14 things not to miss in Cape Town

Africa was always in my top travel bucket list. The continent is huge but only handful of countries are safe to visit for tourism. South Africa is undoubtedly the most visited country in Africa. I was planning to visit South Africa for a week during the Chinese New Year holidays. I decided to skip Johanesburg because of the safety reasons. You must visit Johanesburg if you are planning to visit Kurger National Park for Safari. National Parks of Masai Mara and Serengeti National parks are more popular for safari compared to Kurger National park. I was visiting Cape Town for an entire week during my vacation in South Africa. Cathay Pacific also launched direct seasonal flight to Cape Town from Hong Kong and it was very convenient for me. It was a long 14 hours direct flight from Hong Kong but I didn’t complain because I saved lot of time by flying direct.

Capetown is located at the southern Part of South Africa. Cape Town is the second biggest port of South Africa after Durban. The city is also known as Mother city. Cape Town is famous for beautiful Mountain ranges, amazing beaches and unique wildlife. I would strongly recommend to stay near Long Street area of Cape Town. Long street area is located very close to Table Mountain and VA Waterfront. The place is located at a very convenient location and it has a good nightlife. I didn’t have good experience at the hostel I was staying because the lift didn’t work for almost a week during my stay and it was very tough to climb stairs to reach the 6^th floor during the peak African summer. South Africa is located in the southern hemisphere so the country has opposite weather cycle compared to Northern Hamisphere countries. Summer season – December, January & February is the peak tourist season in South Africa. The weather is more unpredictable during the summer season and you might experience heavy rain and very windy days. If you are planning to do surfing or shark cage diving then you should visit Cape Town during winter months starting from June till August. The daylight hours are very short during winter time and it might get very cold at night.

My flight landed at Cape Town at around 8 am. I took My Citi bus from the airport and It took me about 45 minutes to reach Civic Centre. Civic Center is one of the main bus stops of Cape Town and you will find buses to almost all the areas of Cape Town from Civic Center. Civic Center is located near VA waterfront and Long street. You can also purchase My Citi card when in Cape Town because it will be very convenient to travel Cape Town using the card. I purchased MTN sim card with data from the airport and it was enough for 1-week travel. SIM Card is very necessary when traveling in Cape Town because the public transport is not that efficient.

1. Bo- Kaap

Bo- Kaap is a famous Instagram spot in Cape Town. Bo Kaap is known for brightly colored houses. I visited the City Sightseeing website and I came across the free walking tour of Bo- Kaap. I love the walking tours because you just have to pay tip for the tour and you get to meet other tourists during the tour. It was very convenient for me because the tour starts from City Sightseeing office which is located on the Long Street. City Sightseeing offers wide range of tours. You can book tours from the official online website https://www.citysightseeing.co.za/. The tours are very reasonably priced. The free walking tour to Bo-Kaap neighborhood is scheduled three times per day.

Tour Departs – 10.30am, 1.30pm and 4pm (The tour departs from the Long street ticket office) Duration of the tour 90 minutes

Bo-Kaap neighbourgood is located near Signal hill. The direct translation of Bo-Kaap is “above the cape”. Bo-Kaap is one of the most historical neighborgoods of Cape Town. The oldest mosque in South Africa is situated in the Bo-Kaap neighbourgood. Bo- Kaap is dominated by Islamic Malay culture. During the dutch colonial era Cape Malay people were brought from Malaysia, Indonesia to Bo-Kaap region. If you are planning to eat some traditional Malay food then you must visit Bo-Kaap.

Bo-Kaap is located by just 15-minutes walk from the Long street. After walking for 15 minutes we were able to see beautiful colorful houses of Bo-Kaap neighbourgood. The weather was perfect and it was a bright sunny day. Our first stop of the day was Bo-Kaap museum. The museum helped us to experience the living style of Malay people in the early 19^th century. I saw beautiful blend of Malay culture and South African culture after visiting the neighbourgood. We stopped at multiple place for taking photographs. Our guide said that some parts of the neighbourgood is not safe and there has been cases of mugging. I will strongly recommend to visit the place with a guide and stay away from empty lanes. You must visit Biesmiellah restaurant if you are planning to try some authentic Malay cuisine. Our guide was very friendly and he explained lot of things about the history of Bo-Kaap and Cape Town. I decided to stay back at the place for sometime because I wanted to take some Instagram shots.

2. Castle of Good hope

Castle of Good Hope was built in the 17^th century. The castle is located close to VA waterfront and Long street. The Pentagonal shaped castle was built during the dutch colonial era. The castle is open from 9am till 5pm. The entrance fee for the castle is R50. The castle is also famous for cannon firing ceremony

Canon Firing- Mon –Fri (10am|11am|12am)

The Canon Firing was used as a signal to inform people inside the fort about the sighting of a ship. The Key ceremony of the castle is scheduled 2 times a day and it is performed to unlock the Van der Stel entrance of the Castle of Good Hope. I visited the castle for about 2 hours.

It is possible to see the beautiful views of the Table mountain from the roof top of the castle. You can easily spend half day at the castle if you are interested in learning the history of South Africa. The guided tour for the castle is scheduled 5 times a day every day. The guided tour starts from the entrance. You can also buy souvenir from the GIFT shop located inside the castle. 

3. Neighbourgood market

Neighbourgood market is located inside Old Biscuit mill compound. It is a bit tricky if you are coming to the market by using public transport. I was planning to take the bus to the Biscuit mill from the Civic center and the bus was delayed by over an hour. I will strongly recommend to get an UBER if you are coming to the market. UBER is cheap in Cape Town and it is very safe. I used UBER extensively when I was in Cape Town. The market is located far from the town center and the area is not safe. Please avoid walking around the area if you are a tourist.

The market opens only on Saturdays from 9 AM – 3 PM. If you are not visiting Cape Town on Saturdays then you might miss the trip to the market. The market was held for the first time in the year 2006. The market is located at the Old biscuit mill which has a very strong historical significance. It’s a great hangout spot amongst locals and tourists. If you want to try some unique cuisine at an affordable price then you must visit the market. Neighbourgoods market is mecca for food lovers. It’s a great place for music lovers because every Saturday local bands play at the market. The market is usually very crowded on Saturdays. The market is a great weekly meeting point for the community. I will strongly recommend to spend at least 4 hours if you are visiting the market.

4. Robben island

Trip to Robben island shouldn’t be missed if you are visiting Cape Town. Robben island is a UNESCO world heritage site. Robben island is famous for ex-president of South Africa, Mr Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was a Noble peace prize winner and he spent 18 years inside a prison situated on the island. Nelson Mandela was a national hero and he is known all over the world for his considerable amount of effort towards apartheid movement. The island was used as a prison since 17^th century during the Dutch colonial era.

The tours to the island departs VA waterfront at 9 am, 11 am and 1 pm every day. The duration of the tour is 3.5 hours. I would strongly advice to book your tickets if you are visiting the island during summer time because the tickets get sold out easily. The cost of the ticket was R330. You have to bring your id card for Check-in at the ticket center. The ticket price includes round trip guided tour to the island.

The ferry ride to the island took about 45 minutes. The ride was choppy and we were not allowed to visit deck during the sailing time. The view of the Table Mountain was incredible from the boat. I will strongly advice to take a seat at the back end of the boat because you can see the beautiful Table Mountain from the boat and it will be easier for you to get off the boat. Our boat stopped at Murray’s Harbor which is located at the east coast of the island. After arriving on the island our tour guide separated us into different groups and we went inside our allocated bus.

There is not much infrastructure on the island and we entered the prison after 5-minutes bus ride. On our way to the prison we crossed high walls and building compound. Our guide was very knowledge and he told us different stories during the apartheid era. Our first stop of the day was graveyard of people who died from leprosy. We didn’t stop the bus and our guide pointed us towards the Graveyard. More than 100 species of birds can be found on the island and it is a popular place to spot African Penguin. We saw the limestone quarry which was used by prison inmates to break stones. It was a tough job under scorching heat but Mandela was able to transform this tough place into an engaging place.

During our trip on the island we saw Robert Sobukwe’s house and navy bunkers. We stopped at the northern part of the island for 30 minutes. It was a perfect place to take some nice photographs of Table Mountain.  Table Mountain looks different from different parts of Cape Town and the view from Robben island was very unique. I took some amazing shots of the Table Mountain through the beautiful blue frame located near the northern coast of the island.

We visited Nelson Mandela cell towards the last part of our tour Our guide for the prison cell was very knowledgeable and he also spent almost 5 years at the prison during apartheid era. He explained to us about the tough rule of the prison and he also shared his own experience at the prison. South Africa government has done great job in restructuring the prison cells. Overall it was a great informative tour and people interested in knowing about the history of South Africa must join this tour. The return journey to VA waterfront took about 30 minutes. I will strongly recommend to visit the tour at 1 pm because after you return from the tour you can spend your time at VA waterfront.

5. Table Mountain

Table mountain is the symbol of Cape Town and it is the most visited tourist destination of Cape Town. The mountain has a very unique flat topped structure. Table mountain is part of a national park and the park is known for large array of flora and fauna. It is possible to hike to the top of the mountain or you can also take Cable car to the top. It is advisable to go for a guided tour if you are planning to hike the mountain.

It takes about 3 hours to hike to the top of the mountain. There are various trails to the top of the mountain and you can choose the trail based on difficulty. Most tourists take the Cable car to the top of the mountain. It takes about 10 minutes to reach the top of the mountain from the Cable car station. You can take city sightseeing hop on-hop off bus to reach the base of the mountain. The cable car station is located near long street and I strongly recommend to stay near long street because the location is very convenient if you are planning to visit different tourist sites.

The first cable car starts at 8.30 am in the morning and the last cable car from the mountain top leaves at around 6 pm. The return cable car tickets costs R330. Sometimes it is very windy in Cape Town. The Cable Car service is stopped if the windspeed is too high. I booked the cable car on the 2^nd day of my trip but the cable car was closed because of high wind speed. The ticket is usually valid for 7 days. I was finally able to visit the mountain on 4^th day of my trip.

I will strongly recommend to visit the cable car at 8 am. The queue is usually long if you are arriving late. The cable car ride was very unique because it was a revolving cable. We got complete 360 degree view of the surrounding during the cable car ride. After reaching the top I followed marked trail to take amazing shots from different viewing points. There has been lot of accidents on the table mountain trail because of falling rocks. You need to be extremely careful when taking pictures from the Table Mountain because some parts of the Table Mountain is very steep and fall can be fatal.

The view was absolutely outstanding from the top. You get amazing view of Lions head, signal hill and VA waterfront from the top of the mountain. The trail was marked and it covers most part of the mountain. From the other side of the mountain you will get beautiful views of Camps Bay beach and 12 Apostles. I will strongly recommend to visit the mountain before noon because the lighting is perfect for taking some nice shots of Lions Head mountain and Cape Town waterfront. Fortunately the weather was fantastic during my trip and it was not cloudy. Table mountain is 1050 m tall and most of the time the mountain is covered inside thick cloud.

You can easily spend around 3 hours at the top of the mountain. There are cafes at the top of the mountain but it is very expensive. If you like adventure sports then you can always do abseiling from the top of the table mountain. I will recommend to visit the mountain during weekdays. You should definitely avoid public holidays and weekends. Free shuttle bus runs from the public bus stop to the base of the table mountain where the cable car is located. There are direct buses from the Public bus stop locate near Table mountain to Long street and Camps Bay. Overall I rally enjoyed my trip to Table Mountain. You should definitely visit Tables mountain during your trip to Cape Town. Your trip to Cape Town will be incomplete without a visit to Table Mountain.

6. VA Waterfront

VA Waterfront is the most happening place of Cape Town. The harbor is situated on the Atlantic shore towards the southern side and you can see beautiful views of Table mountain towards the northern side of the Waterfront. The waterfront area is famous for high end restaurants and Bar. During my visit to Cape Town I visited VA waterfront every day. Evening time is more preferable if you are visiting VA waterfront. The waterfront was built in the 17^th century by Dutch colonist. You can also take walking tour of the V&A waterfront and can visit beautiful landmarks such as Breakwater Prison ,Battery Museum, Cape Town diamond museum & The clock tower. Watershed is a perfect place if you are planning to shop for Arts & Crafts items. The watershed houses more than 150 small vendors specializing in selling arts and crafts items. I will still consider Greenmarket square as the best place to buy souvenir items because the items sold at Green market Square are much cheaper than the items sold at VA waterfront. The area has been developed by South African government for both residential and commercial purposes.

Regular art exhibitions and workshops are conducted inside the watershed area. Apart from the watershed area you can visit mall inside the V&A waterfront to buy luxury branded clothes. Ocean Aquarium is situated next to V&A waterfront and it is a great place to bring your kids. Cape Town is world renowned place for sailing. If you are traveling as a group, then you can rent a sail boat for a day. Different harbor cruise companies offer cruise tours around the harbor. The duration of the harbor cruise ranges from 30 minutes till 1 day. Nobel Square is the most famous Square inside V&A waterfront. It is a perfect place for people-watching and relaxation. You can always enjoy wonderful music by the local artists at the Noble square. Noble square features bronze statues of Nobel Peace Prize winners from South Africa. You can use the frames situated near V&A waterfront to take beautiful pictures of Table Mountain. The harbor looks stunning at night because of the presence of hundreds of sparkling lights. If you want to see birds eye view of the Waterfront then you must visit the Cape wheel. The Cape Wheel looks beautiful at night because of the stunning lightings. V&A waterfront gets really crowded on Friday and Saturday night. Stand up performances & live bands add to the party atmosphere at the Waterfront on weekends.

7. Capetown historic tour

Cape Town Historic walking tour is a great way to get introduced to the culture and the rich heritance of the beautiful mother city. The free walking tour lasts about 90 minutes and it starts from the City Sightseeing tour office located near the long street. The tour departs five times everyday.

Tour Departs- 10.30am, 12pm, 1.30pm, 3pm and 4pm

We started the tour from the Greenmarket square. Greenmarket square is the best place if you are planning to buy some souvenirs. During the colonial era the market square was used as a slave market. Our guide told us lot of stories during the apartheid era. Non white people were not allowed to sit on the benches marked for the white people.

We spend some time inside Green market square church. The architecture of the church was beautiful and we spent around 30 minutes inside the church.

Our next stop of the walking tour was Company’s garden. Company’s garden park was established in the 17^th century. The park is located near luxury mount nelson hotel and the iconic Company’s Garden restaurant is located inside the compound. Our last stop of the day was city hall where Nelson Mandela gave first speech as a free man. The City Hall is located in front of the public square Grand Parade. Grand Parade is the main public square of Cape Town. City hall hosts different types of art, cultural events, exhibitions and concerts. You can see lots of street performers performing around Grand Parade in the evening time.

8. Visit Signal Hill for sunset

Signal Hill is located next to Lion’s head and it is a flat-topped hill. Lions Head mountain and Signal hill mountains are popular sunset viewing spot of Cape Town. I visited Cape Town during summer time and because of bush fire Lion’s head was closed for almost 1 month. Hike to Lions head was part of my itinerary but unfortunately I couldn’t visit Lions head. Signal hill is a popular place among Paragliders. Flat top Signal hill looks similar to the body of the lion. Signal hill and lion’s head together look like a sleeping lion. Signal hill was used to communicate weather warnings to ships sailing near the harbour.

If you don’t have your own car then you can either visit Signal hill by renting a car or you can take bus tours from V&A waterfront. I will strongly advice to reach the signal hill early so that you can grab your favorite place for sunset viewing. There is parking facility at the top of the mountain. During my visit to the mountain the area was crowded but there was enough place for everyone to enjoy sunset. The sunset view was absolutely breathtaking from the Signal Hill.

There is a Cannon situated at the top of the Signal hill and every day around noon time they fire shot. The sunset was simply the best sunset I have ever seen in my entire life. The weather was amazing and there was no trace of clouds. We were able to see amazing panoramic view of vast ocean and the city. You should spend around 2 hours if you are planning to visit Signal hill for the sunset. During the summer season, wild fire is very frequent around the Table Mountain area because of the presence of lot of dry bush around the area.

9. Capetown Scenic Helicopter tour

You should definitely do the helicopter tour if you are visiting Cape Town. You can book your helicopter tour using the link https://www.citysightseeing.co.za/destinations/cape-town/products/cape-town-helicopters-hopper-scenic-flight. I took the 20 minutes Atlantico Scenic Flight. The cost of the 20 min flight was R1800. Shorter 12 minutes flight costs R1350 but it doesn’t cover some of the most beautiful sights of Cape Town. The cost of the helicopter tour for the entire Southern Peninsula is R4900. The duration of the flight is 50 minutes. The 20 min helicopter flight is the most popular helicopter ride in Capetown. The helipads are located near V&A waterfront.

The price includes free shuttle pick up from your hotels. Afternoon time is probably the best time to do the scenic flight because the position of the sun provides perfect lighting for photography. Each helicopter can carry upto 4 passengers. They allot the seat inside the helicopter based on the weight of the passenger. I was fortunate enough get the front seat of the helicopter. We started the flight on time and initially we started flying towards the sea. After we reached the cruising height the helicopter turned left side and the view was absolute stunning. Table Mountain, Signal Hill, Lions Head & VA waterfront was looking absolutely brilliant from the flight. After crossing the signal hill we reached Camps bay beach. The view of Camps bay beach was absolutely stunning and we saw beautiful view of the 12 Apostles from the flight.

We continued our flight till Hout Bay and on the way to hout bay we passed some beautiful beaches. There was live commentary from the pilot and he was explaining to us about different landmarks and beaches. We crossed Llandudno beach and Sandy beach on the way to Hout Bay. We turned back at Hout Bay and followed the same route to the V&A waterfront. We also saw Robben island from far during our return flight. Since the helicopter follow same return path, passengers sitting on both sides of the helicopters get to witness beautiful views of Cape Town. It was a short 20 minutes ride but you will never forget it for the rest of your life. After your scenic helicopter flight you can spend your evening time at V&A waterfront.

10. Scootours Cape Town

If you are planning to do something exciting during your trip to Cape Town then you should sign up for Scootours. The tour lasts for about 2 hours. It offers unique way to explore Table Mountain and the surrounding areas. You will do downhill biking on two different off-road tracks. The tour starts near the public bus stop situated near the base of the cable car station. They picked us with their truck and transported us to Signal hill. I felt little bit odd because the bike doesn’t have any seat. I initially practiced riding the scooter for around 10 minutes. Our guide was very patient and he told us to go slowly initially. We did the first run from Signal hill to Bo-Kaap. After the first trail run, they again picked us from Bo Kaap and transported us to the base of Table Mountain. For the second run we just followed jeep track from Dead man’s tree till Deer Park. The view of the Lion’s head and Signal hill was spectacular from the Scootourtrip. It’s a perfect activity to take some nice photos of the surrounding area. The scooters are non motorized and you need to know how to balance well in order to ride the scooters. Some parts of the trail are really steep and the scooter picks up speed quickly. The price of the tour was R590. Our guide was very friendly and he was taking some great photos of us during the tour. You have to pay extra R250 if you are planning to purchase your photographs. Overall it was a very unique experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

11. Cape Town Wine Tasting Tour

South Africa is famous for its beautiful vineyards. I booked my wine tasting tour from https://www.citysightseeing.co.za/destinations/cape-town/products/cape-explorer-wine-tour-tasting-full-day-excursion. The bus departs from City Sightseeing office located at V&A waterfront at 9 am. The tour is available three days a week(Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Our first stop of the day was BACKSBERG estate located about 1.5 hours drive from Cape Town. We traveled along the beautiful Atlantic coast of Cape Town. We had a brief 15 minutes photography stop at Kites beach. We left the coastal road and entered the beautiful central highland region of South Africa. After traveling for about 30 minutes we were able to spot huge farms and wine estate. We reached BACKSBERG estate at around 11am.  BACKSBERG wine is an award winning vineyard of South Africa.

We all received a glass of sparkling wine during our visit. We did the cellar tour and understood about the processing of the wine. We also visited wine storage area where they store the wine for ageing. The wine cellar also hosts guest for wedding events. Many locals visit the wine cellar on Saturdays for wine tasting and lunch. We went to the wine tasting area to try 3 different types of wine perfectly paired with chocolate coated candied fruit. The seating area table was huge and it can host 60 people at a time. The table was surrounded by huge wine barrels on both sides.

We finished our tour at around noon time. Our next destination was beautiful small town of Franschhoek. The lunch was not included in the tour and they gave us around 1.5 hours for lunch. Franschhoek town is famous for wine tram. You have to book separate tour if you want to explore the wine tram. Franschhoek is very popular weekend gateway for Cape Town residents. The town is influenced by French culture. You will find French inspired cafes, shops and restaurants  around the town. There is nothing much to do in Franschhoek apart from the vineyard and dining experience.

Our last stop of the day was Vergenoegd vineyard. Our bus drove through impressive Helshoogte pass to picturesque town of Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch Is a bigger town compared to Franschooek. Stellenbosch is also known as “City of Oaks”. We reached the vineyard at around 3.30 pm. It was a hot day in Cape Town but it was very windy. The highlight of the day was duck parade. I was feeling dizzy after drinking wine entire day but I came back to life after watching the Duck parade. Around 1000 ducks ran in unison from one end of the park to another. They all follow a predefined path. It was a memorable moment and I can’t forget it for the rest of my life.

We joined the guided tour of the vineyard and our guide showed us the entire processing of the wine. You can also purchase wine directly from the store located at the cellar. Outside seating area under oak trees was arranged for us. We tasted two different types of wine paired with two different types of cheese. We left the wine cellar at around 4.30 pm and reached V&A waterfront at 5pm.

12. Chapman’s Peak drive

Chapman’s peak drive is located between Hout Bay and Noordhoek in Cape Town. Chapman’s Peak is a mountain situated on the western side of Cape Peninsular. The road is constructed along the beautiful coast of Atlantic Ocean. One side of the road you will find steep mountains and on the other side of the road there is blue ocean. The road is absolutely stunning and you should definitely rent a car to drive along this beautiful stretch of road. The road is narrow and tricky to drive at some places. Chapman’s peak drive was part of my tour to Cape Point Peninsula. There are more than 100 turns on this drive and you need to concentrate really hard while you are driving. The road is also a popular trail among cyclists and bikers.

Chapman’s peak drive starts immediately after Hout Bay. After riding along the beautiful coastal road we stopped for 30 minutes at a viewpoint. The view of Hout Bay was stunning from this place and we were almost 500m above sea level. I took some nice drone shots of the beautiful stretch of the road. Certain sections of the road were under repair so the traffic was moving slowly. Overall we managed to stop at 3 spots for photography. Our professional driver knew the road by heart and he was driving perfectly. The road runs 9 km from Hout Bay to Noordhoek. If you are planning to rent a car then you have to pay toll for a single section or for the entire stretch of the road. The road was constructed in early 20^th century and it took 7 years to build the road. The road was susceptible to lot of wear and tear because it was exposed to harsh wind conditions and heavy rain but the road is really well maintained by the South African Government. The drive is featured in number of popular TV shows and movies.

13. Cape Point Peninsula tour

I booked guided tour to Cape Point Peninsula and the tour duration was about 10 hours. Our guide picked me from my hostel located at Long Street at around 8 am.  Our first stop of the day was Hout Bay. On the way to Hout Bay we crossed many tourist areas like Sea Point, Clifton and Camps Bay. We reached Hout Bay at around 9 am.

We went for the seal island trip and it was exceptional. The tour didn’t include the cost of the trip to sea island. The boat trip costs about R50 and the round trip boat ride takes about 1 hour.  The weather was fantastic for the boat trip and we reached seal island in no time. Seal island is a very small rocky island. There is no soil or beach at the island but the rocky island was full of seals.

I have never seen so many seals at a single location in my entire life. The size of island is only 5 acres but there are more than 50000 seals on this island. We spent around 20 minutes at the island and took some nice shots. Cape Peninsula is a small region but it has two different weather systems. One side of the Cape Peninsula has cold weather and the other side of the peninsula has relatively hot weather. We were crossing the colder part of the peninsula and the sea was very rough. The view was outstanding but the visibility was not that great because it was foggy.

We soon entered the Cape Point and Good Hope Nature reserve. The nature reserve is a protected area where you can find species like Antelope, Zebra & different types of birdlife. We stopped at an Ostrich farm and took some nice photos of Ostrich. If you have a spare day while visiting Cape Town then you must visit Cape Point Ostrich farm.

Our next stop was Cape of Good Hope which is considered as the most South-Western point of Continent Africa. Cape of Good hope is not the southernmost point of Africa continent. Cape Agulhas which is located about 150 km from Cape Point, is the southernmost point of Africa Continent. It is possible to hike from Cape of Good hope till Cape Point lighthouse. You will pass through some beautiful cliffs and beach on the way to the Cape Point lighthouse. Since we were short of time we decided to skip the trail and went to the Cape Point light house via road.

We had almost 2 hours to explore the light house area. The lighthouse is situated 240 m above sea level. The actual lighthouse is located on the top of the hill and you can either take funicular ride or follow the trail to the lighthouse. I decided to take the trail because you will cross number of viewpoints on the way to the lighthouse. The weather was perfect and it was a great day for photography. The lighthouse is located on the top of the hill and the view from the top was absolutely incredible. The view of the Atlantic Ocean was absolutely breathtaking from the light house. On one side of the lighthouse it was beautiful Blue ocean and the other side of the lighthouse it was Cape Peninsula. There was not enough space at the top of the light house and it was very crowded. You will find great place to take some nice shots near the viewpoints located just below the lighthouse.

We left the Cape Point peninsula at around 2 pm and our next stop was Boulder’s beach. We entered the hot weather side of the Cape Peninsula. We went to historical simon’s town village which is a beautiful small coastal town famous for its Victorian architecture. We stopped at Boulder’s beach which is home to vulnerable African Colony. The beach is a protected area and you have to pay a small fee in order to enter the area.

Wooden walkways situated near the beach allows visitors to see the Penguin in their natural habitat. After an hour long drive we reached Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. This was the last stop of our day tour and we spent around 1 hour at the Botanical Garden. Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is a UNESCO world heritage site. We visited different section of the garden and we returned to our respective hotels at around 6pm.

14. Kirstenbosch botanical garden

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden was the last stop during our day trip to Cape Point Peninsula. The botanical garden is located towards the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. The garden is also a starting point of famous Skeleton Gorge trail. A farm land was transformed to a Botanical garden in the early 20^th century. The garden consists of more than 5000 species of plants. If you are interested in knowing about different types of plants then you can easily spend a day at the garden. We visited the garden at around 4 pm and we spent about 2 hours at the garden. Kirstenbosch botanical garden is a UNESCO world Heritage site. An open air theatre is located at the center of the garden and they organize concerts every Sunday evening during summer time. There is a restaurant and a café shop near the entrance of the Botanical garden. The park is divided into different sections such as Fragrance garden, Restio garden, Medicinal garden, Useful plants Garden, Garden of weeds, Peninsula garden and Protea garden. If you are planning to spend more time at the garden the you should definitely take guided tours. The free guided tours are scheduled from the visitor’s center at 11am and 2pm from Monday to Saturday. If you can’t make it for the guided tour then you can always use the audio guides for your tour around the garden. Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden offers great opportunity to spend a day inside beautiful nature.

You can cover the entire Botanical Garden by following the guided walkway path.Our guide for the tour was very knowledgeable and he explained to us about different types of plants around the Botanical garden. The garden also features African stone sculptures garden and bronze animal sculptures garden. The best part of the garden was the Canopy walkway. The views from the canopy walkway was absolutely stunning and if you are an instagrammer then you should spend some time at the bridge. The length of the steel bridge is 130m and it is located above the Arboretum trees. The view of the cape flats and the garden was stunning from the Canopy Walkway. Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is a popular tourist spot in Cape Town. The garden is located about 13 km from city center. You can also visit the garden by taking the Hop-on/Hop-off City Sightseeing bus trip from Long street or V&A waterfront.  Kirstenbosch Garden is a popular picnic spot for Cape Town locals. The entrance fee for the botanical garden is R65. Greenhouse located at the entrance of the Botanical garden exhibits plants from different regions of Africa. You can also purchase plants from Garden Center.

How to Stay Safe in Cape Town

You have to follow basic safety rules if you are visiting Cape Town. I had no issues during my 8 days trip to Cape Town. These are the basic rules you must follow for your safety when traveling in Cape Town

1. Stay near V&A waterfront and long street areas only
2. Avoid walking alone after dark. Always go out with a group if you are traveling at night
3. Avoid carrying large sum of cash and only withdraw cash from ATM situated inside the Bank
4. Don’t wear expensive clothes or Jewelry
5. Don’t fight if you are getting robbed
6. Don’t take random taxi. Try to take public transport wherever possible or take UBER. You can book taxi from your hotel or hostel that should be fine
7. Stay near touristy area and don’t try to explore off tourist destination
8. During summer time the sunset happens at 9.30 pm but the shops are closed at 7.30 pm. Please avoid walking alone after the shops are closed.
9. Avoid staying in Air BNB because most Air BNB are located at inconvenient location
10. Keep your cash inside your money belts and only keep enough cash inside your wallet that you can afford to lose.
11. South Africa is very affordable so avoid carrying your credit cards with you all the time.
12. Be extremely careful of your surroundings and wear bags in such a way that it can’t be snatched easily from you.
13. Avoid drinking too much Alcohol and always stay within a group if you are drinking Alcohol

Cape Town is a popular beach destination of the world. You can check out my blog post about the best beaches of Cape Town here

Top 7 best beaches of Cape Town