Day Excursions

TOUR OF THE WINELANDS:
Don’t try to get to Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch all in one day – choose 3 estates. The large estates get crowded – smaller estates are excellent for the personal touch.

TOUR OF THE CAPE PENINSULA:
If you have time, do the trip in 2 days. Visit Rhodes Memorial – have
tea at the tearoom, then Kirstenbosch and a couple of hours looking at the flowers, lying on the lawns and visiting the Conservatory. Next, Groot Constantia for a wine tasting and visit to the Manor House. Then a drive over Constantia Nek to Hout Bay for a Seal Island trip.
On the 2nd day, spend some time exploring Simonstown, visit the Penguins, perhaps a swim at Boulders, then go into the Nature Reserve and explore some of the lesser known covers. Lunch at Scarborough and then over Chapman’s Peak to Hout Bay.

A BIRD WATCHER’S GUIDE TO THE CAPE:
Particularly good spots are Rondevlei, Rietvlei, Kirstenbosch and West Coast National Park. Kirstenbosch and Rondevlei will give you a good variety.

THE RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY OF THE CAPE:
Visit the Bo Kaap Mosque, St George’s Cathedral, St Mary’s, The Groote Kerk, the Lutheran Church and the Gardens Synagogue – check opening times. St George’s Cathedral has some of the most beautiful stained glass in the world.

EXPLORING THE CAPE FLORAL KINGDOM:
Kirstenbosch, Cape Point, Helderberg, Harold Porter and Fern Kloof Nature reserves have superb natural displays. Muizenberg mountain is beautiful.

EXPLORING THE PENINSULA’S SEA SHORE:
The Atlantic shoreline is particularly rich in Marine life. The rock pools off Sea Point, Oudekraal, Kommetjie and the whole of the Cape Point Nature reserve shoreline are full of different plants and animals. Get a booklet on the shorelife – available from any bookstore. The fusion of the Malmesbury Slate and Granite in front of the President Hotel is a geologist’s dream.

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF NELSON MANDELA:
A trip to Robben Island (departing from the Waterfront at 09h00, 10h00, 11h00, 12h00 and 14h00). Tour of Parliament (by appointment Ph 403 2537).

THE PUBS OF CAPE TOWN:
Provided someone sober is driving, a Pub tour of the Peninsula is a good way to meet the locals. Try this route, the Perseverance (Town), Foresters (Newlands), Pedlars (Constantia), Brass Bell (Kalk Bay), Red Herring (Noordhoek), Dirty Dicks (Hout Bay), La Med (Clifton).

A DAY IN HERMANUS:
From July to October the Whales come to visit – walk along the cliffs between the old and new harbours to see them best. Fernkloof Nature reserve has an amazing variety of wild flowers. Rotary Drive is a spectacular route to Hamilton Russell Wine Estate for superb Pinot Noir.

EXPLORING THE WEST COAST:
The beaches of Blouberg, Melkbos are beautiful and uncrowded. The Langebaan Lagoon wetlands are renowned for their birdlife and wildflowers in September.

MILITARY HISTORY IN CAPE TOWN:
Include the Castle, Ysterplaat, The Maritime Museum at the Waterfront, the Green Point Battery, the Noon Day gun, the gun emplacements on Table Mountain Road, Simonstown Museum and Naval Dockyard and the East Fort at Hout Bay.

TABLE MOUNTAIN:
Walk along the Contour Path from Newlands to Rhodes Memorial, or along the Pipe track from Kloof Nek above Camps Bay or across the top from the Cable Station to Maclears Beacon. All easy – take water & a map – even better – go with a guide. (NB see P12)

KIDS MEETING ANIMALS:
Take exit 47 off the N1 (R44). All within 3 or 4 kilometres there is the Tygerberg Zoo, Die Vonds Snake Centre, Drakenstein Lion Park, Heen en Weer Ostrich Farm, Butterfly World, Le Bonheur Crocodile Farm and Wiesenhof Game Park.

AN EYE OPENING EXPERIENCE OF UBUNTU
Ubuntu refers to the sense of community, hospitality, friendship and belonging that one experiences in black African society. Most Visitors experience 1 side of Cape Town – the scenic “European” side but miss the vibrant, human “African” side. Unjustly, a visit to the Townships is said to be dangerous (more often said by people who have been into the Townships).

A TOWNSHIP TOUR allows one to experience the effects of 300 years of discrimination. Start in the Bo Kaap and District 6 then go into Langa, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Khayelitsha. Experience the strong community drive to improve the lot of the people through education, recreation and trading despite the appalling living conditions. The end result is a message of hope for the further of SA.

It is also a chance to meet, and talk with a hugely friendly people, to experience a lifestyle and culture totally different to one’s own and a change to meet craftspeople, herbalists, micro entrepreneurs, shebeen owners, housewives and children.

It is in the Townships that you can experience the history of Apartheid. And it is that legacy that could benefit from your visit. There are a number of Tour Operators who specialise in tours t the Townships – they are able to provide background and insights that make a Township as much a part of visiting Cape Town as a trip up Table Mountain. (P29 for specialist Operators & P 30 for local Tourism Bureau.)