape National Park itself has some excellent walks, so leave time for exercise.

Activities: Cape Town is a superb base for adventure activities, with reasonable prices and imaginative organisers doing a fine job.
In the city or within a couple of hours drive you can find superb rock climbing and fun abseiling [try it off Table Mountain for starters], horse riding, hiking and mountain biking in varied, pretty environments [the Table Mountain National Park is currently building the 6 day Hoerikwaggo trail from Cape Point to Table Mountain], excellent surfing and windsurfing, paragliding, caving, sandboarding and cold-water diving [with sharks if you wish]. And then there are the rivers and Game Parks...

Downsides?
- There's still a certain nervousness about walking some of the streets at night, though Cape Town is nothing like as bad as Durban or Jo'burg.
- The weather is unpredictable. Locals say they can suffer four seasons in one day, and Table Mountain's cloud cover is so common it's known as the 'Table Cloth', but to English people at least Cape Town will be an improvement on home weather.

South Africa Pictures Cape Town

Cape Town seen from 1,085m up Table Mountain, July [winter].

South Africa Pictures
Cape Town