[Travel] South Africa any tips please.

[heathgate]

Mrs H has booked our 'bucket list' holiday flights this morning, flying to Cape Town on 27th January, then we have an 11 night blank canvas.

Any ideas please?

Hotels?

Tourist attractions?

Fancy a wine tour and a safari at some point?

Thanks

Harty

I have been there twice in the last two years, both visits in January actually....

Stacks of small private reserves all over the western cape, up towards the Klein Karoo... Google away,.. most will sort transport out from the city... most of the decent small reserves are about 200 km east of the city..... try https://www.aquilasafari.com/ that's one I visited last year.

Hotels - for convenience, look for hotels near the V&A.... will make evening strolls out a much safer proposition.... do not stroll around casually in the city after dark, take advice.

Always use Uber Black... slightly more expensive, but better quality cars and more regulated drivers.

Go the Bloubergstrand.... https://maps.app.goo.gl/6EB5SBEkdMV7wPou5

Food and drink is amazingly cheap, eat out.

Have a trip out to the Indian Ocean side, Simonstown, Cape point obviously... and you have to do the Penguin beach along with thousands of other tourists.

Go to Newlands for cricket, it's a top family occasion with a stunning Table Mountain backdrop.

Go up Table Mountain, book online, book the earliest slot you can manage before the queues start.... it's awesome up there.... you can have coffee and brekkie up top.

 

[Silverhatch]

Table Mountain
Cape Point (just remember it’s expensive to get into the nature reserve)
Robben Island
Rust en Vrede for lunch in Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch is a fab place for a couple of nights
Get down to Plettenberg (great beach) and try to get a reservation at Treetops restaurant
Kariega game reserve is fab - v early starts for big game watching
Fab country

 

[AZ Gull]

It’s on your ‘bucket list’ but you want tips on what to see and do.

That was my first thought too!

 

[Flounce]

Table Mountain obviously

Hout Bay - lovely beach patrolled by Great White Sharks

Stellenbosch for a vineyard, nice Dutch town

 

[CaptainDaveUK]

My brother lives there and I’ve visited once. Walking / climbing up Table Mountain is a must, if you are physically able. There are lots of beautiful vineyards and beaches to visit.

 

[Yes Chef]

Been a couple of times, and lots of good advice on here but Newlands is one of the most stunning cricket grounds I've ever visited

 

[Seagull58]

It’s a very big country Harty. We lived in joburg and someone suggested we holidayed down in Durban…that was not that far off 1000 miles away and fortunately my dad had a pilots license as his company had planes to get about the place. He flew us down in this little cramped Cessna and it took for ever.

Stellenbosche(sp) area for wines is fantastic as is the garden route up from Cape Town.

have your wits about you and stick to the tourist areas.

the Afrikaner is a very strange beast

Not so much strange as a total bastard most of the time.

 

[Seagull58]

My brother lives there and I’ve visited once. Walking / climbing up Table Mountain is a must, if you are physically able. There are lots of beautiful vineyards and beaches to visit.

Much easier to get the cable car
It's about a 3 hour walk

 

[Diablo]

Much easier to get the cable car
It's about a 3 hour walk

More of a climb than a walk !!

 

[Seagull58]

I went around 25 years ago and backpacked around from Jo'burg to Durban then down to Cape Town. I imagine you'll be staying in far nicer places than I did at the time but as others have said keep your wits about you even in city centres and think about hiring a guide or taking organised tours if travelling by road.

Robben Island, Table Mountain are "must visit" places, I've got good memories of Kruger National Park and I loved the Drakensberg Mountains. It's a beautiful country and I hope you have a great time.

The Kruger is amazing, especially if you go to a concession area where they can take you off road, but it's a 2 hour flight to Joburg followed by a 1+ hour flight to Nelspruit and a 3 hour drive into the Kruger.

 

[Seagull58]

Cape point, table mountain, Hermanus, the V & A waterfront..

From the waterfront you can jump on an open top bus and choose a route! Covers the vineyards, and a whole bunch of other stuff..
Avoid the CBD/long street.. cos it's crap

You can see penguins on boulders beach, I'm not sure you can swim with them, and tbh they are at risk now and they really ought to close tourists from going there..

Yes, one of the tourist bus routes takes you to Groote Constantia for a vineyard tour and wine tasting. It's been a vineyard since the 1690s if I remember correctly. V&A waterfront is good for chilling and eating. The 2 oceans aquarium is there, which I really enjoyed.
You can buy a one day or multi-day bus ticket and use it to visit Camp's Bay, the cable car (queue) for table Mountain and other places in the Cape Town surrounding area.

 

[Estonian Seagull]

Fantastic country to visit. I’ve been there 3 times. Here’s a few ideas - I hope they help. Stay in guest houses or boutique hotels rather than large hotels. Green Point is a great location to stay in Cape Town. Best restaurant - La Colombe; pricey but well worth it. paragliding off Signal Hill and great white shark cage diving for an adrenaline buzz. Hermanus and Stellenbosch worth staying for a couple of nights each - Stellenbosch for the wine and Hermanus for whale watching. Head to Kruger for the wildlife - Sabi Sands is the best spot there for the big 5. Idube is a nice private reserve within that area.

 

[Seagull58]

It’s a very big country Harty. We lived in joburg and someone suggested we holidayed down in Durban…that was not that far off 1000 miles away and fortunately my dad had a pilots license as his company had planes to get about the place. He flew us down in this little cramped Cessna and it took for ever.

Stellenbosche(sp) area for wines is fantastic as is the garden route up from Cape Town.

have your wits about you and stick to the tourist areas.

the Afrikaner is a very strange beast

Joburg to Durban is 360 miles. I used to drive from Joburg to the KZN coast for holidays, about 7 hours.

 

[maffew]

Yes, one of the tourist bus routes takes you to Groote Constantia for a vineyard tour and wine tasting. It's been a vineyard since the 1690s if I remember correctly. V&A waterfront is good for chilling and eating. The 2 oceans aquarium is there, which I really enjoyed.
You can buy a one day or multi-day bus ticket and use it to visit Camp's Bay, the cable car (queue) for table Mountain and other places in the Cape Town surrounding area.

The bus routes are fantastic days out! I jumped on the Camps Bay/Hout bay one and did seal Island. I think it went through Constantia, stunning

 

[Dave the OAP]

Joburg to Durban is 360 miles. I used to drive from Joburg to the KZN coast for holidays, about 7 hours.

I stand corrected. It was many years ago Go on smarty pants, am I right that joburg to Cape Town was a thousand miles ?

 

[bristo]

Was there in Jan 2020.
1.Tree House Boutique Hotel, Cape Town was absolutely charming. 10-15 mins walk to the Victoria waterfront. It has a taxi available ’in house’ too. Lovely people.
2.Table mountain cable car is often suspended due to high winds and the ‘table cloth’ (a blanket of cloud) can cover the top of the mountain. Best tip we had was if it’s a clear day and the cable car is running just get a taxi and go as early as possible.
3. We had 2 nights in a Stellenbosch wine estate and visited Franshoek. If we went again we would stay in the more attractive Franshoek.
4. I don’t think January is whale watching season.
5. Plettenberg Bay is very nice (5-6 hour drive from Cape Town on the garden route). Passes Knysna on the drive where there is an elephant sanctuary and you can walk amongst the elephants with a ranger.Special.
6. Be street-wise. E.g. We bought a steel cable and locked cases to the car when we parked and left it. Don’t know if it was necessary but it made us feel better.
7. All the posters above have given great suggestions.
8. The pound goes such a long way!
We loved it.
Have a great time.

 

[zefarelly]

Don't expect to meet a nice South African...

I agree. Spitting image got it spot on

my Grandmother was brought up in Rhodesia, then moved down to Cape Town my father was born there in '49 . . . . They moved back in '54 . . . .Thankfully in tact and unaffected. Although Nana always missed the flowers and fruit

I've worked with a few over the years, and for one about 25 years ago, who was also a rugby man, a bigger **** you'll never meet.

 

[heathgate]

Table Mountain obviously

Hout Bay - lovely beach patrolled by Great White Sharks

Stellenbosch for a vineyard, nice Dutch town

Sadly for Hout Bay, the informal settlements are taking over that town.... although the beach and marina lunch spots are top drawer

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Was playing cricket there back in 2007. Loved it
You can do a guided tour (like the Amex) of both Newlands cricket and rugby stadiums. If hiring a car, lunch in Simonstown on the Navy ship was good. Cape Point but keep away from the baboons. Wine tour, and table Mountain must. There was a circular open top bus route, hop on/off as you wish all day (stops at Table Mountain). We also did a catamarang sunset trip which was good, oh and the Heuy chopper flight was cool.

With the exchange rate you will live like a lord ...

 

[The Mole]

Cape Town is a great city and late January/February is probably the best time to go. That area is my favourite part of South Friday.
Kloof Street has lots of interesting bars, coffee shops and restaurants.
go down to the V&A Waterfront- although the restaurants are more expensive there.
be careful Walking around Cape Town though - you won’t sense when it isn’t safe - we were once walking down towards the harbour area and my wife’s uncle (who lives in Somerset West) said we’d better get an Uber as the area had got a bit dodgy. I wouldn’t have realused and I know South Africa quite well.
obviously Table Mountain is a must although the winds do get quite strong - if you want to walk up it then take advice from a local - there have been mugging en route - although I don’t know of anyone personally who has been affected.
the wine estates are wonderful - Ernie Els’s one has a trophy room. My favourite is Berkenhauskloof near Franschoek. Try some of the smaller ones. Some of their restaurants are great. Another one to try is Vergelegen in Somerset West - stunning grounds and a great cafe.
Newlands is a great cricket ground.
Cape Point is worth a trip.
if you want an alternative place to see penguins try Betty’s Bay. Drive along Clarence Drive between Gordon’s Bay and Pringle Bay. Chapmans Peak is another drive you must do.
Kalk Bay is a lovely area - just down the road from Musselburgh which claims to have taken influences from Brighton!

if you want tips outside of Cape Town… I have plenty of those! Especially around Kruger Park.