Wild Rose Travel

Cape Town

September 2018

Oh South Africa – One of my favourite places in the world. Prepare yourself – it’s a long one!

Firstly, why did I love it so much?

• One of the first things that immediately struck me was the “homely feel” of this city. This is one that is hard to explain and has to be experienced. Similarly this feeling probably depends on the person. But for me I didn’t feel out of place, uncomfortable or at all disorientated at any point. Whether this was due to the fact it’s also an English speaking country, the transport was easy to navigate, the locals were super friendly or the fact I met people to explore with almost immediately. But this is one of the only places I have ever felt this way and it was amazing – especially as it was my first solo trip EVER.
• I absolutely love that Cape Town can offer you some of the most stunning beaches in the world, nature reserves AND mountains all around the base of a city. It is amazing, there really is absolutely everything on offer here for everybody – or a complete mix of everything if you get bored of the same environment for too long like I do!
• The beauty – Oh the country itself is just breathtaking. From the coast to the mountains to the deep bush, it is all just amazing. This is a place where you constantly have to keep a reality check and take in just what’s before your eyes.

I spent 5 days in Cape Town during the middle of September 2018. I went to Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa on a volunteering conservation project, however decided I could not visit without stopping in Cape Town first. Therefore I flew out early and spent four nights and five days exploring the city and surrounding areas. Overall, I could have probably spent a day or two longer here, as there were a few things I didn’t see that I would have liked too. However, to include the main attractions, five days is more than long enough with a tight schedule.

The weather was pretty average – some days were nice and warm however it was mostly fairly chilly. Jumper and jeans kind of weather, if you know what I mean! If I were to return I would definitely go back during the summer seasons and re-do Table Mountain and Lion’s Head on a clear day – the views from the top look amazing. If treks are on your itinerary (they should be), the weather is definitely an important factor to consider. Saying this, the weather didn’t totally ruin the experience – the views were still breathtaking, just not perfectly picturesque!

Arriving in Cape Town

I arrived into Cape Town airport around midday and jumped on the bus into the city centre. As mentioned briefly, one thing super easy here is public transport. It makes such a difference when you can navigate your way around a city with no problems at all. There is one station in the centre of the city with all the route links from. Around the city, at just about every bus stop you come across you can find a huge map showing you exactly which bus is needed and when. It is fairly similar to the London tube system, in the sense that you first have to buy a card that you top up in order to pay for your fares (you can do this over the counter in most shops and supermarkets, as well as the stations). Similarly all the routes are done by colour, making it very easy to follow even if you’re not the expert map reader. The airport is only around 20-minutes from the city centre too, so the transfer is super easy (and cheap) overall.

Table Mountain

The day I hiked Table Mountain was unfortunately cloudy, so the views from the top were not the best, however the hike was still 100% worth it. There is also a cable car where you can opt to do either 1 or 2 ways depending on your preference (we opted for the cable car back down). There are multiple routes to the top, varying in difficulty. We took the Platteklip Gorge route, which is the most direct and therefore most popular route. It takes around 2-hours depending on your fitness level. The route overall is straight forward, however it is HARD. It is pretty much a climb. You trek vertically for most of the way. It is pretty much like climbing a hard set of stairs for a couple of hours straight (clambering over rocks kind of stairs..) meaning there is a certain level of basic fitness required. As long as you take a few stops to catch your breath along the way it’s more than doable. The cable car costs £10 for a one way trip – this is also worth doing one way as it is a nice alternative to catch the views on the way down (and much easier on the legs!).

Cape Peninsula Day Tour (9am-5pm)
*Highly recommended* – I booked this tour through Baz Bus before I left for South Africa and it was probably the highlight of the trip. I could not fault any of the services provided – the staff were amazing and it went exactly as according to plan.

Seal Island – Duiker Island

(It’s not actually called this – so if you want to look it up search for Duiker Island). You catch a boat from Hout Bay Harbour, for around half an hour in total. The island is only around 10-minutes off shore. It is essentially a rock just off the cliff edge home to a huge Cape Seal Colony. It is amazing to see, and the seals are bound to put on a show for you. There are hundreds sleeping or swimming around the rocks and the boat. You can’t quite believe your eyes when you see just how many there are in such a small area!

Chapmans Peak Drive

Wow wow wow. Chapmans Peak is a 9km route including 114 curves of rocky coastline. The road is a toll road, of which you can purchase passes from the plaza (for us this was all included in the day trip, therefore if you are doing this route solo be sure to look into further information regarding toll charges). If you want some spectacular views, you need to take this drive! One thing added to my bucket list after this trip is to rent a camper-van, and re-do the whole drive (and much more of South Africa in general). There is so much to see along this coast line, and it is just beautiful. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for whales at all times too! I was amazed at how close they swam to the shore. You can see their tails flipping up out of the water as you cruise a long – one of the most magical experiences to date.

Simonstown – Boulders Bay Beach

This is where you can find the iconic penguin beach. Overall, I wasn’t necessarily disappointed but the whole area is very small. You pay a small entrance fee (also included in the day trip cost) and take a number of wooden paths over the beach and shrubland areas, where you can see the penguins nesting, sleeping or swimming in the sea. It is an amazing sight, as the penguins inhabit this beach naturally. However – I couldn’t help but think this area would have been better off preserved and protected for the penguins, rather than essentially just made into a tourist attraction. Before visiting, I thought it was a lot bigger and less intrusive. Since visiting I would not go back, but would however try and see the penguins (on the surrounding beaches) in a more natural and less intrusive setting

Cape of Good Hope

A rocky headland area within Table Mountain National Park, included on most routes exploring the outskirts of Cape Town. It is definitely worth a visit! As you are exploring the natural landscapes, walking along the rocky cliff tops you can see a range of the animals within the National Park. Most commonly spotted here were baboons, eland, ostrich and rock hyrax.

Whale watching

Another excursion I booked before departing for SA was a kayak trip to watch the whales and dolphins just off the coast of Cape Town itself. However due to bad weather on the day the trip was unfortunately cancelled. However, on my first evening in Cape Town I was sitting in a restaurant eating dinner, overlooking the ocean and you could see the whales out at sea. You would first spot the water shooting out of their blowholes before seeing their huge tails flip out of the water. At sunset this was an amazing sight, and I couldn’t bring myself to stop staring at the sea every evening following! The best time to see the whales is between June and November. They definitely did not disappoint in September that’s for sure!

MoJo Market
MoJo market is a modern, indoor market within SeaPoint, Cape Town. This area is easy to reach on the bus, and definitely worth exploring. This is where you can find an array of shops and markets, just a short walk from the seafront. This is also where there is an open public outdoor swimming pool right on the beach – similar to the iconic pool in Sydney, Australia.

The market itself is where I caught my first sight of whales, whilst eating a chow mein dish from a Chinese food stall within the market. There are food options from anywhere you could possibly imagine, all cooked fresh in front of you. It was definitely a hard decision choosing what to eat!

This is also a perfect place to pick up a few quirky souvenirs, clothes or jewellery etc., for yourself. One of my favourites was a surf shop selling some really cool pieces. If I had space in my backpack I would have definitely picked up more from here.

There is also live music here all the time giving the whole place a really nice vibe, so be sure to check this out!

V&A Waterfront

One of my favourite places in the city is the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Here you can find a huge modern shopping centre, food markets, craft markets, outlet stores, the port, the Cape Wheel, an aquarium, museums and so on. There is plenty to do here to keep you entertained for hours! It is also a good place to visit both at night and during the day. There are things going on 24/7!

One of my favourite areas here has to be the food markets – literally including every food under the sun, from all around the world! Here, I had fresh rice paper spring rolls and they were to die for, followed by an indulgent chocolate brownie from an amazing patisserie stall – YUM.

Bo-Kaap

Bo-Kaap is an area within Cape Town formerly known as the Malay area. This is a former township on the bottom of Signal Hill, previously inhabited by Muslim culture. It is still widely populated therefore it is important to be respectful if you decide to explore this area. It is most famously known for its coloured houses, originally painted as an expression of freedom as they were primarily all painted white. You can hear the sounds of the Mosque as you explore. It is definitely worth a visit if you are nearby, and can easily be explored on foot within an hour max.

Camps Bay

Camps Bay is home to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited. If I were to go back to South Africa, I would extend my trip and spend a few days just relaxing in Camps Bay itself. It is around 45-minutes on a bus outside of Cape Town – made super easy by the bus routes! We went down to the beach around 3pm and stayed for sunset, and then ate dinner in one of the sushi bars over looking the sea. This was by far my favourite evening of the whole trip. Not only is the beach itself amazing but the back-drops are to die for! One side you have the 12 apostles lined up perfectly behind, and on the other you see Lion’s head peak. There is also a natural pool made from the sea, which would be amazing (and extremely busy I can imagine!) in the summer months.

City Walking Tour

Last but not least, be sure to take one of the walking tours the city has to offer if you find yourself with a spare couple of hours (they’re free!). The tours are amazing and SO informative. It is so interesting finding out about the history of the country. There are historical points dotted all over the city. You can even still find benches dotted around with allocated areas for different races. It is crazy to think how far the country has established in such a short period of time. One of the most memorable stories told on the walking tour was the “Purple Paint Story” as I like to call it (otherwise known as the “Purple Rain Protest”). The Purple march was a protest held within the city shortly before the racially segregated elections were held. A police cannon was filled with water and purple dye. This was an intervention used to later identify and arrest members of the protest – fascinating!

There is so much more in Cape Town and South Africa as a whole that I would love to explore – I will definitly be back!