Some of the most impressive landscape can be found in Cape Town, South Africa. From the iconic Table Mountain to the purple and orange-hued sunsets, Cape Town is a beautiful and fun city to explore. Cape Town is great for hiking and history alike. You can start your morning visiting Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and you can make it back to the city in time to take a rewarding sunset hike. Keep your wits about you and you’ll enjoy this city and all it has to offer.
I have visited Cape Town three times within 15 years and each time I’ve enjoyed myself. Besides everything the city has to offer, there are some great day trips not too far from city center. South Africa is inexpensive which is also a bonus. Unfortunately, Cape Town (and South Africa as a whole) is not considered to be very safe. Luckily I have never had a problem in South Africa but we’ll talk more about the safety later on in this blog.
Cape Town Top Sights
Table Mountain
The most iconic photo of Cape Town is Table Mountain. This is the flat mountain that hovers over the city. It’s possible to go to the top of this mountain by gondola or by hiking. Both times I’ve been to the top of the mountain I’ve hiked up and taken the gondola down. The hike takes about 1.5-2 hours and it’s just challenging enough to make it rewarding yet fun. It’s a rocky way to the top so don’t think of it as a hike to enjoy the views. Your only view is the side of a very rocky mountain. Once you get to the top you’ll meet up with all the other toursits, most of whom have taken the gondola to the top. Scenic ocean views as well as cityscapes also meet you at the top of the mountain. There is a restaurant and gift shop at the top. You can purchase a gondola ticket at the top of the mountain to take you back to the bottom if you choose. If you prefer to take a gondola to the top, the lines seem to be long so make sure to get there early in the day.
Lions Head Mountain
Lions Head Mountain is the lesser known mountain of South Africa. Although it has a very iconic shape as well, the only way to get to the top of this mountain is by hiking so not many people get to enjoy the views. The Lions Head hike is one of my favorite hikes of all times. It starts off leisurely and before you know it, you’re scrambling up chain ropes and ladders that take you to the top of the mountain. Unlike Table Mountain, there’s no restaurant or gift shop at the top so come prepared with plenty of water. Also, the mountain is a cone shape so the summit is at the very tip of the cone, not allowing a lot of room for many toursits. This hike took us around 2 hours to reach the summit and another 90 minutes to get back down.
V&A Waterfront
This spot is touristy but it’s worth visiting. This outdoor complex is located on the harbor and it’s full of boutiques, tourists shops and restaurants. There’s also a mall here if you prefer to visit your generic mall stores or eat at the food court. V&A Waterfront is also a great place to watch live sports. They have a big outdoor screen with leveled seating where you can watch an exciting rugby match. I went to South Africa for the 2008 FIFA World Cup when South Africa hosted and I was again in Cape Town for the Rugby World Cup 2019 when South Africa won. I watched many matches for both events on the big screen at the V&A Waterfront. There’s a lot of emotion and fans to get you excited about the matches.
Robbens Island
Robbens Isalnd is best known because it was the place where Nelson Mandella was imprisoned for 18 years before the fall of apartheid in South Africa. You can only visit the island on a tour, which includes a ferry ride leaving from V&A Waterfront. The tour gives you a lot of history about the history of the island as well as Mandealla’s time there. The tour takes about 4 hours in total, including the two 30 minutes ferry ride. The tour leaves 3 or 4 times a day (depending of the season). You can get more information about the tour here
http://www.robben-island.org.za
Beaches
From Sea Point heading south, the views are amazing. The coastal drive is glorious anytime of the day but sunsets seem to be extra special in Cape Town. The skies fill with oranges and purples and the air becomes cool.
If you’re looking to dip your feet into the cold ocean, you can stop anywhere along the coast and hop in the water. Camps Bay Beach is a perfect place to spend a beach day. The sand is wide and there are many eateries across the street. You’ll also have a great view of Lions Head Mountain. The ocean was way to cold for this Floridian but let me know if you’re braver than I am.
Signal Hill- although not really a sight, this is the place to go for sunset. You can set up a blanket and bring a picnic along with everyone else. Parking is limited so get there early. This is also the spot to go paragliding. This is a famous pastime for both locals and tourists. Most companies operate out of Signal Hill and it’s also your launching point. After 10 minutes of gliding over the city and ocean strapped to a guide, you land at Sea Point. You and your guide are then picked up by car and brought back to the top of Signal Hil. Definitely try this out while you’re there! It’s about $75USD per person but it’s a lot of fun!
Further Afield
Cape of Good Hope
Mistakenly thought to be the most southern point of Africa where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean meet, Cape of Good Hope is actually the most south-western point of Africa. Never-the-less, it’s still a great day trip from Cape Town. The drive is a little over one hour and it gives you beautiful vistas of the sea and mountains. Cape of Good Hope is located within the Table Mountain National Park and there are some good hikes to enjoy while you’re there.
Boulders Beach
Driving from Cape Town to Cape of Good Hope, you can stop at Boulders Beach where you can spot many penguins on the beach. These African penguins are only found on the coastline of Southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia) so it’s a treat to see them. If you want an up-close view of these penguins you can go to Foxy Beach which is also close to Boulders Beach. For a small fee, you can walk along the boardwalk and get up close to the these cute birds. Whichever way you do it, it’s definitely worth the stop to see penguins on the beach!
Wine area
South Africa is well known for it’s delicious and affordable wine. Pinotage and Chenin Blanc are synanomus to South Africa and they both are a treat to your palate. Stellenbosch, a popular wine area of South Africa, is only 45 minutes away from Cape Town. Although it’s a short drive away from the city, it’s worth spending a few nights in this region. With a car and GPS, you can discover all the beautiful wineries South Africa has to offer. At most wineries you can do tasting for less than $5 and you’ll have some of the most beautiful scenery as you sip generous pours. Other popular wine districts close by are Franschhoek and Paarl. The beautiful Cape Dutch architecture, the scrumptious wine and the friendly hosts make for a wonderful long weekend of wine tasting. Not to be missed.
Getting Around
The best way of getting around Cape Town is by renting a car. Rentals and gas are inexpensive. Some hotels charge to park your car but it’s only a few dollars per day. Parking for hikes and other sights is either free or a minimal charge. Many public parking lots have unofficial “attendants” who will help you find a spot and will keep an eye on your car while you’re gone (theft is prevalent in South Africa). This helps give citizens jobs and these attendants take their job very seriously so make sure you tip them when you leave.
Note- South Africa drives on the left side of the road.
Safety
As I said eariler, I’ve been to South Africa three times with no safety issues. With that being said, I have taken precautions and stayed vigilant at all times. We never went out after dark unless it was in a very crowded spot. We made sure to park our car in secured parking lots or in places there where attendants. I did run every morning while I was in Cape Town. If you run along the coast, mainly around SeaPoint, it is crowded with other people exercising. Running around V&A Waterfront is also safe. If you do venture into the heart of the city, be careful and avoid situations where you’ll find yourself alone or in back streets. Whether you’re running or sight seeing, stay where there are other people and limit your time out after dark.
While in South Africa, don’t rent expensive cars, don’t wear a lot of jewelry and don’t flash expensive electronics. Stay aware of your surroundings and don’t be distracted when walking around. When we were in Cape Town they had a play being shown called Danger in the Dark. Two locals joked that that was a very appropriate name. Enough said.
Food
South African cuisine is a mix of food of the indigenous people, along with Dutch, French, Indian and Malaysian cuisine. Some of the dishes you’ll want to try are:
Biltong- their version of beef jerky, except it’s thinly slicked
Boerewors- sausage made from beef or lamb and different spices
Cape Malay curry- in the 17th century Dutch and French settled in Cape Town, bringing slaves from Indonesia, India and Malaysia, along with their spices and traditional cooking methods. Curry is still popular in South Africa
Bobotie- the national dish of South Africa, minced meat is cooked with spices and topped with an egg and milk mixture that is then baked.
Rusks- eaten at breakfast, these hard, dry biscuits are made from twice baked bread. They’re good dipped into coffee to soften them up.
Peri Peri Chili pepper- this African chili was produced by Portuguese explorers. It is a hot and tasty chili that they use to marinate chicken. There is a popular peri peri chicken restarautn called Nandos the you’ll want to try. You can also find Nandos in London, Australia Washington DC. I always stock up on their hot sauces and luckily my neighborhood Publix even carried a few of their flavors.
Woolworths (or Woolies, as the locals call it) - is a chain of grocery stores in South Africa. We tried several different supermarkets and this was by far our favorite. It has a great selection of fruits and vegetables and it also has a large selection of fresh and tasty pre-made meals. You can get both cold and hot dishes. We picked up either lunch or dinner from Woolies everyday. Somedays we would get both lunch and dinner there. I also filled my suitcase with items from Woolies before traveling back home.
Running
As I mentioned before, I ran everyday in Cape Town. There are tons of people out running along the path at Sea Point. It’s a safe and beautiful path along the coast. I also ventured up to V&A Waterfront and south to Camps Bay Beach. I mostly stayed on the coast except for the times I ran around the famous football (soccer) stadium built for the 2008 World Cup matches.
Facts and Tips
You CAN drink the water in South Africa. This is probably the only place in Africa where it’s safe to drink from the tap.
You may hear the term “load shedding” in South Africa. We happened to be there at a time when they were load shedding. This is a deliberate shutting down of electric power to prevent a failure in the entire system when demands strain the capacity of the system. For example, some restaurants had to close early due to load shedding. Although our hotel never lost power, one evening all of the apartments along our street had their power shut off for about one hour. I guess this is common in South Africa so don’t be alarmed.
There are many languages spoken in South Africa, but as a tourist you’ll mostly hear Afrikaans or English. I found that most (white) people in South Africa speak Afrikaans to one another but English is the language they use in government and media. They have a great accent when they speak English- it’s somewhere between an Australian and English accent but with a rolling of their “R”s.
Dress/temperatures-
Cape Town is cool in the morning and evenings but warms up during the day. My most recent trip there during the South African summer, it would be foggy and cool on my morning run. Mid day during our hikes the sun would be strong but without humidity, only to cool down again when the sun goes down.
Definitely bring a light jacket and one pair of pants for your trip. If you’re planning on hiking, workout pants and tank tops would be great during the summer, but perhaps a long sleeve shirt in the winter. When you’re away from the water, such as wine country, temperatures are a bit warmer. Think casual when you pack for South Africa!
Hopefully you’ll enjoy South Africa as much as we do. Cape Town is such a beautiful city and the nearby wine region is a favorite. Although I love visiting South Africa, I could not live there. The division between blacks and whites is too apparent. All throughout South Africa you’ll see whites and blacks living amongst one another, which sounds ideal. However, the reality is that the whites tend to be extremely wealthy and the blacks live in poverty. You walk down streets filled with mansions and homeless black people are strolling by pushing grocery carts full of recyclables that they’re collecting to make money. All the homes have electronic fences around them to keep out people who are the same color as the guards and gardeners they employ to protect and maintain their home. Although apartheid may be over, South Africa has a long road ahead of them before they achieve equality. Because of this, safety is an issue throughout South Africa.