Cape Town Attractions

The Cape Province offers an abundant variety of experiences for the tourist, from majestic scenery, fauna and flora to adventure activities and a varied blend of nightlife that caters for the most varied of tastes.

Cape Town itself offers all this and more, and is the ideal destination from which to explore the Garden Route, Cape Interior and/or West Coast. From Whalewatching, Nature Walks and Scenic Beaches to Scuba Diving, Fishing and Winetasting - Cape Town has it all.

Table Mountain -

A visit to Cape Town would be incomplete without a trip up the famous Table Mountain which reaches a height of 1085m at its highest point and had a broad flat surface allowing it to appear as a 'table' from certain angles, inspiring its name.

The glorious views over the Mother City starts the minute you step into the state of the art cableway (one of only three in the world). The floor of the 65 passenger cablecar rotates 360 degrees on the ascent/descent which takes 5-10 minutes to reach the summit/base travelling at a speed of up to 10m per second. Undeniably the best views over the Cape are to be taken in from this natural landmark mountain which allows all parts of Cape Town to be seen at once in all magnificence.
The mountain serves as a nature reserve home to many indigenous plants and animals. On the top there are a selection of viewpoints over the peninsula and the paths suitable for all ranges of the explorer from the handicapped to the avid hiker, maps are available on site. There is a curio shop and full cafe for refreshments and meals on the top. The weather can change without notice so be sure to have sunscreen and hats as well as warm clothing and of course remember to take your camera.

Robben Island -

For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It was here at Robben Island that rulers sent those regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society. During the apartheid years Robben Island became internationally known for its institutional brutality. The duty of those who ran Robben Island and the Robben Island prison was to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Some freedom fighters spent more than a quarter of a century in prison on Robben Island for their beliefs. Those imprisoned on the Island succeeded on a psychological and political level in turning a prison 'hell-hole' into a symbol of freedom and personal liberation. Robben Island came to symbolise, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity.

Declared a World Heritage Site a tour of Robben Island takes 3 and a half hours and lasts a lifetime in your mind. The ferry ride approaching Robben Island and returning to V&A Waterfront across Table Bay displays a spectacular view over the city, Table Mountain and its coastline

V & A Waterfront -

One of Cape Town's biggest tourist attractions, the Waterfront evokes images of the early activities of the harbour. Much of its charm lies in the fact that this busy commercial harbour is set in the midst of a huge entertainment venue with pubs, restaurants, specialty shops, craft markets, theatres and cinemas.

In the heart of Cape Town's working harbour, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront has become South Africa's most visited destination. Set against a backdrop of magnificent sea and mountain views, exciting shopping and entertainment venues are intermingled with imaginative office locations, world-class hotels and luxury apartments in the residential marina.

- The two Oceans Acquarium - Called the Two Oceans Aquarium because the vast Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet here, or almost here at the southern tip of the continent, the delightful underwater nature reserve is based at the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town, with over 3000 living sea animals, including sharks, fish, turtles, and penguins on display.

The Two Oceans Aquarium is without doubt one of the most exciting attractions in the city, particularly if you have children (there is a wonderful child play area in the basement set right up against the seal display where children and seals have fun alongside one another). Child-height window benches and a ‘touch pool’ where they can touch and feels kelp, shells and anemones add to the appeal.

Cape Point Cape of Good Hope -

Bartholomeu Dias, the Portuguese seafarer, was the first to sail around the Cape. This was in 1488. On his return voyage, which must have been particularly stormy, Dias stopped at the south-western tip of South Africa, and named it Cabo Tormentoso, or Cape of Storms. King John of Portugal later gave it the name Cabo da Boa Esperança, or Cape of Good Hope. Another Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, rounded the Cape on 22 November 1497 on his way to India.
Part of the Table Mountain National Park that extends from Signal Hill in the north all the way to Cape Point in the south, the Cape of Good Hope is not the southern tip of Africa, despite lying at the south-west corner of the Cape Peninsula, just a little south of Cape Point on the south-east corner. Cape Agulhas, roughly 150 kilometres southeast of here, holds this title instead. The Cape of Good Hope, however, remains a significant headland in the sense that from here one travels more eastward than southward, and it is not hard to imagine that rounding of the cape in 1488 was a major achievement.

Kirstenbosh National Botanical Gardens -

World renowned for the beauty and diversity of the Cape flora it displays and for the magnificence of its setting against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain.

Kirstenbosch grows only indigenous South African plants. The Kirstenbosch estate covers 528 hectares and supports a diverse fynbos flora and natural forest. The cultivated garden (36 hectares) displays collections of South African plants, particularly those from the winter rainfall region of the country.

Cape Winelands -

Traditionally, when referring to the Cape Winelands, one called to mind the cellars around Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington and Franschhoek. However, South African wine has undergone a whole new momentum. An emerging ethos has taken the local wine industry into the global arena. South African wine has come of age and is now competing on the world wine stage. A whole new generation of winemakers has appeared and there has been a shift from grape farming to wine growing.
The fertile green valleys of the Cape Winelands are surrounded by proud mountain ranges. Towns and villages have many historic homesteads and monuments, and every so often fruit orchards are to be seen, whose produce may be found in all corners of the world. It is the Mediterranean climate and winter rainfall of the south-western Cape that produces some of the best wines in the country.

Cape Town Beaches -

The Mother City has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and something to offer everyone. It is no surprise that South Africa was one of the first countries outside of Europe to earn blue flag status for some of her beaches - there are three on offer in and around Cape Town. The blend of 2 oceans (the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean) and hence 2 different styles of beach, divided by a 1000m high peninsula, leaves Cape Town an unrivalled holiday destination.
Just past Simons Town is Boulders Beach, synonymous with the population of African Penguins who have decided that this beach is their home. This is a paying beach and one of the best swimming beaches in Cape Town. It lies in a small cove and is protected from the wind by giant granite boulders. A boardwalk past the main beach takes you to the penguin beach, although they do pop over to visit you around the boulders. .