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We made it to Cape Town!
Southern Africa was a trip we had talked about for quite a while!  Trisha had never visited Africa - so we definitely wanted to check that off.  Her cousin, Ravi, was living in Botswana and had maybe 1 more year there, so we were hopeful to visit while he was still there to hang out with and help show us around.  Not to mention there were 3 things from our Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel Coloring Book to see! (Always a bonus).  We talked about the trip for most of the year, but getting the flights booked was complicated because of logistics and schedules and fares flying between locations (LA, Cape Town, Gabarone, Kasane).  Thankfully we finally got it all booked a month before the departure date!  You can read about all the crazy scheduling in the Botswana blog...unbelievable that it all worked out without a hitch! 

This blog shares our adventures from Cape Town - a really great city that we knew extremely little about.  Sometimes the best way to dive into a city!  We had 2 full days there but definitely could have used at least 1 more day to explore further.  Next time!
Be ready for a LONG flight!  We flew Los Angeles, CA to Denver, CO, to Frankfurt, Germany (where we had a 12 hour layover).  Then it was nearly 12 hours to Cape Town, South Africa on an overnight flight.  FYI - this Sleepy Ride Footrest was a lifesaver - buy one for your next long trip.  

For our Frankfurt, Germany layover  - Click Here

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On our way to Cape Town...
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Sleep Ride Footrest - get one!

Out and About in Cape Town

So we've become "minimal planners" on our trips.  Book the necessities - flights and hotels and anything else that requires an advanced reservation (e.g. might sell out).  From there we research a bit to know what our must see items are and roughly think through how we make an effort to see those first.  The rest...we figure out as we go.  And don't forget to talk to people as you go...the locals often have great tips and if you've planned too tightly, you don't have room to fit in their last minute suggestions.  

Our tip for Cape Town is that the weather is the ultimate deciding factor!  The day we arrived it was crazy windy - we heard most things were shut down the prior day with near hurricane force winds.  If it's rainy and really windy, the Cape Peninsula sights will prove difficult and unpleasant.  And if it's cloudy you can't see anything from the top of Table Mountain, let alone if it's too windy - they might shut down the cable cars all together.  Upon arriving at our hotel the first day we had two major things on our list.  1) Get a driver to take us down to the southern most tip of the Cape, 2) Take the cable car up to Table Mountain.  We spoke with the concierge and other locals to get a sense of what day was best to do what items.  Based on the weather forecast for our days in Cape Town, we decided the first day was a Cape Peninsula tour and the second day was an attempt at Table Mountain; plus some local sight seeing.  

Local tip: Per our concierge - you can book your table mountain cable car tickets online, but don't do so until the morning of, just to make sure they are running.  Check out this website first thing in the morning, which will give you current weather and cable car status. Or throughout the day...if its closed in the morning, it might open up later when weather improves.  
V&A Waterfront
  • Visiting the V&A Waterfront is an absolute must!  Great place to walk around, pop in and out of the various shops, grab a drink or a great meal while sitting at a table overlooking the water.  The general vibe of the area really gets you in the "African spirit" as you walk along watching the various performers and listening to the musicians plays tunes that swirl through your head the rest of the trip.  
  • Make sure to find the 7th wonder photo op (the yellow frame in the top blog photo).  There might be a line waiting to take photos, but it moves quickly.  We lucked out on a clear day to see Table Mountain behind us!  
  • The African Trading Port Store was a great find - endless rooms of souvenirs fun to browse.  We often like to get a taste of the popular souvenirs on day 1 (e.g. the items we repeatedly see in the stores) and then towards the last day of a trip we finally make a decision on what to buy.  Sometimes works great, and other times makes for a rushed shopping trip on the last day!  
  • Other things on our quick visit before the sun set - we popped in Robbins Island museum to read through some of the history, we saw the gigantic penguin, and of course admired the ferris wheel!  We lucked out with some beautiful end of day light to take photos.
**On mobile device, click any photo to enter gallery with captions
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V&A Waterfront at dusk
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V&A Waterfront sunset
A day trip around Cape Peninsula
  • The concierge booked a private guide for our day trip (note, we didn't have any issue booking this the afternoon before) and the guide met us at the hotel in the morning.  We sat down with her and roughly planned out our day to hit the highlights and off we went for an 8 hour private tour.  Trust us...this is definitely the way to get the most out of limited Cape Town days (and not much more expensive than a group tour).  Our guide - Anita - was absolutely fabulous!!  Having grown up in Cape Town the wealth of additional history and interesting tidbits she shared with us really made the trip extra special.  
  • First stop was Muizenberg, where we walked along the beach and saw the colorful beach huts (Victorian bathing houses).  
  • Next we headed to Boulder Beach to see the penguins!  Upon entrance, you follow the raised deck path down to the beach to look over and see the penguins close up.  Such a drastic difference seeing them in the heat on the beach, versus in the snow that I saw in Antarctica.  Cute as can be though, as always! 
  • Next up was Cape of Good Hope, where you can take a photo op in front of the sign that  shows the southern most latitude.  Super windy!!!   This location is the southwestern most point in Africa (Not the most southern).  ;)
  • From there we took the short drive over to the lighthouse (thankfully our guide was keeping an eye on the big coach buses of tour groups and we tweak the plan to try to hit spots opposite of the crowds).  At the lighthouse you have the choice of walking up the hill or taking the funicular.  We didn't have much time at this stop, so we opted for the funicular.  At the top we walked around a bit then took the trail back down to the parking lot.  The views were beautiful!
  • At this point even though it was 1pm, we wanted a local lunch versus a touristy spot, so we had a snack in the car and let Anita take us to one of her favorite fish n chips restaurant - Fish on the Rocks in Hout Bay. First, driving around the 9km winding roads of Chapman's Peak Drive leading into Hout Bay was incredible!  And the food was definitely worth the wait.  
  • Lastly, as we headed back into town just before 5pm Anita took us through the nicer areas of town - Camp's Bay - and stopped for a photo op at Clifton Beach to see the 12 apostles mountain range (which forms the back of Table Mountain).
Table Mountain - One of the New 7 Wonders of Nature
  • We really (and I mean really) lucked out with a perfect day to go up Table Mountain!  The clouds cleared, the wind died down and off we went first thing in the morning to beat the crowds.  
  • We took an uber from our hotel and he dropped us right at the top entrance.  We stood in line for about 30 mins and then headed up in our cable car that holds around 65 people at a time! Note - you can also hike up to the top - but oh my!  As you go up in the cable car look down at the tiny specs hiking up the steep and winding trails.  Yeah no...we were happy with our "lazy decision!".  
  • At the top there are several flat hiking trails you can explore (beautifully maintained and marked) and much safer in my opinion.  We walked around for about an hour and the views were just phenomenal!  
  • There is a restroom at the top, a cafe and a small souvenir shop (of course).  I know it sounds weird to comment on a restroom, but really neat process how they get water at the top of a mountain and follow strict environmentally friendly measures. 
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Panoramic view from Table Mountain
A Few Highlights from Walking round Cape Town
  • Note, we were cautious walking around town, always closely guarding our bag and keeping an eye over our shoulder.  Nothing happened, but we did feel more uneasy in some parts of town than we do on other trips.  Just be cautious.   Don't walk around at night.  Take uber or taxi when needed. 
  • Head over to Green Market for the stall vendors.   We walked past but didn't shop. 
  • Visit the colorful block of homes in Bo Kaap.  We had our uber drive swing by to take a quick 2-minute look. 
  • Visit the District Six Museum to learn about Cape Town's history and the trials South African citizens endured during the apartheid era.
    • ​Note, if you are hungry and need a quick bite, there is a good burger chain just around the corner - RocoMama's. 

Food and Drink

There are so many restaurants to choose from and without doing any research or having a reservation - we just walked around, looked at menus and found some really delicious spots.
  • At the V&A Waterfront we had dinner at La Parada - a great tapas place with good people watching.  And Life Grand Cafe - a busier place with nice outdoor patio overlooking the water.  
  • In Cape Town for quick lunches we had Nando's chicken and RocoMama's burgers.  
  • In Hout Bay the fish n chips at Fish on the Rocks was perfect.  

Feet

Traveling feet around Cape Town!
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