Robben Island

Robben Island

General

The famous Robben Island, whose prison was once home to former South African president Nelson Mandela as well as many other black political freedom fighters, is now a World Heritage Site and provides stunning views across the bay with Table Mountain as its backdrop. A trip to the island is an unforgettable experience and offers a glimpse into the life and times of the apartheid era.

Daily tours to the island include the ferry trip there and back, an island tour and a tour of the prison with a fomer political prisoner as your guide. Allow three and a half hours for the trip (this includes the 1/2 hour ferry trip each way) and book in advance. Ferries leave at regular intervals throughout the day from the Clock Tower precinct at the V&A Waterfront

History of Robben Island

Robben Island was used at various times between the 17th century and the 20th century as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups, and a military base. Its buildings, and in particular those of the late 20th century maximum security prison for political prisoners, testify to the way in which democracy and freedom triumphed over oppression and racism.

What survives from its episodic history are 17th century quarries, the tomb of Hadije Kramat who died in 1755, 19th century ‘village’ administrative buildings including a chapel and parsonage, small lighthouse, the lepers’ church, the only remains of a leper colony, derelict World War II military structures around the harbour and the stark and functional maximum security prison of the Apartheid period began in the 1960s.

The symbolic value of Robben Island lies in its somber history, as a prison and a hospital for unfortunates who were sequestered as being socially undesirable. This came to an end in the 1990s when the inhuman Apartheid regime was rejected by the South African people and the political prisoners who had been incarcerated on the Island received their freedom after many years.

 

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Winelands of the Cape

Winelands of the Cape

 

General

Whether it is its magnificent natural beauty, its rich cultural heritage or its world-renowned wines, the Winelands Region is synonymous with all the best that the Cape has to offer. A 45-minute drive from Cape Town brings you to this area where splendid mountains form a dramatic backdrop to lush vineyards and gabled Cape Dutch homesteads steeped in history. Come experience the hospitality and beauty of Stellenbosch, Paarl, &  Franschhoek. The diversity of the Winelands will capture every heart.

Follow in the footsteps of our ancestors as you stroll along the oak-lined streets of Stellenbosch, the second oldest town in the country. Our colourful history comes to life in the splendidly restored Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian buildings in each town. Monuments such as the Huguenot Memorial and Afrikaans Language Monument and the many outstanding museums provide a fascinating glimpse into the past.

The excellent wines produced in this area are world-renowned You will be spoilt for choice between small, boutique wineries and the larger, more commercial wine estates. Taste the fruit of the vintner’s labour in the magnificent surrounds that are so characteristic of the Winelands, or join the winemaker on a tour of his cellar where the precious harvest is lovingly transformed into every wine lover’s delight.

Nestled between towering mountains in the beautiful Cape winelands lies the magnificent Franschhoek Valley. This is the food and wine heartland of the country, where splendid wines are grown and our top chefs create international cuisine. Here breath-taking scenery, warm hospitality, world class cuisine and the finest wines all combine to create lasting memories.

Spectacular vineyards cover these mountain slopes settled more than 300 years ago by the Huguenots, who brought with them their age-old French wine and food culture. This is a valley rich in history centered around a picturesque village of friendly, welcoming people.

The wonderful spectrum of visitor accommodation ranges from internationally renowned auberges and guest houses to self-catering cottages on wine farms and much more besides.

In the village you will find wonderful crafts, art and antique shops and galleries. The main street is lined with coffee shops and restaurants.

The town of Paarl has a unique character, not least because vineyards still grow in between residential neighbourhoods maintaining a country feel to a town virtually the size of a small city, but also because it is here that the struggle to gain recognition for Afrikaans as a written language was achieved. Today the Afrikaans Language Museum bears testament to this accomplishment and there is a monument to this unique language on the slopes of Paarl Mountain.

Main Street Paarl is a colourful collection of beautifully restored Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian buildings and includes the oldest Dutch Reformed Church in the country – the Strooidak Church – and the Paarl Museum, housed in a u-shaped Cape Dutch house and home to an in-depth look at the town’s history, starting with early man and dealing with European colonisation and slavery.

A large variety of grapes are grown in Paarl, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc and the Paarl Wine Route is also known as the ‘Red Route’ because of this. Over 25 wine cellars include Backsberg Estate, KWV, Nederburg, Nelsons Creek, Simonsvlei and Avondale that make up the popular wine route.

 

 

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Table Mountain

Table Mountain

General

Table Mountain is one of  the most iconic landmark of Cape Town, South Africa, being one of the most photographed attractions in the world

There are about 2,200 species of plants found on Table Mountain and 1470 floral species. Many of these plants and flowers are endemic to this mountain. The magnificent Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are found on the eastern foot of the mountain. Founded in 1913, the garden that spans an area of 1300 acres includes a unique conservatory with plants from different parts of the world.

Besides the parks, the whole area has a biodiversity that is rare to find in other places on earth. Its many valleys and streams make it an idyllic getaway from Cape Town. The national park’s most unique feature is its fynbos vegetation that is displayed here better than anywhere in the world.

The Cape Floral region of the national park is one of the richest floral regions in the world. Over 70% of the flowers are endemic to the Table Mountain. It is no wonder that the mountain was chosen as one of the new seven world wonders.

On a clear day, the distinctive shape of Table Mountain can be seen from up to 200km out to sea, while its summit provides spectacular views of the city, its Waterfront and Harbour below, the majestic Hottentots Holland mountains to the East and Cape Point to the south.

The Table Mountain cableway underwent a R90 million upgrade in 1997 and the new system – a combination of Swiss and South African Engineering – boasts revolving floors in the new cable cars, giving passengers a 360 degree panoramic view on their way up the mountain.

The five-minute ascent to the top of Table Mountain offers a 360° view of Cape Town, the ocean and the neighbouring peaks.

Once at the top visitors enjoy spectacular views and the peaceful feeling of being over one thousand metres above the city below. The area at the top of the mountain is surprisingly large so leave enough time to stroll along the paths, enjoy the viewing platforms and soak up the vistas.

HIKING TABLE MOUNTAIN  ( We recommend booking one of our expert hiking guides ) 

Note  – Make sure you wear sturdy hiking shoes, with good ankle supports.    Take a warm jacket with you

Cape Town enjoys a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. November, December, January, February and March enjoy the lowest average monthly rainfall. The long sunny days and late sunsets make these the best months of the year to take a ride on the Cableway and spend time exploring the mountain.

Table Mountain soars 1,085m (3,559ft) above Cape Town and the Lower Cableway station lies at 363m, which means that weather conditions often vary considerably between the base and the summit. Before leaving home, check the weather conditions on the webcams at both the Lower and Upper Stations. Remember to take a warm jacket with you because it can get very cold topside, even on sunny days.

What to take:

  • Backpack
  • Warm jacket
  • Sun-tan cream
  • Good walking shoes
  • Money
  • Camera for making the most of fantastic photographic opportunities
  • Sunglasses
  • Water

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Cape Point & Cape of Good Hope

Cape Point & Cape of Good Hope

 

General

Cape Point is one of Cape Town’s most popular tourist sites. It is part of Table Mountain National Park, the  most South Westerly point of Africa 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 249 m 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.

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. (8500 ha) 7 Species of antelope including the Eland, Bontebok and Cape mountain Zebra are to be found here.

The Cape Peninsula’s rich and diverse plant life has earned it eight World Heritage Site accolades from UNESCO. The Cape Floral Region makes up only 0.5% of Africa, and yet it is home to more than 20% of the continent’s plants. In fact, there are more floral species in the Table Mountain National Park region than all of the United Kingdom. You’ll find many of these while at Cape Point – recent estimates suggest that there are over 1000 species of plants in the Cape Point region, of which at least 14 are endemic.

There are two lighthouses at Cape Point, only one of which is still in operation as a nautical guide. While still a popular tourist attraction, the old lighthouse built in the 1850s no longer functions – it sits too high above the ocean and is often covered by cloud. Ships approaching from the east could also see the light too easily, often causing them to approach too closely. Because of this, they often wrecked on the rocks before rounding the peninsula. In fact, it was the wreck of the Lusitania, on Bellows Rock below the lighthouse in 1911, which prompted the construction of a new, more effective structure. The new lighthouse at Cape Point is one of the most powerful on the South African coast. Its lights have a range of 60 kilometres and each flash has an intensity of 10 million candelas.

The Flying Dutchman
Legend has it that ghost ship the Flying Dutchman haunts the oceans surrounding Cape Point, unable to make port and doomed to sail the turbulent seas for eternity. One of the earliest reported sightings of the Flying Dutchman Funicular came from King George V in 1881, but several Simon’s Town residents claim to have seen the ship in more recent years. While the myth likely has its roots in 17th-century nautical folklore, these days you can sail to the foot of the old lighthouse in the funicular of the same name.

Today, the funicular is a railroad that provides a novel and exciting way to travel to the upper lighthouse, and is named after the myth above, being called the Flying Dutchman Funicular.  At the lighthouse on the summit, you will be rewarded with simply breath-taking views of the Atlantic Ocean. The most recommended time to visit is at sunrise or sunset where the landscape turns into a surreal vista of beauty and charm. While it is reasonably far out from the city centre, there is so much to see along the way. Truly a drive to savour !

Cape Point also offers you the opportunity to see wildlife while you’re in Cape Town. The resident baboons of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve often provide entertainment with their naughty behaviour, occasionally grabbing food from unsuspecting visitors, but the baboon troops mainly stay away from the crowds and are often seen on the side of the road, or on the beach itself

Larger mammals provide a surprise: bontebok antelope are common along the grassy coast but the mighty eland, weighing in at up to 900kg, also occurs in the reserve. Large numbers of eland – sometimes up to 60 individuals – can sometimes be seen in remote grazing pastures. A small herd of Cape mountain zebra can sometimes be seen from quiet roads.

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Boulders Penguin Beach

Boulders Penguin Beach

 

General

Boulders Penguin Colony in the historic Simonstown is home to a unique and endangered land-based colony of African Penguins. This colony is one of only a few in the world, and the site has become famous and a popular international tourist destination.

The Boulders section of Table Mountain National Park consists of 3 pristine beaches, 1 penguin viewing area and 3 boardwalks. The boardwalks were built as a measure to allow for viewing of these wonderful birds, whilst keeping them safe from poking fingers, so please be sure to stay on the boardwalks at all times within the viewing area.  

This beach is ideal for children as immense boulders shelter the cove from currents, wind and large waves – but please always take care. Don’t touch or feed the penguins – they may look cute and cuddly but their beaks are as sharp as razors and if they feel threatened they have no qualms about nipping the odd finger or nose.

Almost 3000 African (jackass) penguins, so called because their call resembles the bray of a donkey, reign supreme amidst rounded rocks and fish-filled False Bay. These endangered, flightless birds are free to roam the seas and return to their private haven – Foxy Beach at Boulders

Boulders Beach is a must visit on the Cape Point Route to be enjoyed with strolling around Simonstown, one of South Africa’s oldest towns and Naval base- hosting museums, quaint shops and eateries

 

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Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

 

General

Flowers and bouquets…wine bouquet that is! We have a wonderful morning or afternoon ambling through the renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, set below the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. With over 3 000 plant species as part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, and exclusively indigenous South African plants, vynbos, proteas and cycads, you’ll love and learn so much as you stroll along the pretty winding pathways which guide one through one of the finest botanical gardens in the world.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is world renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.     

The beautiful world-renowned gardens of Kirstenbosch are situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. Approximately 6 000 species of Southern Africa’s flora are represented, particularly that of the Cape floral kingdom, known as fynbos. There is always something to see whatever the time of year, and you will come across some unusual features as you stroll through the gardens. There is a cycad bush in a cage, the last of its kind left in the world. It has no mate for propagation and needs protection from souvenir hunters.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is world renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.     

The magnificent landscape of Kirstenbosch is also a perfect setting for art. The Garden presents a variety of art exhibitions, both outdoor exhibitions of long and short-term duration, as well as indoor art shows and exhibitions in the various venues at Kirstenbosch

Kirstenbosch Tree Canopy Walkway

The Walkway takes the visitor from the forest floor into and through the trees and bursts out above the canopy, giving spectacular panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains, Garden and Cape Flats.

This walkway is 130 m long, narrow and slender, with a few wider view-point areas, and lightly snakes its way through the canopy, in a discreet, almost invisible way. The walkway is crescent-shaped and takes advantage of the sloping ground; it touches the forest floor in two places, and raises visitors to 12 m above ground. It is more than just a traditional boardwalk – like a snake, it winds and dips. Inspired by a snake skeleton, and informally called ‘The Boomslang‘ (meaning tree snake)

 

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