Explore the african surroundings
Cape Town is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, being blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and world class facilities. Centrally located on the world map, Cape Town can be reached from Europe and America with ease and the city centre is easily within reach from Cape Town International airport.
Shoppers Paradise
From one of the most celebrated shopping venues in the world to international and local designer boutiques, jewellery showrooms, art galleries, craft and lifestyle stores. You'll find something that caters for any taste or style at the V&A Waterfront or at one of the many shops that open their doors in the surrounding Cape Town area.
V&A Waterfront
On the doorstep of Cape Grace, the V&A Waterfront offers cosmopolitan cuisine, boating excursions, boutiques, two cinema complexes, the Two Oceans Aquarium and bustling arts and crafts centres. There is also an amphitheatre offering music concerts in the summer.
» Table Mountain National Park and Cape of
Cape Point is situated in the southern section of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) and is accessible via the Cape of Good Hope entrance. The Cape of Good Hope itself is located at 34°21’29"S, 18°28’19"E. It is on the southwest corner of the Cape Peninsula, about 2.3km (1.4mi) west and a little south of Cape Point.
The TMNP encompasses the incredibly scenic Table Mountain Chain, which stretches from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south, as well as the seas and coastlines of the Peninsula. The narrow stretch of land, with its beautiful valleys, bays and beaches, is surrounded by the cold Atlantic Ocean to the west and the warmer waters of False Bay and the Indian Ocean to the east. Two prominent global landmarks lie within the park’s boundaries: the majestic Table Mountain and legendary Cape of Good Hope.
The park is recognised globally for its extraordinarily rich, diverse and unique fauna and flora. With its rugged cliffs, steep slopes and sandy flats, the TMNP is a truly remarkable natural, scenic, historical, cultural and recreational asset. Nowhere else in the world does an area of such spectacular beauty and rich biodiversity exist almost entirely within a metropolitan area: the thriving and cosmopolitan city of Cape Town.
The TMNP also forms part of the Cape Floral Region, a World Heritage Site comprising eight protected areas and covering 553 000ha. The Cape Floral Region is one of the richest in the world. It encompasses less than half a percent of Africa, but is home to nearly 20% of the continent’s flora.
South Africa's wine regions
South African wine is equal to the best in the world, and the many wineries – mostly relatively close to Cape Town – are well geared up for tasting tours, wine sales and international deliveries. Most also have other attractions, such as cheese making, olives, horse trails, wagon rides, picnics or a restaurant. Some have evolved into huge multi-purpose centres with theatres, guest houses or hotels, a fleet of restaurants and possibly even a golf course.
There are 15 official wine routes, but many estates that are worth visiting are not members. Remember a “wine route” is just a marketing tool, albeit a very effective one. There are so many wineries to choose from you’d be forgiven for just throwing your hands up in confusion. But it’s worth the trouble so, if you’re confused, buy a good wine guide or do a guided tour.
Stellenbosch was the first official wine route, and it is still the most popular, easily accessible, and varied. Close to Stellenbosch and flowing easily into it are the Paarl, Franschhoek and Helderberg Wine Routes. Between these three there are so many wineries you’ll be dazzled.
The lesser known routes may not have quite the variety and history but they do all have something special. Durbanville is possibly a bit of a Cinderella route, but it’s closer to Cape Town, is less crowded and rushed than the big four and offers excellent value for money.
The Constantia Wine Route is situated in Cape Town’s southern suburbs and, although it has only four wineries, they are all beautiful estates with fascinating histories and excellent wines – but they’re not exactly the place for bargain hunting, as prices are very high.
Robertson, Wellington, Worcester, Tulbagh and the Swartland are just on the fringes of the main Winelands and produce great wines but they’re a bit further afield and don’t market quite as successfully. This means that, as a rule, they are quieter, less hassled and offer good value for money.
The Walker Bay Wine Route cashes in on the fabulous marketing potential of southern right whales but it’s not just hype. This very southerly, slightly marine-influenced region produces really worthwhile wines for which they’re not afraid to ask good prices.
All of the above could be done as day trips from Cape Town, although it would be less hassle and less driving if you were staying closer by. But there are also some very worthwhile wine areas that are not in easy day trip distance of Cape Town. They tend to be a bit less user-friendly in terms of organisation and infrastructure but this is made up for by genuine friendliness, once you’ve survived the journey to get there, and excellent value for money.
The Klein Karoo Wine Route covers a huge area, stretching from Montagu in the west, and becoming less fashionable as you move towards de Rust in the east. But don’t be fooled into thinking that means sub-standard wine. This area produces a good quantity of fortified wines but has also started muscling in on the medals with some robust reds and characterful whites.
Calitzdorp, just west of Oudtshoorn, is renowned for its port production and holds a port festival every July. It’s worth popping over the Outeniqua Mountains for a tasting tour if you’re staying on the Garden Route.
The Olifants River Wine Route, situated between the West Coast and the Cederberg, is also producing great wines, but the distances between wineries are pretty significant. It’s a very laid back part of the country, and – in spring – there are wonderful flowers and huge groves of orange blossom.
Far to the north, the Orange River Wine Route produces some worthwhile wines on the banks of the river, where a combination of intensive irrigation and 360 days of sunshine a year produce mostly sweeter varietals.
» Cage diving with great white sharks
Go cage diving with great white sharks in the aptly named "Shark Alley", near the fishing
Sharks are quite possibly the world's most feared animals. From the smallest sand shark to the enormous whale shark, they are sleek, muscled, and some are almost as agile as a dolphin. There is no doubt that they are the most evolved predators in the ocean. Row upon row of teeth and capable of sensing the blood of an injured animal from over a kilometre away, its not surprising that they are the most feared creature beneath the waves. And of them all, the Great White is the most awesome.