Cape Town and the winelands

Sir Francis Drake referred to the Cape of Good Hope as the fairest cape of them all. It is a good bet that he was influenced by the magnificent Table Mountain, which dominates the Cape Town skyline. Ascending the mountain, whether by cable car or on foot, is an absolute must and should be a first priority as soon as weather conditions permit.

A visit to the nearby wine lands is also a must even if you do not enjoy wine. The estates are beautifully located; many with impressive Cape Dutch-style gabled houses. Many have good restaurants and picnic facilities. Entry is mostly free although most charge for tours and tasting.

A visit to Robben Island, the historic prison where many anti-apartheid leaders were imprisoned, is usually high on the priority list for most visitors. Cape Town is the oldest city in South Africa and many historically significant buildings from the Dutch and British colonial eras survived.

For those not interested in local history there are magnificent views, abundant flora and even penguins to observe. Food and nightlife are generally good in Cape Town but do take safety precautions especially after dark.

Quick Tips:

Although Cape Town have excellent hotels of international quality, I strongly recommend staying in guesthouses - they offer superb value, hospitable personnel and probably more space and luxury than most hotels. Try the Portfolio Collection - all properties are frequently inspected and of high standard. Many others non-members have excellent facilities but you never have to wonder whether the real thing will equal the web page when you use the Portfolio Collection. Staying in the nearby wine lands is an attractive option if you do no intent to sample Cape Town’s nightlife too often.

Violent crime, including murder, rape, gang rape and car jacking, unfortunately remains a serious problem in South Africa. It is wise not to resist as any attacker may be armed with knives or guns. Although most tourists never see any crime it is wise to be careful especially at night. Downtown use to be very unsafe but recent police action seems to have cleared it up a bit. Rural towns are often much safer but still be vigilant. South Africans are generally very hospitable so do not suspect every attempt to assist you as an attempt to cheat you either.

Best Way To Get Around:

Renting a car is probably the easiest way to get around, especially if you want to tour the beautiful surrounding areas. Public transport in Cape Town is much better than in other South African cities but still not very useful to many tourism destinations. Use only hotel or telephone taxis - minibus taxis are not recommended or safe for tourists.

It is best to arrive during daytime as the airport is in an unsafe shanty town area - the road is OK but you don’t want to get lost or take the wrong turn off here. Arrange transportation to you accommodation prior to arrival - most guesthouses and hotels offer such service.

It is a good idea to discus your plans and routes with your host prior to setting out - some roads are not safe to use, while others are OK to drive on but not to stop on. South Africans tend to drive fast and aggressively - speed cameras are often used and the car rental company will gladly forward the fine to your credit card company and charge an administrative fee on top it!

"Ah, shame!" in South Africa means "how cute!" in most other places!

Boschendal, near Pniel on the road from Stellenbosch to Franschoek, is a favored destination of many a visitor to the Western Cape. This wine estate has it all - location, history, excellent wine and superb food.

Boschendal dates back to 1685 when the farmland was granted to a French Huguenot. The current Cape Dutch main house dates from 1812 and is open to visitors at a minimal charge. The house has exhibitions of period furniture, porcelain and silver. The farm once belonged to Cecil John Rhodes - probably most famous in the USA for the Rhodes scholarships to Oxford - but is currently controlled by Anglo American Corporation ensuring excellent management and adequate capitalization.

Entering this vast estate it is hard not to be impressed by the vast lawns and shady trees that precede the even more impressive white buildings. Picnics are allowed on the lawn during summer months (November to April) and deluxe hampers are available - prior reservations required. Light informal lunches are available at Le Café - no reservations possible. Wine tasting is offered in the Taphuis, which has outdoor seating during summer. One-hour vineyard tours are available from November to April - bookings essential.

However, the best is the formal buffet lunch offered in the Boschendal Restaurant - bookings essential. The range of food on offer is impressive and the taste excellent. The lunch is considered very pricey by South African standards and very few of the vast number of visitors you may encounter at the estate will be heading to this restaurant. However, given the current exchange rate the lunch at R 135 (or $ 11) is excellent value, especially if you bear in mind that dinner won’t be required. If you are worried about your waistline it may be better to stay away.

The style is buffet so you can load your plate as many times a you want to. I recommend trying as many dishes as possible as it can be surprisingly difficult to find traditional Cape cuisine at the more touristy and modern areas of Cape Town. All dishes have labels but feel free to ask the waiters for more explanations if you need to. Definitely try the bobotie, a flavorful meatloaf kind of dish with Indonesian heritage. It is surprisingly easy to prepare so try to get a recipe while in the Cape or search the Internet and impress friends and family at a post-visit dinner. Save space for the desserts - they have a decent spread. You sometimes get a copy of a dessert recipe as a souvenir.

Wine is not included in the price of the lunch but is available by the glass so it is easy to try a variety.

The dress code is informal but classy - no sneakers, t-shirts or shorts. They are also particular about the time - sherry from 12:15, lunch from 12:30 and you must be seated before 13:30.

Reservations can be made via email or telephone.

Table Mountain is probably the most instantly recognizable mountain in the world - you can confuse Mt. Fuji with half a dozen other volcanoes, Mt Blanc with a couple of other Alpine peaks and Mt. Everest with various other Himalayan summits, but Table Mountain with its flat top is unique. Although only 1,086 meters high, it raises seemingly from nowhere and almost vertical to its flat top.

The views from the top are spectacular and the easiest way since 1929 has been to use the cable car. The current cars date from 1997 and car makes a 360-degree turn going up so there is no need to push for the best viewpoints. Check the website for times, prices (less than $10) and directions.

It is also not particularly difficult to climb the mountain. There are various routes ranging from not much more than walking to pure rock climbing. The fastest route from the back of the mountain takes just more than an hour. A favorite route from the front is up Platteklip Gorge, where the mountain seems to be split in two. This route takes about two hours and was the route taken for the first recorded ascent of the mountain in 1503. Weather conditions change rapidly so it is important to be prepared for bad weather even on a seemingly calm sunny day.

Botanists will be impressed by the more than 1400 species of plants on the mountain - many unique to the Western Cape. Fauna is more limited with the most famous being dassies, small hamster like animals whose closest relative is the somewhat heavier African elephant.

On the mountain at the Upper Cable Car station is a restaurant / souvenir shop but it is more interesting to take your own picnic lunch and enjoy it away form the crowds. In summer it is most popular to go up in the late afternoon and watch the sun set into the Atlantic Ocean. Postcards mailed at the top is franked with a special mark. The highest point, Maclear’s Beacon can be reached in a 45 min walk from the station.

Table Mountain is often covered by clouds - referred to as its tablecloth. There is an old Dutch legend from colonial times describing the source of the clouds as a smoking competition between an old man and the devil. (The adjacent mountain to the left is known as Devil’s Peak.) However, according to meteorologists conditions in the region causes moisture to condense into clouds above 900 meter and evaporate below 900 meter and Table Mountain being just over a kilometer high gets caught up in the action. The tablecloth is a magnificent sight as well, but only if you actually managed to have seen the clear mountain as well. The cloud cover can last for weeks, especially in summer, so it is prudent to take photos of the mountain and get thee to the top at the earliest opportunity!

Wine production in the Cape started soon after the Dutch established a colony in 1652. The wine was generally of a bad standard but improved considerably after the arrival of French Huguenots fleeing prosecution in France. Today South Africa produces some excellent wines, many of world-class standard and due to the current weak currency mostly available at very reasonable prices. The best wines are exported to especially the UK and Germany.

Most wine estates are within easy driving distance from Cape Town and many are open to the public for free and without prior reservations. Most offer wine tasting at a minimal charge. The larger estates offer guided tours - often in several European languages (reservations are normally needed, especially for non-English tours). In addition many estates have restaurants, souvenir shops and picnic areas. Most have picturesque locations and many have Cape Dutch style homesteads.

Consider trying some South African wine available locally before touring South Africa and then visit the estates of the wine you enjoyed. One of the most impressive estates is Boschendal with not only excellent wines but also beautiful Cape Dutch style buildings and one of the best buffet lunches imaginable. Groot Constantia, which is in Cape Town proper, has the largest homestead but has become a bit of a tourist trap but still worth seeing though. Nederburg in Paarl is one of the largest producers and exporters of wine. Drive up the kilometer long pine lined driveway of Neethlingshof near Stellenbosch, even if you do not intend actually visiting there. It is a grand avenue and the theme is repeated on their wine labels.

The Kaapse Wynmakersvereniging, KWV, is the largest wine producers' cooperative in the world and exists mainly to produce wine for the export market. It is worth visiting the KWV head quarters in Paarl for a guided tour of the impressive facilities conducted by knowledgeable guides (reservations needed). The KWV produces not only wine but also very good brandy, port and sherry - even though the latter names may not be used for legal reasons. Your guide will explain the processes involved and you will see literally thousands of casks ranging from modern stainless steel to ancient oak. Included in the tour is the largest wooden cask in use in the world. Wine tasting follows after the tour.

Maps of the various Wine Routes are available from tourist information offices and hotels. Appoint a designated driver as drinking under the influence is a serious offense in South Africa with fines up to $ 2000 and prison terms possible. The legal limit is 0,08 and often strictly enforced with spot breathalyzer tests.

It is often possible to stay on a working wine farm - check the guesthouses and Bed & Breakfast options available in the Western Cape. Personally I much rather stay in winelands than in Cape Town itself.

Boulders Beach (Simon’s Town)

Just south of Cape Town in Simon’s Town is one of only two spots on the African continent where penguins can be seen in their natural habitat. About a kilometer south of the main center of town is the turn off for Boulders Beach, some of the signs have graphics of penguins to make it impossible to miss.

The small Boulders Coastal Park is a fenced off part of the beach where jackass penguins breed. A R4 ($ 0.25) entrance fee is charged, although entry is free during quiet times when there is no park official present. The penguins pay little attention to the visitors although they have sharp beaks and a peck can be painful. They are not very large - about knee high for an adult. You can get pretty close to their rather untidy nests and they will stride right pass you on their way to and from the ocean without giving you as much as a second glance. However, don’t disturb them - South Africans take wildlife protection very seriously and you can receive a fine if you willfully chase them. (For smaller children the punishment is more likely to be just a painful peck!)

Amazingly the colony of penguins only arrived at Boulders in 1985. Previously penguins were only breeding on islands off the coast. The real name of the penguins is African Penguins or (Sphenicus demersis) but they are commonly called jackass penguins as they make a noise like a baying donkey. Their baying noise, the smell of their guano as well as the number of visitors they attract have limited appeal for the local property owners but visitors simply adore these rather formal looking birds.

The African Penguins are on the "vulnerable" list - one step above "endangered". The colony in Boulders is actually increasing in seize but oil spills from frequent tanker accidents in the treacherous and often stormy seas of the Cape can easily decimate a whole colony of coastal birds.

The other place in South Africa where penguins can be seen on the continent itself is at Betty’s Bay, on the coastal road from Strand to Hermanus. The colony is fenced off and you really need binoculars to see the birds here. However, the coast is rugged, especially once you are past Gordon’s Bay, and the inland area full of rocks and very little vegetation. This make the coastal road a more scenic option than the National Highway No 2 to get to Hermanus, which is famous for its whale watching opportunities. The town actually employs a whale crier to announce when and where the whales can best be spotted. Whale watching is most successful from July to early summer when the southern right whales make their appearance close to the coast.

Cape Town and environs offer several scenic drives but none are better than a drive down the peninsula along the Atlantic coast.

From the Waterfront area take the M6 or Beach Road (which will eventually change into Victoria Road) towards Sea Point. When the high-rise apartment buildings and hotels change into massive houses you’ve entered the exclusive Bantry Bay and Clifton areas. Here are some of the most expensive coastal properties in South Africa. Public parking is limited but there is public access to the four Clifton beaches. These are the beaches to be seen at and as the water is pretty cold year round swimming is mostly restricted to foreign visitors.

The next neighborhood is Camps Bay, which has a fairly large beach with easy access. From here to the next town, Llandudno, the area is less inhabited and the coast more rugged. Several shipwrecks can still be seen at low tide including the Antopolis and Romelia which ran aground in 1977. Most maps will list these as well as numerous other wrecks that littered the Cape coast as a reminder that the Portuguese sailors originally named this area Cape of Storms but that the name was changed for political reasons to Cape of Good Hope.

After Llandudno the road turns briefly inland until you reach the picturesque village of Hout Bay. It is worth spending some time here and is a nice place to stop for lunch or a drink. It is also a pleasant place to stay in if you prefer not to stay in Cape Town itself.

South of Hout Bay is Chapman’s Peak drive, one of the world’s most scenic coastal routes - think Highway 1, Big Sur compacted into about 10 km. The views are spectacular. Sometimes whales can be seen. Chapman’s Peak was severely damaged by storms in 1999 but parts of it have been open and it's worth the drive. The complete road should re-open during 2002.

The M6 eventually lead to the M4, which will take you to Simon’s Town - see the penguins - and eventually the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The main attraction in this nature reserve is Cape Point, which is the southern most point of the Cape Peninsula. From this scenic cape it is possible to see the sea in two colors, which led to controversy: do you see two oceans as local souvenir shops claim or just two currents? The real southern most point of Africa is at Cape Agulhas, several hundred kilometers to the east, not particularly picturesque and way off the beaten track. So is the real meeting of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans here or at Cape Point? What is certain is that the green and blue seas you see at Cape Point is the meeting of the warm Agulhas and cold Benguela currents, but whether that is also the meeting of two oceans is open for debate.