Hiking Trip With A View

If you're really into walking, there are literally hundreds of trails on the Table Mountain. If you're a relatively experienced hiker, get a good guide book and head off with food, water, a mobile phone and warm clothes. Always let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return. This is not a city park - it is a real mountain, with steep cliffs and gorges, and the weather can change without warning. Unless you're pretty confident, it's probably a better idea to do an escorted walk. Always bear in mind, though, that Table Mountain is in the middle of a city and muggers are just entrepreneurs like any other. So walk in a big group or stay close to where there are lots of other people.

Magical Cape Town Beaches

Cape Town offers some of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, with sunny white beaches stretching east to west. It’s no surprise that many of South Africa’s beaches have been awarded the blue flag status, given only to the most perfect beaches of the world. Part of the allure of this area is that this is where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. The Atlantic lies on the west side and is about 4 degrees cooler. Many of the most popular beaches lie on this side of the coast, with many referring to it as South Africa’s “Riviera”. These beaches are lucky to have longer days and protection for the Cape winds, making them a very pleasant experience indeed.

One of the most notable is Clifton which is comprised of 4 beaches all together, it is no doubt one of the most fashionable beaches. The wealthy all aspire to own homes fronting its snow white sands and people fly from all over to see and be seen against the backdrop of the bright blue water, decorated with gleaming white yachts.

The East coast however has the warmer water with many hidden and secluded gems, which tourists travel from far and wide to experience. These are also preferred by local families wanting to steer clear of the crowds along the west coast. Each beach has its own particular charm however, so it’s always best to go to a few and decide which is most suited to your tastes.

If you are thinking about visiting this side of the world you are sure to be left with more than just a glowing tan, but fond memories of this captivating region and the hospitable people which reside in it. There is a wide array of accommodation options you can take advantage of such as Self Catering Accommodation & Holiday Rentals or hotels. There is plenty to choose from and they line the coast, offering a wonderful way to experience the sun and surf offered by Cape Town, South Africa.

Cape Town Lure Visitors With Spectacular Beauty and a Rich Cultural Diversity

Cape Town has had a long and turbulent history. With Apartheid still linger in the minds and hearts of its people. Transformation has led to the new 'Rainbow Nation', which can be experienced in the cosmopolitan city centre of Cape Town.

Flower sellers, business executives, parking attendants, office workers and shoppers all rub shoulders in a setting of both historical and modern buildings, backed by the city's most famous landmark, Table Mountain. The colourful Malay Quarter, the remains of District Six, St George's Cathedral, Government Avenue and the old Castle are historically significant, while world-class African and international restaurants tempt travellers with their culinary delights.

Although an African city, Cape Town has a European flavour but the city has comforts of First World standard.

Cape Town's unique setting means that it can be enjoyed from various vantage points: Table Mountain provide breathtaking vistas over the city bowl and the Cape peninsula.

You can find many scenic routes along magnificent stretches of coastline and inland terrain leading to special places like Cape Point.

The city has four distinct seasons.

Summer - White sandy beaches, Autumn - Crisp colours, Winter - Ferocity of stormy seas in winter, Spring - Show of Cape 'fynbos' flowers.

From culture, history and scenery - to an unforgettable experience.

Cape Town is a special place with much to contribute towards its growing reputation as a favoured travel destination.

Cape Town Excursions

** Robben Island and Table Mountain

South Africa's most widely known tourist attraction is probably Robben Island, seven miles (11 km) from Cape Town in the centre of Table Bay.

For nearly 400 years this tiny rocky island outcrop was utilised as a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment for numerous categories of people ostracised by society, ranging from political protestors to lepers.

During the years of Apartheid, Robben Island became synonymous with institutional brutality as numerous freedom fighters, including the island's most famous resident Nelson Mandela, were imprisoned here for more than a quarter of a century.

The island is now a museum, symbolising liberation and the triumph of the human spirit. Regular island tours are conducted, lasting three and a half hours. The tours, which are guided by former prisoners, include a visit to the maximum-security prison on the island where an estimated 3,000 freedom fighters were incarcerated between 1962 and 1991.

** Capman's Peak Drive lookout Chapman's Peak

Chapman's Peak Drive is one of the most spectacular coastal roads in South Africa, linking the seaside community of Hout Bay to the Noordhoek Valley along the Atlantic Coast, with breathtaking views from along the narrow, winding road blasted into the cliffs.

Constructed in 1915, the six-mile (9km) route took about seven years to complete and was built as a shorter, alternative route between Cape Town central and the South Peninsula. Many visitors use this scenic route to reach Cape Point Nature Reserve situated at the tip of the Peninsula.

** Penguins on Boulders Beach

A recommended day excursion from the city includes a trip through the southern suburbs and along the scenically beautiful False Bay coastline via Muizenberg to Simonstown, South Africa's principal naval base.

Simonstown lies about 25 miles (40km) from the city and is a quaint town built around a naval dockyard, with well-preserved Victorian buildings, museums, sidewalk cafes and local legends to learn about. One such legend is about a dog called 'Just Nuisance' who 'joined' the British navy, becoming their mascot, when Simonstown was a British base.

A short distance from the town is Boulder's beach, famous for its protected colony of African Penguins (formerly Jackass Penguin) that can be viewed from the boardwalks.

Transport: Metrorail suburban train from Cape Town's central station; Admission: Boulders Beach Penguin Colony: R15 (adults), R5 (scholars)

** Cape Point

Most visitors to Cape Town are keen to make a day trip 40 miles (65km) from the city to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, not only to take in its floral diversity in what at first sight appears to be a bleak landscape, but to stand at the top of the towering promontory at the most southerly point of the Cape Peninsula (not of Africa, visitors must go further afield to Cape Agulhus for this).

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Green Point Accommodation