Cape Town

Embark on a spectacular journey around the Cape Peninsula taking in all the highlights and breathtaking beauty of this world-renowned region. Travel through historic suburbs, charming fishing villages and awesome viewpoints on your way to Cape Point, where the mighty Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet in harmony (as per legend).

Beautiful scenery combined with historical sites such as the Castle of Good Hope built by the Dutch, Cape Town City Hall, the Grand Parade, where Nelson Mandela first addressed the nation as a free man after 27 years in jail, Church Square, where slaves would wait for their owners under the slave tree, Slave Lodge, devoted to the history and experience of slaves and their descendants in the Cape, Greenmarket Square, with a daily crafts and souvenir market, surrounded by the Old Town House and art-deco architecture, St George’s Cathedral, known as the people’s cathedral for its role against Apartheid, the Bo-Kaap with its colourful houses and narrow cobbled streets, the Western Cape High Court, Company’s Gardens, South African Museum, South African National Gallery, Old Synagogue, Houses of Parliament, St Mary’s Cathedral and the District Six Museum.

We pass through Hout Bay (Wood Bay from the Afrikaans) is a charming little hamlet protected on three sides by mountains and providing a calm bay for a thriving local fishing community. This area used to be heavily forested and it provided the perfect base when Dutch settlers needed huge quantities of timber in the 1600’s. It is now beloved as a holiday and residential town and has been enticing people for many years with its’ rural, idyllic charm.
With a towering mountain above it and a sheer drop below, Chapman’s Peak Drive hugs the face of its namesake as the road curves around to Noordhoek from Hout Bay. Chapman’s Peak Drive is renowned for its spectacular 180° views of the Cape Peninsula as well as its 114 twists and turns. Viewpoints and picnic spots are scattered throughout its 9km length and its dramatic views have made it a favored spot for photographers.

Cosmopolitan Cape Town is framed on one side by two oceans, and on the other by the majestic Table Mountain. You can hike to the top and follow more than a mile of paths past arresting flora (1500 types of plants live here), rocky outcrops, and the mountains indigenous resident, the rock dassie, which looks like a small-eared rabbit, but is actually more closely related to the elephant. Not up for a hike? Take the exciting 360 - degree rotating cable car trip to the top for awesome views of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the entire City Bowl and, on a clear day, the surrounding countryside. As you wander the mountain, you might meet various kinds of antelope and even a porcupine or two. Plus, Table Mountain is home the rarest amphibian on earth, the ghost frog.

Set against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, the enchanting Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden features two square miles of rare indigenous plant species, including South Africa's beloved fynbos (indigenous shrubbery often used in spa treatments). The Garden is always lovely to visit, but is especially picturesque in the spring (September to November), when seasonal flowers are in bloom.

South Africa is without question one of the best destinations in the world for cage diving with Great Whites. You'll watch the sharks glide past your cage again and again, occasionally bumping it as they swim. The Western Cape province is home to the three most popular locations for Great White cage diving: False Bay, about 30 minutes from Cape Town; Seal Island, in Mossel Bay; and Shark Alley, the channel that runs between the Dyer Island seal colony and the mainland at Gansbaai.

Three of South Africa's 13 wine routes begin just outside Cape Town: Franschhoek, Stellenbosch, and Paarl. Explore them at your own pace, driving through picturesque mountains and rolling vineyards, dotted with historic Cape Dutch architecture.

Known for its charm, Boulders Beach boasts an impressive colony of Africa penguins. Nestled in False Bay and a stone's throw away form Simon's Town, the beach is made up of natural pools formed between the impressive boulders where the penguins make their nests.

Nestled between the mountains and the sea, Hermanus is a charming hamlet whose pristine beaches and ‘champagne air’ have been delighting visitors for years. Along with these spectacular attractions, Hermanus is most famous for the incredible Southern Right Whales that come into the bay seeking sanctuary in the cold winter months. From the shore you can see these gentle giants at play in the water; Hermanus is renowned for offering the best shore-based whale watching in the world.

The Southern Right Whale is a baleen whale that can grow up to 15 meters in length and weigh up to 47 tons. They are closely related to, and indistinguishable from, North Atlantic and North Pacific right whales; however they are unable to cross the warm equatorial waters and interact with other subspecies. The whales spend the summer months in the far Southern Ocean and migrate northwards in the winter. More than 100 whales visit the Hermanus area during this time. Whale watchers might see behavior unique to the Southern Right Whale known as “sailing”. They use their elevated flukes to catch the wind; it is thought to be a form of playing for them.

Historic and modern, classic and contemporary, the city center of Cape Town is vibrant, entertaining and cosmopolitan. Nestled in a bowl created by the iconic Table Mountain flanked by Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head, this lively city center offers an abundance of attractions.

The center of Cape Town, known as the City Bowl is relatively small when compared with other global cities. Historic, colonial-era and modern buildings, residential and business properties sit side by side on a grid that slopes down from the foot of the iconic Table Mountain to edge of Table Bay. It is vibrant, well-functioning City center that offers a myriad of attractions and activities. The highly popular V&A Waterfront is situated at the working port, and offers excellent accommodation and dining, shopping and entertainment.

Once in the bohemian fishing village of Hout Bay, you can take an boat trip to Duiker Island to see and/or swim with the Cape Fur Seals.

It's just like it sounds: slide you feet into a sandboard (a modified snowboard) and glide down steep sand-filled dunes. Sandboarding has become a major sport in some parts of South Africa, and is extremely popular near Cape Town and in the Eastern Cape. The equipment and techniques are similar to those of snowboarding, making it a fun way to learn the sport. Betty's Bay about an hour's drive form Cape Town, is a popular sandboarding venue and a great area for whale watching, surfing, diving, and hiking too.