Top Cape Town Experiences

Savour the Cape Winelands

The Western Cape knows how to put on a spread. If you're a connoisseur of excellent food and wines - or even if you're an enthusiastic fan - set out on one of the Cape's famous wine routes, where you'll find plenty of culinary delights too.

Close to the city are the estates of Groot Constantia, and Klein Constantia, each with their own wonderful character and excellent eateries.

Travel out of Cape Town and you have a number of choices. The Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl wine regions can be covered in a day but really deserve a little more dedication. Then there are the farms that lie out Hermanus/Elgin way, and finally Route 62 - the longest wine route in the world.

Stand on Table Mountain & See the View

How you travel to the top is entirely up to you - there are many options. But once you're up there you'll bask in the aerial view of sprawling Cape Town and her beautiful beaches glinting below.

Table Mountain can be conquered in a number of ways: for those who take a leisurely approach to life, there's the cable car. Others prefer the more arduous route up through Skeleton Gorge.

And then there's the ultimate Table Mountain experience: a full three-day exploration as part of the Hoerikwagga Trail. On the trail you start your adventure out at sea, followed by a guided walk through the centre of Cape Town, and either a hike or a ride up to the top of the mountain.

How you get down again is also entirely up to you - there's always abseiling...

Swim with Penguins

Get to Boulders Beach early on a summer's day and not only will you get to watch the penguins from the boardwalks, but you'll get to build sandcastles with them too.

A sheltered little beach with great big boulders and turquoise waters, Boulders is an excellent spot for a family day out and an essential Cape Town travel experience. And when you're warm enough to brave the waters you might find yourself swimming alongside a small black and white torpedo-shaped bird.

Go Whale Watching

Every year the cold Atlantic waters around Cape Town attract large numbers of Southern Right Whales. These enormous, placid beasts can be seen from many vantage spots around Cape Town, from the Atlantic Seaboard, to Hout Bay, Simonstown and Kalk Bay.

But some of the best places to see whales during whale season are along the "Whale Coast”. Hermanus is known to have some of the best land based whale watching in the world, and boat based whale watching is also available from the town, for a closer look.

Visit the Townships

With her mix of many cultures, every corner of Cape Town has something to offer, so explore and savour the different character of each.

A legacy of the apartheid era, the sprawling townships of Langa, Khayalitsha, Gugulethu and the rest of the Cape Flats are testaments to the phenomenal human spirit. See how people make the best of bad situations;meet inspirational and creative people putting food on the table and the joy back in life.

A township tour is a great opportunity to get to know more about the people and diverse cultures of Cape Town- its food, people and vibe.

Experience a Cape Adrenalin Rush

If your tastes run to the extreme (sports, that is), Cape Town travel is for you - try anything from sandboarding in the dunes of Atlantis, to kloofing (or canyoning), kite surfing or abseiling.

There's excellent climbing and bouldering to be had, along with fine mountain biking trails, horse-riding on wide white beaches and canoeing down the gentle rapids of the Breede River.

Learn how to surf at Muizenberg (or take on the big waves if you're already a pro), go kayaking on the turquoise Langebaan lagoon or if you fancy an aerial view of Cape Town, go paragliding off Lion's Head.

Ease into Cape Town's Coffee Culture

It's perfectly possible to get a sense of Cape Town life through its coffee shops alone ... Although you probably don't want to see the Mother City from the inside of the best places to grab a cuppa, there are some spots that will definitely put a caffeine kick in your day.

Grab a roadside seat at a coffeeshop on Long Street - Lola's is famous for her brews and people-watching views - or head up nearby Kloof Street with its many offering. Of these Vida e Caffe is a chain that provides an always reliable caffeine boost served with a positive attitude and goodies to eat.

Other areas where you'll find clusters of coffee shops in are Chelsea Village near Wynberg, places like the Olive Station and Olympia Cafe in Kalk Bay, and areas like Harfield Village and Main Road in Observatory.

Catch a Cape Town Sunset

In the Cape we don't just watch the sun set, we celebrate it. Great options include sundowners at one of the see-and-be-seen spots on the Camps Bay strip, an early evening meal on a beach out at Blouberg, or on a clear, still summer's evening on the top of Table Mountain.

Another spectacular way to celebrate the end of another day in Africa (even though you won't quite watch the sun sinking below the sea) is with a picnic and a concert held at Kirstenbosch Gardens in summer.

To stock up on the deli goods for your picnic, do as the locals do and head to any Woolworths or Melissa's foodstores - you'll find plenty of tempting, picnic-friendly fare here. There are also a number of delis in each neighbourhood, Cape Town being the foodie haven it is.

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