Table Mountain This World Heritage Site is Cape Town's most unique identifying landmark. Its summit soars 1 086 m above sea level and can be reached by means of a revolving cable car. Visitors can marvel at the awe-inspiring 360° view of Cape Town while enjoying a meal or refreshing drink at the restaurant, or wandering the rocky trails lined with beautiful fynbos. The mountain is, in fact, covered with a wide variety of wild flowers and is the natural home of the famous silver tree. It's a hiker's paradise, with walks of varying degrees of difficulty to suit nature lovers and serious rock climbers alike.
Remember to watch the weather when planning a hike, and to make sure you've taken care of all the basic safety precautions! Cape Point This landmark is part of Table Mountain National Park and is located at the end of the Cape Peninsula. In 1488 Bartolomeus Dias rounded the Cape during a dreadful storm. He subsequently named it the Cape of Storms. On a second voyage, the weather was much kinder to him and he renamed it the Cape of Good Hope. A few years later, Dias died while trying to round the Cape. A monument in the form of a navigational beacon has been erected in the Park in his honour. The Park offers a rich diversity of plant species as well as a marine reserve and animals such as baboons and Cape Zebra. The peak is 249m above sea level and can be reached by foot or the funicular railway. The lighthouse at the tip of the Peninsula is the most powerful in the Southern Hemisphere.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens The Kirstenbosch Estate covers 528 hectares, 36 hectares make up the central landscaped garden on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, it is home to more than 8 500 indigenous plant species, and is known as one of the Seven Magnificent Botanical Gardens of the world. Established in 1913, it only grows indigenous South African plants. Kirstenbosch is best known for its proteas (best in winter and spring) and summer sunset concerts and picnics. There are hiking trails through the fynbos as well as guided tours, including twilight nature walks. Kirstenbosch is a birdwatchers delight. Pack a picnic basket or have a meal at the restaurant.
During the summer months, Kirstenbosch hosts sunset concerts each Sunday evening from 17h30 featuring some of the best and most well-known South African artists. Robben Island For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here that rulers sent those they regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society. During the apartheid years Robben Island became internationally known for its institutional brutality. The duty of those who ran the Island and its prison was to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Some freedom fighters spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for their beliefs. Those imprisoned on the Island succeeded on a psychological and political level in turning a prison 'hell-hole' into a symbol of freedom and personal liberation. Robben Island came to symbolise, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity.
The Company's Garden Government Walk – situated opposite the entrance to the Mount Nelson Hotel - leads down to The Company Gardens, the oldest gardens in South Africa, established by Jan van Riebeeck in 1652 as a vegetable garden to supply fresh produce to passing ships. Today it contains a wide variety of indigenous and exotic plants, shrubs and trees, an aviary and a restaurant. Its sun dial dates back to 1787 and its bell tower, to 1855. Below the restaurant is a saffron pear tree, the oldest cultivated tree in South Africa and believed to have been planted shortly after Van Riebeeck established a settlement here.
Constantia Vineyards The cradle of the Wine Industry. Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting, Constantia Uitsig and Steenberg, are the five producers that make up the Constantia Wine Route. These five Wine farms set the benchmark in the wine industry winning numerous awards over the last decade that stand testimony to the quality and consistently high standard of the wines. Constantia is truly Cape Town’s own wine route. Only a few minutes drive from the city’s centre, the breathtaking beauty of the valley and vineyards are unique in a modern cosmopolitan environment, preserving the cultural and historical heritage of the oldest wine area in the Cape. Experience a tasting tour of premium wines with the individual service excellence that echoes the hospitality extended to all visitors to the Constantia Valley.
Boulders Beach They are comical, clumsy and very eye-catching in their black and white dress. In 1982 two breeding pairs of African penguins (once known as Jackass penguins because of the braying sound they make) moved into prime beachfront estate at Boulders beach between Simonstown and Cape Point. Today there are over 3 000 of these birds living here and the area is now a National Park. Penguins can be viewed up close as they frolic in the water and waddle on land. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is watching who. You’re likely to see penguin pairs strolling along the boardwalks and in the park. This is the one place in the world you will be able to swim and sunbathe with penguins. In a survey done by the BBC, Boulders Beach was rated one of the five best beaches to visit before you die. All in all, a great place to meet the locals!
Chapman's Peak Drive Chapman’s Peak Drive between Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the Atlantic Coast on the south-western tip of South Africa is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world. The 9km route with its 114 curves skirts Chapman Peak, the 593 m southerly extension of Constantiaberg and follows the rocky coastline to unfold stunning views in both directions.
Chapman's Peak Drive, originally known as the Hout Bay - Noorde Hoek Road, is a natural asset and resource, and is of strategic economic importance to business, local residents and tourism. This scenic route is now a toll-road.
Beaches Cape Town's many clean, natural beaches are considered among the most beautiful in the world, spectacularly situated between sea and mountain, from False Bay to the Atlantic Coast. Sun-worshippers, nature lovers and watersports enthusiasts alike are spoilt for choice! Just 10 minutes from the hotel, Clifton and Camps Bay are sheltered from the southeaster wind, and are perfect for sunbathing, Frisbee throwing, swimming and sundowners. Surfing spots abound, as well as excellent spots for scubadiving, boardsailing and fishing. For those afraid to brave the invigorating sea temperatures of the Atlantic coast, a scenic drive to False Bay offers warmer waters at popular Muizenberg, Kalk Bay or Simonstown. With the exception of Boulders Beach in False Bay, entrance to all Cape Town's lovely beaches is free. All our city asks is that visitors respect the unspoilt natural environment by taking their litter home with them and refraining from making fires.
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront The V&A Waterfront is one of South Africa’s most visited destination. Against a backdrop of sea and mountain views, the Waterfront is a mixed-use development incorporating a working harbour and is also home to designer label stores, national retailers, boutiques and services, along with a spread of excellent restaurants, coffee shops and fast-food outlets. There are also two cinema complexes and craft markets, offering visitors the best of everything Cape Town and the Western Cape have to offer. The development of office locations and luxury apartments complements the vibrancy of the V&A Waterfront. The area is a centuries old harbour that remains fully operational and visitors can view the many ships and sailing vessels in the small craft basin. The Two Oceans Aquarium, situated at the V&A Waterfront, is a window on the local oceans, offering glimpses of the diverse life found off the South African coastline.
Text courtesy of www.cape-town.org
Images courtesy of South African Tourism TOP
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