A Tour of Cape Town

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 shoreline. One of the highlights in our short stay was the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront which is lined with many good restaurants and shops. We had lunch at an outdoor restaurant and watched the waterfront entertainers juggle, sing, and play instruments. Cape Town is a beautiful city enhanced by mountains overlooking the ocean and beaches. Don't forget to visit Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent his years as a political prisoner.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you are limited on time, a good way to visit the city and decide where you want to go is to take the "Hop-On, Hop-Off" bus that runs along the shore. There are two routes, the Blue Line and the Red Line. There are a number of stands where you can pick up the bus, get off or back on at any time. The stops include The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the District Six Museum, the Gold Museum, the Table Mountain Cableway, Camps Bay, and many other points of interest. Once in Cape Town, the bus company can be reached at 021 511 6000.

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 are friendly and the rooms are large, clean, and comfortable.

The Top of the Ritz restaurant on the 21st floor revolves one full circle every 90 minutes, giving views of Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, historic Robben Island, and the Atlantic a block away.

The hotel is in walking distance of many restaurants and shops within a few blocks. One block away at 233 Main Road is Timeline Internet..best and fastest around.

One suggestion...book this hotel online. The online rates would be considered budget and to book at the hotel or by phone would be considered high end.

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.

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

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, day or night. Dine at an outdoor restaurant and take in the charm of the waterfront harbor. The Two Oceans Aquarium has 300 species of underwater creatures and scuba divers can make arrangements to dive with sharks. If you are looking to shop, you will find whatever you are looking for here. The international stores range from boutiques, art galleries, curio shops, and traditional African art.

All the stores at the V&A Waterfront are open seven days a week until 9pm. There is a lot of parking available and The Waterfront can be reached by many of the busses that pass the area.

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 only example of the species that breed in Africa.

For more information:
Phone: +27 (21) 786 2329
Fax: +27 (21) 786 5786
E-mail: boulders@sanparks.org

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