Cape Town is a city absolutely packed with things to do. Between the outdoor splendour of the Table Mountain National Park, the unique wildlife and the gorgeous views it can often be difficult to decide what you absolutely must see. Here are our top three must-do day-trips around Cape Town.
3. Cape Point and the Penguins
The Cape Point National Park south of Cape Town is a fairly stark, but beautiful place. The wildlife includes baboons, ostrich and caracal, but it’s not the wildlife you are there to see. This is the official meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian oceans and the view south down toward Antarctica really makes you feel like you are at the edge of the world. On the way back, stop in Simon’s town for a rather unique view – penguins. The African penguin is the only penguin that lives on the continent and it can only be seen in South Africa. Boulders beach has a beautiful walkway that allows visitors to see the penguins without disturbing their natural roosting spots. Apart from being a one-of-a-kind siting, going will also help preserve these threatened animals from extinction.
2. Views from the top of the city
A trip on the world-famous Table Mountain Cable Car is a good starting point for people new to Cape Town. Book your tickets online in advance to skip half of the queue and the swift, clean and effective revolving cable car will whisk you to the top where you can have coffee and cake while admiring the whole city. The more adventurous might want to hike Table Mountain instead and hikes can be found from basically any side of this magnificent attraction.
If you have extra time or don’t fancy the queues, you could try hiking to the top of Lion’s Head. This is the mountain next to its more famous attraction and is recommended because it gives gorgeous uninterrupted views of Table Mountain itself. Warning: You will need to be relatively fit for this two-hour hike, and need to have no fear of heights as the last bit requires a short scramble on metal ladders.
- Day tour to the Winelands
Cape Town is brimming with vineyards, whether in the heart of the city at Constantia or just outside in Stellenbosch or Franschhoek. Taking some time out to visit these beautiful places is highly recommended even if you aren’t a fan of wine itself. The food available at the vineyard restaurants is amongst the best in the country and the peaceful and relaxing ambience is a wonderful diversion from the chaotic sightseeing of most days.
We highly recommend skipping the big day trips to tourist-heavy vineyards and instead using Custom Wine Tours for your visit. Unlike many other companies, their guides are experienced wine journalists and historians and their team takes extra time to get you to the vineyards that best suit your taste in wine, food and ambience. This is the ultimate in day-tripping as you are whisked from one gorgeous location to another enjoying top-class wines, and the best lunches before being dropped off back at your hotel. Simply bliss.
