Cape Town: South Africa's Answer to the Mediterranean

Stephen Delissio

 

Cape Town, South Africa, now a premier travel destination, with a Mediterranean climate and beautiful landscape has been a magnet, drawing people from all around the world, to fall in love with its many charms. 

 

The city is nestled between Table Mountain and Table Bay. From big game safaris, shark diving, world-class surfing, high-end food and shopping, to elegant wine country, Cape Town offers visitors  the opportunity to engage in numerous activities.  You’ll find plenty of historic attractions and a rich history to delve into.

 

Cape Town is in essence a “tale of two cities”:  the affluent and touristic areas --  prime real estate where a parking spot can go for a few hundred thousand dollars, million-dollar homes along the cape, and a booming tourism industry that demands the best.  Then there are the poor shantytowns and memories of apartheid.  Poverty is still rampant here.   The wounds of apartheid have healed, but the scars can still be found.   

 

 Cape Town has continued to improve its quality of living and safety, yet it isn’t a city  where you can put on your backpack explore.  A few blocks the wrong way could put you in dangerous territory.  Most tourists are advised to spend the few extra dollars for a better hotel in a tourist or business area like the V&A Waterfront.  These areas are regularly patrolled and mostly safe from violent crime. 

 

 

 You can find plenty of tour companies along the waterfront.  Private tours can be booked from your hotel. But the best and least expensive way to see the city is the Hop On Hop Off bus, red-and-blue double-decker buses, which  can be found in cities all over the world, and here in Cape Town the routes are excellent.

 

 

The buses take you to all the main tourist attractions, as well as a few lesser-known ones. You stay as long as you like and just catch the next passing bus, which comes every 20-30 minutes.  You can purchase one- or two-day tickets.  The red line takes you to all the city attractions, including the V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain.  The blue line drives around the outskirts and part of the Cape Peninsula; stops include a wine tasting at a vineyard and the famous Kirstenbosch Gardens.  Other benefits to seeing the city this way is on a nice day you can sit outside on the upper deck and use the headphones they supply to listen to commentary in 16 languages of all the sites, as well as some key points along the drive. 

 

The heart of the city is the V&A Waterfront. Here, you’ll find a lively working harbor that is lined with bars, restaurants, and shops.  It’s a great way to ease into Cape Town, get a feel for the city and its people, you can walk the piers, ride the giant Ferris wheel, and see the Coca-Cola man, a giant red Lego-type statue made from Coke crates.

 

 

Here, you can purchase tickets to Robben Island, where the world-famous political figure Nelson Mandela was held prisoner during apartheid.  One of Cape Town’s most popular attractions tickets can sell out for many days in advance. Prepare for a half-day tour (some guides will say three hours). Enjoy a 45-minute ferry ride where you’ll tour the island on a bus before visiting the prison.  This is a must-see destination, essential to understanding the history of Cape Town and South Africa. 

 

Apartheid is not just solely South African history, but world history -- a fight for humanity.  One of the highlights of this tour is that most of the prison tour guides were actually in the prison themselves with Nelson Mandela.

 

 

On the ferry ride back, you’ll see the iconic Table Mountain in the backdrop of the city.  This is a natural wonder of the world, and the most popular attraction here.  Clouds often roll in over the mountain covering the top and are referred to by locals as the table cloth.  The best time to visit is when the skies are clear.  A cable car will take you to the top where breathtaking views of the cape and the city bowl await. 

 

No trip to Cape Town is complete without exploring the Cape Peninsula itself, where you can visit a penguin colony, the Cape of Good Hope, which is the southwestern most part of the world, Cape Point light house, and the legendary wine country.  

 

Cape Town has gained worldwide recognition for its wine industry.  The Mediterranean climate is perfect for developing top-notch wines and vineyards, like Stellenbosch, which offers tours year round.  It’s worth spending some time  at the vineyards enjoying the countryside, and tasting wine.  Some of the wineries offer gourmet dinners, a great way to end an afternoon. 

 

 

Food is a part of the soul of this city and Cape Town has become a culinary melting pot, drawing influence from many ethnicities. Some of the freshest seafood can be found here. The fish and chips rival those on the British Isles are some of the best in the world, done with different fish other than the typical cod, try hake or snoek.  In the V&A Waterfront, Quay Four offers  excellent seafood, a great view,  and is reasonably priced compared to the other trendy restaurants on the waterfront. 

 

In the downtown area,  Mama Africa, a joint serving local fare, like ostrich, kudu and crocodile, along with live music is a popular destination.

 

Staying closer to Cape Town, a drive along Chapman’s Drive is in demand, a breathtaking road that winds along the coast; the Hop On Hop Off buses travel this road as well,  and offer wonderful photo opportunities like the famous Lions Head Mountain.  Here you’ll find some of the most expensive real estate in the world.

 

 

Another popular stop is Mariners Wharf at Hout’s Bay.  A quaint, sleepy harbor, there are a few antique and pearl shops, a street market, and a beach, but the real jewel is  its lunch spot, the Mariner’s Wharf restaurant, serving some of the best fish, prawn and crawfish and chips.

 

Other popular destinations  include the  other side of Cape Town life, the Imizamo Yethu Township, a poverty township and symbol of the apartheid movement.  Here you can see how many South African families live, and learn how this township is pushing away from poverty and into prosperity

 

 Walking around Cape Town you’ll notice the decorative ostrich eggs, carved, painted, and made into lights for sale in the shops; there are even stores completely dedicated to selling them.  Cape Town has many ostrich farms outside the city, you can visit these on your own, but visits are often included in most of the Cape Peninsula tours. 

 

Perhaps nothing defines Africa better than a safari.  South Africa is home to many famous wildlife parks.  But, Cape Town also offers extreme adventure too, like a military combat helicopter ride and cage diving with great white sharks.  Only a few places in the world allow this extreme activity.

 

Cape Town, majestic and mystical, a city rich in culture, has stepped up onto the the world stage, evolving and developing itself as the premier African city. 

 

Author Bio:

Stephen Delissio is a contributing writer at Highbrow Magazine.

 

Photos: Stephen Delissio; Xevi V, Derek Keats (Flickr, Creative Commons); eGuideTravel.

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xevi v, Flickr (Creative Commons)
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