Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa - November, 2002
There are some places you will only visit once in a lifetime and others keep you coming back for more but the difference with Cape Town is that you will never want to leave.
Cape Town is naturally beautiful. It doesn’t need man-made attractions like the London Eye or the Empire State building to captivate its visitors. It is also not your normal city break as there is hardly time to explore the actual “city”.
Five of the top six tourist destinations in Cape Town are natural landmarks - Table Mountain, Cape Point, the valleys of the Winelands, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Robbin Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. The only one that isn’t natural, although it is by the sea, is the Victoria & Albert Waterfront.
The V&A Waterfront is the new heart of Cape Town. It’s the perfect place for lunch or dinner and if you can tear yourself away from the designer shops and craft markets you can take a boat trip or helicopter ride or visit the aquarium. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself at the V&A on a daily basis or even twice a day and if your hotel is here you will probably never be away.
Everywhere you go in Cape Town your eyes are drawn to Table Mountain and when you see it for the first time thoughts of climbing it go right out the window, despite having packed your walking boots. The locals don’t help by encouraging you to take the cable car but if you persevere they will reluctantly suggest you take the route via Kirstenborsch Botanical Gardens which is the easiest way up.
...a stall selling “I’ve just climbed Table Mountain” t-shirts would make a small fortune
Even if you don’t plan to climb the mountain a visit to Kirstenborsch is a must. It’s not just a botanical garden its Cape Town’s answer to Central or Hyde Park. On Sunday’s families and friends spend the day here, couples sleep in each others arms and visitors walk around amazed at the beauty. The air, filled with the scent of hundreds of varieties of Fynbos, make the surroundings even more intoxicating and if you can’t bring yourself to leave stay and listen to a concert and watch the sun set behind Table Mountain.
Still determined to climb to the top we decided on the route via Platterclip Gorge described as the best “step class” you can do. That was an understatement but if you go at your own pace and stop frequently for water and enjoy the views you eventually get there and when you do the feeling of accomplishment is indescribable - you really are on top of the world.
Taking a change of t-shirt is definitely recommended and a stall selling “I’ve just climbed Table Mountain” t-shirts would make a small fortune. Of course half the fun and satisfaction is that everyone already knows as nothing can disguise the bright red face and jelly-like legs. The best time to do the climb is first thing in the morning and a great “carrot” half way up is the thought of brunch at the top. Cold beer and hot sausages might sound like a strange way to celebrate but it really hit the spot.
As its name indicates, the mountain is flat at the top and is covered with different trails with views out towards Robben Island or across the city and once you’ve rested your legs they’re worth exploring. If the thought of the climb down fills you with horror there is always the painless option of taking the cable car with its slowly revolving floor which ensures everyone gets to admire the spectacular scenery.
One of the highlights of a visit to Cape Town, especially if you are a wine lover, is visiting The Winelands. One day is not really enough to do this area justice and if your schedule permits you should stay overnight in Stellenbosch. Paarl and Franshoek are the other main wine towns, the latter being a great place for lunch although you might forget you are in Africa as the mountains and valleys are amazingly Swiss-like. When it comes to wine tasting there are many picturesque wineries to visit but its worth bearing in mind that most of them are closed on Sundays.
The drive through Cape Town’s second wine region, Constantia and on to The Cape Peninsula National Park is equally memorable as the scenery changes several times during the journey. Once in the park, where you can visit the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, the landscape is treeless and barren and with its heather-like fynbos more like Scotland than Africa.
The views from above the craggy cliffs are breathtaking and at Cape Point you can take the windswept path out to the new lighthouse. This is the furthest point you can go before the land gives way to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and is a great place to blow away the cobwebs. On the way back to Cape Town its worth breaking up the journey at Boulders Penguin Colony where you can walk along the beach and watch these fascinating birds posing for the cameras.
For years Cape Town was top of my “must visit” list and it was everything that I imagined it to be and more. With no jet lag and an exchange rate that made us feel like millionaires we could have very easily stayed. Cape Town is now top of my “must go back to” list and if there weren’t so many places in the world still to visit I would already be planning my next trip.