Cape Town
Cape Town, on the tip of the African continent, offers a little of everything.
I’ve visited South Africa several times, taking Anya when she was very little (to visit family), but this was our first time in Cape Town together.
South Africa is not an easy place to visit. The country, like anywhere, has its issues, but that should not put you off from visiting, it just needs a little more thought and planning. Don’t expect to be able to wander around like you would in many other cities, and plan to take Ubers or organised tours rather than public transport.
We didn’t experience any issues – our hotel was slightly set back from the waterfront area of Cape Town and so we had a 5 minute walk to reach the main ‘tourist area’. But the whole of the wider waterfront area has patrols of tourist police and we didn’t once feel unsafe. We found people to be incredibly helpful – even when one of our tours wasn’t running (as we were visiting during the South African winter, so there weren’t enough people booked onto a tour for it to run), and so the tour assistants arranged for a private driver to take us at the same cost as the group tour. This actually worked out much better as our driver, Chris, gave us lots of information and stopped along the way to show us stunning views.
South Africa is a stunning country and it should be enjoyed by more people – just be sensible and stay in the main tourist areas.
Must Dos on a Visit to Cape Town
Table Mountain
The iconic symbol of Cape Town. While there are several hiking trails that you can follow to climb up Table Mountain, the regular cable car offers and quick ride to the top, rotating to allow everyone on board the opportunity to appreciate the views. Once at the top, there are more trail and spectacula view points, as well as a restaurant.
Camps Bay
Just few kilometres from Cape Town is the lovely Camps Bay. This is the real ‘holiday’ area of Cape Town, with long stretches of sandy beaches and plenty of accommodation options. There is also a good range of cafes and restaurants.
Hermanus
A little under a 2-hour drive brings from Cape Town, Hermanus is the whale watching capital of South Africa. While there are numerous boat tours operating out of the harbour, if you would rather not get on the water, whales can actually be seen from the shore. We were lucky to see Southern Right Whales just a short distance from the boat.
Numerous tour operators run trips from Cape Town to Hermanus and include a boat tour.
Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach is incorporated into tours from Cape Town that also take in Cape Point. This is an area known for its colony of African Penguins, although I was shocked to see how the numbers have reduced since I first visited back in the mid-2000s. Designated walk ways have been installed to ensure the penguins are not disturbed – be sure to look in the shrubbery as well as the beach as you’ll often spot penguins having a little snooze!
There is a lovely fish restaurant over looking the other side of the beach which is a good stop for lunch.
Safari
Yes, it is possible to go on a Safrai from Cape Town without having to travel too far inland and stay at the lodge.
Aquila Private Game Reserve is a 2-hour drive from Cape Town. An organised mini bus picks you up from your hotel early in the morning to drive you to Aquila where you have lunch in the lodge before jumping on a Safari vehicle that drives you through the reserve. The Big 5 are all located within the reserve, so if you don’t have the time or funds for a safari at one of the bigger reserves, this is a great way to experience an African Safari.
Wine Tour
While this is something we didn’t do on this occasion, visiting the Cape offers plenty of opportunity to also visit world-famous vineyards. Stellenbosch is less than an hour away by car, and there are numerous smaller vineyards to visit, take a tour and enjoy sampling the local wines.
