Last Updated on October 24, 2023 by Home in the World
Beautiful, diverse Cape Town, a.k.a the Mother City. Where do I even start? I guess a good place would be with its iconic, almighty Table Mountain, since you pretty much cannot go anywhere in the city without being engulfed in its presence. Sometimes it is bold and bare for all to see, other times creeping cloud cover enshrouds it in the ‘Table Cloth’. Both are definite moods. And equally stunning in their own right.
After a stroll around the Victoria & Albert Waterfront – which is a safe and pleasant enough waterside shopping & dining precinct, though not necessarily that much different from any other waterfront you might find elsewhere around the world (apart from the backdrop) – I wanted to get up close & personal with the mysterious, majestic mountain. And that meant taking a short (sponsored) cable-car ride 1085 m (3560 ft) up to its ever so flat top. (You can also hike up in about 2 hours, but that’s not my thing).
It really is like a rocky plateau up there that you can walk right across. It of course also provides sweeping views right across the city, Lion’s Head Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope.
For another iconic view of Table Mountain, head to Robben Island 7 km (4 miles) west of the mainland. The island is of course also famous for its prison, where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27-year jail sentence. It is possible to do tours of the prison and see Mandela’s cell itself. Unfortunately during my trip, the entire island was closed due to rabbit culling, so I was unable to head out there. Certainly a disappointment..
One of the most picturesque parts of an already photogenic city is the Clifton and Camps Bay areas along the south-west coast. They are home to swanky beach clubs and stunning coastal properties, flanked by the imposing and distinctly shaped Twelve Apostles Mountain Range that extends out from Table Mountain.
One evening, a local friend kindly took me for a drive along the cliffside roads that snake their way down the coast and offer jaw-dropping views at almost every turn. I felt bad constantly asking him to stop so I could just take it all in. We eventually made it to the upscale 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa, where we were able to enjoy a sundowner on the terrace of the Leopard Bar, watching an African sunset over the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding landscape (which includes the Lion’s Head Mountain).
Cape Town and its surrounds also epitomise the proverbial melting pot of cultures – from Black Africans (often Xhosa people, but many also from different tribes and indeed even other parts of Africa), like these locals with enviable head-balancing abilities…
…to the Cape Coloured (a term loosely used to denote people of mixed race, of whom there are a considerable number in this area) and South Asian communities (the Malay Quarter or Bo-Kaap is famous for its colourful houses, pictured below)…
…to those of European heritage (primarily Dutch but also British), whose influence is reflected in the Afrikaans language and much of the architecture, examples of which are pictured below.
A former slave lodge, from the times when the Cape Colony was a slave society during the 17th to 19th centuries, has today also been converted into the Iziko Museum of Cape Town – a social history museum located in Company’s Gardens.
As is widely known, South Africa also has a more recent chequered past when it comes to races and ethnicities, with the abominable Apartheid segregation system in place from 1948 to 1994. To find out more about it, I recommend visiting Cape Town’s District Six Museum, named after the city’s Sixth Municipal District, which was established as a mixed-race community in 1867. By 1966, it had been declared a ‘white area’, and by 1982 the entire community (more than 60,000 people) had been forced out, their houses demolished. The museum was built on the site in 1994 to raise awareness about the area’s history. It provides a wealth of information, and contains exhibits of relics from the Apartheid era, such as this ghastly sign.
But moving on to more pleasant things.. the African continent is known for its amazing wildlife, and the Cape Town region is no exception. For flora enthusiasts, there’s the lush Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in the Newlands area, where you may be able to spot South Africa’s national flower, the protea.
And if you’re an animal lover, well, you can take your pick. There’s the Seal Colony cruise in Hout Bay south of the city.
There’s the famous Cape of Good Hope – the south-westernmost point of the African continent, where you may well be confronted by some of the (quite aggressive) wild baboons. I snapped the ones pictured below from the bus window, but I also witnessed some snatching people’s food while we were at a lunch stop. They are completely fearless, especially when food is around. So care does need to be taken not to provoke them in any way.
There are the penguins (yes, Africa has penguins) at the aptly named Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town on the north-eastern coast of the Cape Peninsula.
There’s the Cheetah Outreach facility, which was located at Spier Wine Estate when I visited, but I believe has now moved to Somerset West. There were several informative exhibits and videos on cheetahs, as well as the opportunity to enter an enclosure and pat an adult cheetah (which I did; her name was Kaya), and see some cubs.
And of course it wouldn’t be Africa without a safari. Many people don’t realise safaris can be done out of Cape Town. While they are on a much smaller scale compared to their counterparts in Pilanesberg and Kruger, you can still enjoy the sensation of riding in a jeep through some unforgettable scenery and getting up close to some majestic animals (our jeep broke down at one point, so we were stranded for about 45 minutes amongst giraffes, rhinoceroses and springboks until the replacement jeep came!) at the Aquila Private Game Reserve, about a 2-hour drive from Cape Town. If you wish to stay overnight (I ate lunch there but did not stay overnight), there is a 4-star safari lodge on site too. Below are some images of my day there, showing some of the amazing animals and landscapes you can expect to see.
Aside from all the spectacular wildlife, one of the other lasting memories I have of my trip to Cape Town was my visit to a township called Langa. We were invited there by the tour guide we had been dealing with at our hotel; it was the local township where he and his family (ethnic Xhosas who spoke the unique Xhosa click language) lived. We drove all around it, I bought some handmade jewellery from a local artisan (which I still wear to this day!), and we were also taken to a local pre-school, where we gave the children some gifts and played with them (but only after the teacher told them to stand and sing the South African national anthem to us). They were all so cute!
One of the teachers there was keen to get the school’s name out into the world in case anyone wanted to donate to them (the area is obviously quite poor). Here is a picture of the details I took. I can’t guarantee the contact person will be the same, but the school most definitely still exists, and now even has its own website. I’m sure we can all agree that donating to the education and well-being of underprivileged children is a worthy cause.
And just to end this post with a bang, here is a picture of a local Langa lady cooking sheep’s heads by the side of the road. Not necessarily something you would see every day..
It has now been more than a decade since that visit to Cape Town, and it still ranks in my top 10 destinations. I spent a good 9-10 days there and loved every minute. Whenever you mention you are going to South Africa, you will inevitably get some quizzical or concerned looks. At least I did: Why are you going there? It’s so dangerous! etc. etc. I cannot comment on the situation there now (or for other cities), but in 2008, Cape Town sure made for a fabulous holiday destination (I did get my luggage wrapped in plastic though, as I had heard some negative things about transits through Johannesburg). Nature lovers will particularly enjoy it, but there is also the cool multicultural city vibe, and great options for wining, dining & partying. Yes, you obviously need to be careful (as with most places), particularly after dark, but if you stay in well patrolled areas, there is no problem. I also recommend arranging either group or private tours for excursions such as the Cape of Good Hope or Aquila rather than trying to do it on your own. All in all, an absolutely stunning place in every respect with wonderful, hospitable people. Something for everyone’s bucket list!
Trip facts
When I visited: Late October/early November 2008
Weather: Over the 9-10 days I spent there in late October/early November, the weather was largely fine and mild. It is mid-spring, so you can expect a few passing showers & wind, but overall skies were clear and temperatures were about 25°C (77°F). I would certainly consider visiting at that time of year again.
Where I stayed: Mandela Rhodes Place
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