A Tour of Cape Town

Overview

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Cape Town is a beautiful coastal city with museums, shopping, and a history that affected the world. It is famous for its harbor and well-known landmarks such as Table Mountain, Robben Island, and Cape Point. Table Mountain rises above the city and divides it into different zones and the Atlantic meets the shoreline with a crashing of waves at the beach and rocks edge. It is considered one of the world's most beautiful cities because of the geography.I was with a group tour so we only had one full day before and one day after our month long tour through Southern Africa to explore this amazing city. Quick Tips: We stayed in Seapoint, a great place to walk along the shorelin...Read More

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Ritz Hotel

Hotel

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The Ritz Hotel is within a few blocks of beaches and the popular Sea Point walkway. We had arrived late at night but the following morning sunshine entered our 16th floor window and woke us up with much more exciting views of the city than looking into the darkness the night before through our tired eyes. We could see a nice pool and Jacuzzi below and a city that is bathed in a golden glow. The ocean is just beyond our hotel and the waves are crashing against the rocks. Sea gulls are darting back and forth. The pooldeck adjoins a terrace and Cafe Biar Ritz. The hotel serves a buffet breakfast filled with breads, fresh fruit, eggs, cereals, and meats. A perfect way to start the day. The staff&n...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on June 20, 2007

Ritz Hotel
Cnr Main & Camberwell Roads

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Africa Cafe

Restaurant | "The Africa Cafe"

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Take a journey through the African continent with samples of food from each country. You will be served finger foods sold at roadside stands in Malawi, crisp rice patties stuffed with shrimp and garlic from Mozambique, a chicken groundnut stew from Ghana, a Moroccan Lamb Stew, and much more.

You can eat as much as you want and ask for seconds on the dishes you like most. All African meals are shared. There are no starters or main courses. The server will pile your plate with a feast of dishes that celebrate the tastes of each country.

You will be entertained with drumming as you eat and an African Beer to top off the night.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on June 19, 2007

Africa Cafe
108 Shortmarket St.
Cape Town, South Africa 8001
+27 (21) 422-0221

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Robben Island

Story/Tip

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The Gateway to Robben Island is at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The building is three floors and houses an auditorium, museum, and exhibitions that reflect the history of Robben Island. The tours are 3-4 hours long and include the maximum security prison, the prison house of Robert Sobukwe, the lime quarry, leper graveyard and the commissioner's residence, which is now a guest house. We caught the boat to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life. The island sits in Table Bay and was once a leper colony and an insane asylum. Robben Island became famous during apartheid years when it was known for its institutional brutality of political prisoners in South Africa ...Read More

The Gateway to Robben Island is at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. The building is three floors and houses an auditorium, museum, and exhibitions that reflect the history of Robben Island. The tours are 3-4 hours long and include the maximum security prison, the prison house of Robert Sobukwe, the lime quarry, leper graveyard and the commissioner's residence, which is now a guest house.

We caught the boat to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life. The island sits in Table Bay and was once a leper colony and an insane asylum. Robben Island became famous during apartheid years when it was known for its institutional brutality of political prisoners in South Africa and Namibia. It is now a World Heritage Site. We first took a bus tour around the island. I was surprised to find people actually living there and that they had built a school and church for the families. Some of these people were ex-prisoners. Our guide was an ex-inmate of the prison. He was arrested when he was 17 years old for recruiting people into the ANC. Considered a political prisoner, he was beaten, starved, and alienated from his family for seven years of his life. He took us through the B Section of the maximum security prison where we viewed Nelson Mandelas cell…a small cubicle with a bed on the floor and a pot for his toilet. There was nothing else. This section held many leaders from different groups who were isolated from the other prisoners. Their shoes were taken away and they had no jackets. Our guide said when he was a prisoner he had misplaced his toothbrush and for that he spent 30 days in solitary confinement with nothing but one cup of foul tasting porridge each day. The name of the game was humiliation…your identity was taken and you were put to work in a quarry where the living conditions were beyond comprehension. After apartheid, the last political prisoners were released in 1991. Nelson Mandela left Robben Island to lead South Africa to democracy and to teach a message of tolerance, reconciliation, and hope for the future that affected the world.

Reservations are a must...sometimes they are booked a week in advance. For advanced reservations:
Phone: +27 (21) 413-4200
Fax: + 27 (21) 419-1057
E Mail: bookings@robben-island.org.za Read Less

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Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

Story/Tip

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The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is situated between Robben Island and Table Mountain and has become South Africa's most visited destination. A variety of shops, restaurants, and entertainment line the walkways. Cape Town's harbor started developing the Waterfront in 1988. There are many historic buildings such as the Clock Tower, which was originally the port captains office. The Nelson Mandela Gateway and museum is near the Clock Tower and the boat ride to Robben Island. There are more than 300 speciality stores, craft markets,and over 70 restaurants and coffee shops. There are also seven hotels and conference facilities within the Waterfront. It is one of the most popular places to walk along, ...Read More

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Boulders Beach (Penguin Colony)

Attraction | "Boulders Beach"

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Boulders Beach is located near Simons Town and is known for its Jackass Penguin Colony. Part of the Table Mountain National Park, the penguins survive in a protected natural environment of beaches sheltered from the wind. The colony averages around 3000, and you can view them at close range. Constructed boardwalks take visitors within a few feet of the penguins. The African penguin is a very vulnerable species so you should be careful to avoid nesting areas. You ask why they are called Jackass Penguins? They make a donkey-like braying call that sounds just like the four footed mammal. Several species of South African Penguins make the same sound so the official name is African Penguins. They are the o...Read More

Boulders Beach (Penguin Colony)
4 Boulders Place Simon's Town
Cape Town, South Africa
+27 (21) 786 1758

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Cape of Good Hope

Story/Tip

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Cape of Good Hope is part of the Table Mountain National Park and a major part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom. There are over 100 species of indigenous plants and a few that can be found nowhere else on earth. The Cape is situated at the junction of the cold Benguela current on the west coast and the warm Agulhas current on the east coast. Cape of Good Hope was declared a nature reserve in 1938 and became a national park in 1998. It covers 20 acres of varied flora and fauna and includes 25 miles of coastline. Known as “The Cape of Storms,” shipwrecks dot the shore with stories of its treacherous waters and historic trade routes. A lighthouse sits at the end of the trail to Cape Point, on top of one o...Read More

Cape of Good Hope is part of the Table Mountain National Park and a major part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom. There are over 100 species of indigenous plants and a few that can be found nowhere else on earth. The Cape is situated at the junction of the cold Benguela current on the west coast and the warm Agulhas current on the east coast. Cape of Good Hope was declared a nature reserve in 1938 and became a national park in 1998. It covers 20 acres of varied flora and fauna and includes 25 miles of coastline. Known as “The Cape of Storms,” shipwrecks dot the shore with stories of its treacherous waters and historic trade routes. A lighthouse sits at the end of the trail to Cape Point, on top of one of the highest protrusions of rock along the coast. The Cape was first seen by Diaz in 1488 when he sailed around it in search for a route to the East Indies. There are hiking trails within the park and we hiked a scenic trail along the coast where we walked through a mist giving us peeks of water crashing against the shoreline and onto fine sand beaches. The end of our hike was spent on the beach having a picnic.

Chacma Baboon can be found in the Cape and are the only protected species of this kind in Africa. They live on fruits, roots, honey, insects, and scorpions. They can be seen on the beaches at low tide feeding on sand hoppers and shellfish. When visiting the park, don’t forget that baboons are wild animals. Do not feed them or display food when they are around. Move slowly away if one approaches you. They can be dangerous. There are at least 250 species of birds in the Cape. When flowers are in bloom, you will see a number of sunbirds, sugar birds, and other species in search of nectar. Small mammals include Rock Hyrax, Striped Mouse, Water Mongoose and Cape Clawless Otter.

The Park is open during the summer 6am to 6pm and during the winter from 7am to 5pm. Phone: +27 21 701 8692
Fax: +27 21 701 8773
E Mail: tablemountain@sanparks.org
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Cape Town Journals

A Tour of Cape Town