Top 8 Ways To See Cape Town Through A Diverse Lens

If you’re seeking for a way to get away from the madding crowds in Cape Town, consider these 8 substitute methods to see the city by means of a different lens.

By Lucy Corne

Cape Town is 1 of people destinations that absolutely everyone ought to stop by in their lifetime. It has everything: pure beauty, a vibrant cocktail of cultures, belt-expanding food and wonderfully welcoming men and women. Numerous sights have reputations that precede them — I’d heard of the Cape of Great Hope and Robben Island ahead of I had any idea what or wherever they have been — but what if you want to step off the beaten track? The major attractions are undeniably exceptional, but when the swarms of tourists get as well significantly, you may want to look for out a quieter way to delight in the “Mother City.” Right here are eight options to the tour bus favorites.

1) Stick to the crowds: Take the cable car or truck up Table Mountain

An authentic take: Hike to the leading of Lion’s Head

Table Mountain tops most persons’s list of things to do in Cape Town, but there are more options than just jumping on the revolving cableway to attain the mountain’s flat prime. You could join the energetic vacationers who hike to the 1,086-meter summit or, for a significantly less congested hike, opt to scale close by Lion’s Head. It’s a demanding hike that will take in narrow paths, steep drops and sometimes has you grasping on to chains to haul by yourself up the rocks. Nevertheless it is all really worth it for the gorgeous views — in my opinion far superior to the vistas from the prime of Table Mountain. Of course, due to the fact Lion’s Head is just a couple of kilometers away from the mountain, the panoramas are very similar: ocean views and the city laid out beneath you. But witnessed from Lion’s Head you get an extra bonus, Table Mountain is portion of the view as well. If clambering to the prime is not thrilling sufficient for you, guide a paragliding tour and consider the extra adventurous route back to sea level.

2) Stick to the crowds: Sip wine in image-fantastic Constantia

An original get: Down beer at the SAB Brewery in Newlands

South Africa is usually connected with wine, but you really don't have to devote prolonged in the country to know that you are in a nation of beer lovers. The Ohlsson’s Brewery in Newlands could possibly lack the aesthetic value of the Constantia winelands just south of the city, but the informative tour as a result of a fully functioning brewery helps make up for the lack of prettiness. And of course, after the hour-lengthy tour ends, the exciting seriously starts as you’re left in the on-web page pub to taste SAB’s quite a few different brews.

3) Observe the crowds: Paddle with penguins in Simon’s Town

An original take: Get a boat to see seals near Fish Hoek

There are not several areas wherever you can paddle in a boat amongst penguins, and I wouldn’t for a second recommend that you miss out on Boulder’s Beach and its colony of African Penguins, but there are other notable wildlife encounters close to Cape Town. Jump on one particular of the typical boats from Fish Hoek’s harbor and check out the modest colony of Cape Fur Seals lounging on an island a couple of bays away. Be prepared for the overwhelming stench they could search cute, but they smell like rotting fish. The choppy boats also take in a shipwreck before heading back to Fish Hoek’s spectacular seashore. Individuals who do not thoughts venturing a tiny additional should really head to the actual Seal Island in False Bay. There are hundreds of seals here and the waters are a favourite lunch prevent for Terrific White Sharks.

four) Comply with the crowds: Comply with the Lengthy Walk to Freedom on Robben Island

An unique take: Adhere to in the footsteps of the San at !Khwa ttu

Okay, in reality there seriously is no substitute for the moving journey to Robben Island, house to the prison that held Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27 many years of incarceration. But once you have taken the choppy ferry above to the former prison and leper colony you may well like to contemplate stepping a little more back in time to take a look at !Khwa ttu, a cultural center committed to the San, South Africa’s earliest dwellers. San descendants offer you an insight into this forgotten culture and a rapid lesson in their bizarre-sounding but delightful “clicking” language. The center is 70 kilometers north of Cape Town, close to Yzerfontein.

5) Adhere to the crowds: Take pleasure in a calming picnic at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

An authentic get: Function for your lunch with a hike as a result of the Kogelberg Nature Reserve

With its manicured lawns and dramatic mountain backdrop, Kirstenbosch is definitely gorgeous and a terrific spot to stroll, but if your journey to Cape Town is quick why not opt for a far more difficult outside working experience? The craggy mountain scenery is echoed at Kogelberg, but visitor numbers are constrained, that means you get a quieter, less polished experience. The rugged terrain makes for great hikes in which you may well spot compact antelope, baboons, eagles and the locally popular herd of horses descended from those abandoned right here following the Anglo-Boer War.

six) Follow the crowds: Chain shops and lunch at the V&A Waterfront

An original get: Haggling and lunch on Long Street

The Waterfront is a single of Cape Town’s favourite points of interest and its pedestrian-friendly complex of shops, cafes, bars and restaurants is absolutely well worth a take a look at. But prices here can be steep, and even though undoubtedly fairly, the Waterfront lacks character. For a a lot more vibrant getting and dining knowledge, head to Prolonged Street, the heart and soul of central Cape Town. Shop for quirky souvenirs in the African Bead Shop, lunch on nearby dishes or gourmet sandwiches in the hip cafes and finish with a haggle in the Pan-African Market or Greenmarket Square — great locations to pick up six-feet tall giraffes, township art crafted from trash and scary but completely-carved masks.

seven) Follow the crowds: Have an emotional encounter at the District 6 Museum

An original take: Have an emotional experience at Lwandle’s Migrant Labour Museum

Visiting the District Six Museum is an utterly moving working experience. It recounts one of the most hated policies of the apartheid regime: the forced removal of households from their residences across the nation as regions have been designated “white only.” The museum is superb and never ever fails to have you reaching for your hankie, but often the limitless stream of tour groups can detract from the poignancy of the exhibits. If you have a rental car or truck and really feel like supporting a project in have to have, head east of the city to Lwandle, a township near Somerset West. Just after going to the deserted but excellently laid-out museum, staff will get you on a walking tour to pay a visit to the former hostels — depressing boarding homes developed for migrant staff who were forced to depart their families behind as they searched for work in the cities.

eight) Follow the crowds: Get snap-content at the Cape of Great Hope and Cape Point

An authentic take: Head to the serious “end of the globe” at Cape Agulhas

It is a common misconception: Crowds of travelers descend day by day on the Cape of Very good Hope, intent on going to the southernmost tip of Africa and snapping a handful of shots of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meeting offshore. Sadly, neither of these matters is possible right here. Stunning views are a given, as are hordes of travelers and a handful of rogue baboons stealing people’s picnics, but the authentic “end of the world” is essentially 200 kilometers east of Cape Town. Cape Agulhas can not compete with Cape Point’s dramatic scenery, but it certainly holds the trump card in tranquility. There’s not a whole lot right here other than a extremely photogenic lighthouse, a shipwreck and a far less-photographed sign than the 1 uncovered at the Cape of Good Hope, but if you are the kind of traveler who likes superlatives, silence or photos of major signs, then it is absolutely worth the trek.