I was fortunate enough to stay with a friend for about a month off and on. We did spend one week going down the Garden Route and back. After that, I went to check out Sellenbosch and came back for about a week.
Cape Town Info
Cape Town or sometimes referred to as the Mother City, is the main tourist city in South Africa. Located at the base of Table Mountain, is the port city where you almost forget you’re in Africa. Whenever I told people I was going to South Africa, they told me to go to Cape Town and not to really go anywhere else. It’s an ideal vacation spot for western culture because it has cheap accommodation, beautiful beaches, and western atmosphere. My only complaint is here I felt the lack of African Culture. Everything here is very westernized and vacation destination. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have a good time and dug myself into the culture that was there. I had a blast in Cape Town!
Places I Explored in Cape Town
Foodie Spots
Cape Town is home to heaps of great restaurants and spots to hang out. As being a food junkie, I couldn’t wait to dive in and see what Cape Town was all about. Here are some spots I was able to grub at:
- Watershed at the V&A Waterfront – a permanent market located down in the heart of Cape Town’s waterfront. Offers a wide variety of cuisine in a food truck like manner.
- Timbuktu Cafe – probably my favorite place I ate at. get ready for authentic Ethiopian food in a cute and eclectic little restaurant.
- The Crypt Jazz – people in South Africa LOVE jazz and here is a great place to expierence their love for it.
- Octopus Garden – although a bit out of Cape Town, this is worth a visit is you’re going to/from Cape Point. A cute artsy cafe owned by a local burner (Burningman Festival attendee).
- Neighborgoods Market – every Saturday a market pops up with delicous food stalls hidden in the back. Make sure to go hungry!
- Loco Lounge – a hip cocktail bar / resturant that offers dishes influenced from around the world.
Exploring Nature
Cape Town has no lack of amazing scenery. I was able to explore different landscapes while I was there. I’m glad my friend loved to be out as much as I did. She was kind enough to invite me on a couple hikes with her Meetup group. I also went and explored some by myself while she had errands to handle.
Table Mountain
This will be listed as one of top three things to do while in Cape Town. The top of this mountain will provide stunning views of Cape Town along the gorgeous coastline. You can either hike it or take a cable car up to the top of the peak.
Lionshead Trail
Perosnally, I enjoyed this hike a lot more. Mostly because of the view up here you can see Table Mountain and a sweeping view of Cape Town vs. Table Mountain where you only see the view of Cape Town.
Kirstenbosch Gardens
A free National Botanic Garden that houses mostly indigenous plants of South Africa and can easily spend a day getting lost in the gardens. During the summer, they often have shows inside the gardens that can sell out pretty quickly.
Cape Point
At the southern tip of the Cape Pensuila lies Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Cape Point is well worth a day trip if not two. Making a trip down here will provide you with beautiful sandstone mountain ledges over the beaches with some African wildlife and indigenous plants. You can view how I spent my day here.
Llundando Beach
If you could only visit one beach in Cape Town, let this be it. Highly suggest going sitting on the rocks that jet out of the water to watch a sunset cast itself over this beach. Instantly fell in love.
Entertainment
Some of these are a bit touristy but worth checking out.
- Salt River – while I was in Cape Town, they were putting on an international arts festival in an area of Cape Town that is undergoing some revitalization.
- Bo-Kaap – the most colorful neighborhood you’ll see in Africa. The neighborhood inhabinats are mostly descendents of slaves from India, Sri Lanka, Malayasia, and Africa. Here you will find a beautiful mesh of each culture now.
- Silent Disco at Camp’s Bay – an event group Silent Events SA put on peridocic silent discos that are a perfect way to end your weekend on a Sunday.
- Era Nightclub – if you’re into dance music, then this is your spot to go to.
- Victoria & Alfred Waterfront – is a tourst trap but is a must visit. This waterfront is well decoarted and can often find street entertainment while walking around. You can do all your soveinor shopping here as well.