Cape Town, South Africa

Welcome to Cape Town, the capital of South Africa and commonly referred to as the ‘Mother City’ because it was the site of the first European settlement in South Africa.   The city had its origin in 1652 when the Dutch East India Company established a supply station for its ships along the shores beneath Table Mountain.  In 1781 the French arrived to help the Dutch defend the city against a British attack, the French presence brought prosperity and influenced local architecture and culture.  British occupation in the 19th century brought the abolishment of slavery, but not equality.  In 1948 the National Party won on the platform of ‘apartheid’ or racial segregation and in 1950 instituted a policy enforcing racial segregation.  The act brought about many changes in Cape Town’s residential areas as the blacks, Indians and mixed race people were forcibly moved to designated areas outside the city center.  The most famous act of all was the removal of 60,000 people from the District 6 neighborhood, declared as a whites-only area.  Homes were bulldozed and the neighborhood was essentially erased, the land was never developed due to the huge public outcry and remains barren to this day.  Apartheid legislation was repealed in 1991 paving the way for the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994 as the country’s first black president.  It’s hard not to be in awe of his achievements as you learn about the recent history of South Africa.  Today Cape Town is a modern city with high-rise office buildings and pedestrian malls but the legacy of apartheid is very evident with significant differences between the affluent ‘white’ areas and the impoverished townships where 60% of the city’s population lives.

Arriving in South Africa from Zimbabwe was incredibly easy, immigration was fast, no visas, no questions about how long we are staying and no showing a flight out, just a quick perusal of our passport, stamped and we were on our way.  We took an Uber to our apartment in Sea Point and let out a sigh of relief that we are not moving for two weeks, we have our own little place where we can cook our own meals and we have no set plans.  We needed time to rest and get healthy and this was the perfect place to do that.  Our apartment has a wonderful view of Lions Head and the corner of Table Mountain where the cable car station is located, and a small view of the ocean out the side windows.

Our research into Cape Town led us to choose the Sea Point neighborhood for the safety factor but mostly because there is an oceanfront promenade running from Mouille Point to Bantry Bay.  We walked 6 km almost every day enjoying the sights and sounds of the Atlantic ocean, along with the locals out running or walking with their families.  Cape Town has a significant problem with homelessness and it was very evident along the promenade, but the homeless people mind their own business and do not harass anyone.  South Africa has a high crime rate, high poverty and high unemployment and you are warned not to walk around at night but take an Uber, which we did.  The unemployment rate for young jobseekers between 15-24 is 60% and is no doubt one of the many reasons behind the high crime rate.  Our travels around the city revealed high walls, electric fencing and razor wire surrounding many of the buildings.  Not something we are used to coming from Canada with our wide open spaces and overall safety.

One of the most interesting and informative things we did while in Cape Town was take the Hop On Hop Off bus.  We found the commentary during the 2.5 hour blue route loop around the suburbs very informative, highlighting the good and the not so good history of the city.  The scenery was breathtaking as we went through the wealthy Constantia neighborhood, behind Table Mountain all the way out to Hout Bay and back along the coast passing through beachfront communities with their mega-million dollar mansions and back into the city center.

At the end of the blue route tour we walked around the V&A Waterfront, a popular destination featuring modern hotels, over 450 shops and everything from fine dining to casual street food.  We found a lovely harbour front patio for lunch before hopping back on the HoHo bus, this time taking the red route city tour which is about 90 minutes long and includes a 20 min stop at the Table Mountain cable car station.  This route also dropped us off just 2 blocks from our apartment in Sea Point.  We bought a 1 day pass with City Sightseeing for 299 Rand (USD 16.25) each and this was one of the better HoHo bus tours we have taken.

We also signed up for a 2 hour free walking tour of the city center taking us places we would not have walked by ourselves, the tour included City Hall where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech as a free man.  It was interesting to learn the history of the city, the slave trade, apartheid and South Africa’s progress since the abolishment of apartheid more than 30 years ago.

In a stroke of good timing we were able to meet fellow nomads Gretchen and Mike.  We all attended a large group lunch in Kuala Lumpur in December 2023 but never got to talk to each other so we were happy to finally be able to spend time together.  We met for lunch at the Mojo Market in Sea Point, took an all day tour around the Southern Cape region, visited the Oranjezicht City Market, had dinner at the V&A Waterfront and met a fellow traveler for drinks in Hout Bay.  We thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them and realized how much our travel styles and outlook are similar.  We hope to meet them again somewhere in the world.

The 7 hour private tour of the Southern Cape we took with Gretchen and Mike was with Kiff Kombi Tours and we all agreed it was a great day.  Because it was just the 4 of us our day was flexible depending re how long or where we wanted to stop.  Our driver and guide, Andile, did a great job planning the day to avoid the busiest times at the most popular tourist sites and had a lot of information to share with us while we were driving.  Our first experience was the Chapmans Peak Drive, one of the most breathtaking coastal roads in South Africa hugging the cliffs between Hout Bay and Noordhoek.  This 9 km (5.6 mile) road with dramatic twists and turns offers panoramic views of the ocean and mountains.

From there we drove to the Cape Point Lighthouse, perched on the dramatic cliffs of the Cape Peninsula.  It was a steep hike up to the old lighthouse but once at the top we were rewarded with stunning 360 degree views of False Bay, the cliffs and ocean.

From Cape Point it was a short drive to the Cape of Good Hope, a major milestone for sailors navigating the sea route between Europe and the East.  It is often mistakenly considered the southernmost tip of Africa but that honor belongs to Cape Agulhas further to the east.

We stopped beside the ocean for a quick bite of lunch before carrying on to Boulders Beach in Simon Town, renowned for its resident colony of African Penguins, also known as Jackass Penguins due to their distinctive braying calls.  This colony, established in 1982, is one of the few land-based African penguin colonies and is a popular attraction for visitors.  There is a network of boardwalks among the dunes offering various vantage points while minimizing human impact on the penguins’ habitat.  African penguins are classified as endangered so the conservation of this habitat is crucial to protect this adorable species.

We had a brief stop in Kalk Bay, a charming seaside fishing village, to see the fur seals before heading to Muizenberg for a walk along the beach.  Muizenberg is a popular beach known for its iconic row of colorful beach huts, plus it is one of the longest beaches in the Cape Town area at 20 km (12 miles) long.

At the end of our tour we asked Andile to drop us all off at the Oranjezicht City Market, next to the V&A waterfront.  We had not been before, but Gretchen and Mike had been a few days ago and said it was fabulous.  There are over 100 stalls selling fresh produce, clothing, artwork, souvenirs, chocolates, bread, cheese and an area selling cooked food and drinks.  It was a fun place to wander around before having a couple of drinks and few snacks from some of the food vendors.  It was the perfect way to cap off our sightseeing day together.

Our final afternoon/evening in Cape Town was spent walking around the V&A Waterfront and having dinner with Gretchen and Mike.  We promised to keep in touch and look forward to meeting again one day.

The day before leaving Cape Town we picked up our rental car and now we’re off to Wellington and the Western Cape wine region for a couple of weeks…..

 

 

 

 

TRIP TIPS

Our 7 hour private tour with Kiff Kombi Tours cost 2,640 Rand (USD $145) each but it was well worth it to have the van all to ourselves and modify the plans as we felt like, plus it included all the entrance fees which many tour operators do not.