South Africa

January 2015: We had been wanting to go to South Africa for awhile now, so on our two-week winter break we headed to Cape Town. Contrary to what I had previously heard about South Africa, we felt completely safe, and most hotels and apartments have a lot of security. However, other cities like Johannesburg might be a little different. Cape Town has everything you could want: beaches, wine country, waterfront, malls, bars, mountains. It is absolutely gorgeous. We rented a car and drove around Cape Town and the surrounding areas for two weeks. It was definitely an adventure, driving on the opposite side of the road! We explored so much over two weeks, and never tired of any of it. 

highlights

. Stellenbosch . Capes and Bays . Kirstenbosch . Table Mountain . Food .

lowlights

. Expensive . Parking . Windy Camp's Bay . Robben Island Organization

cape town

We spent the beginning and end of our trip in Cape Town, with a few days in the middle in wine country. In Cape Town, we stayed at two different hotels/b&bs. 4 on Varneys was a guesthouse close to V & A Waterfront, and the owner was so helpful with suggestions, and great for conversation. Villa Zeezicht was a really cute guesthouse closer to Table Mountain and Long Street. It was a little difficult squeezing in the gate, and there were only a few tight parking spaces (Trevor did very well maneuvering our fancy car). But I guess it's better than street parking, which is what we had for 4 on Varneys. The V & A Waterfront was great for walking around. There were shops and little markets everywhere, plus a really great food market, and other cafes and restaurants right around the area. This is also where you catch the ferry to Robben Island. Long Street is where all of the bars and clubs are. It's pretty busy and loud at night (obviously), but really safe. And if you have a problem, there is a police station/cart parked on one of the corners at night, which we found pretty cool. 

table mountain

You really have to watch the weather before going up Table Mountain. If you see clouds coming, don't even bother. It's very cool watching the clouds roll right over the mountain, but not so good if you're up there. Try to go early in the morning (like most touristy sights) to avoid a crazy line, and the weather is usually better in the mornings. The cable car is really safe (compared to others we've been on), and once you're up there, there are walking trails, and just beautiful sights on all sides. On one side there's Cape Town, on another is just ocean, and on another is amazing mountain views. 

robben island

Robben Island was a little tricky figuring out. We bought our tickets no problem, but when the day came, we waited for 45 mins (in front of all the workers there), until Trevor finally went up and asked someone, who then told us the ferry was cancelled today because of the weather. Needless to say we were pretty pissed at this lack of communication (we were sitting RIGHT there), but we easily got tickets for another day. The ferry took about 45 mins (we saw a dolphin on the way), and right when you pull in you can see the boat that Nelson Mandela rode in on when he was taken here. We then got on a bus that took us to the prison, where we met with our guide, who was a former political prisoner. He was really great, and had lots of information to share. He took us around the whole prison and described what it was like. Besides the slight lack of organization, the tour was pretty incredible, and I highly recommend it. 

camp's bay

Camp's Bay is on the other side of Table Mountain. There are twelve mountains that kind of stick out (you can see in the photo above), so they are called the Twelve Apostles. Camp's Bay is a cute spot with a large beach and tons of restaurants and bars. There are some really neat hotels and houses on cliffs right above the water if you drive all the way around. I think this area is a little more expensive than Cape Town, and a little quieter. The day we were there, we couldn't really walk along the beach because the wind was so strong it was kicking up sand. Cape Town has a hop-on-hop-off bus that takes you to Camp's Bay and all the way around. I recommend it if you would prefer not to look for parking (it can be difficult).

kirstenbosch national botanical garden

This garden is spectacular. If we had more time, we would've spent a whole day here. It is huge, with so many trees, walking paths, streams, and vegetation. They hold concerts here in the summer in a spacious, well-groomed, grassy area, and there is also a place to grab a coffee, cold drink, or some snacks. The hop-on-hop-off bus takes you here as well, as it's a little far from the city centre, near the foothills of Table Mountain. Highly recommended.

muizenberg

We spent one day driving from Cape Town to Kalk Bay, then on to Boulders Beach and finally the Cape of Good Hope. On the way we spotted a gorgeous view of a beach in Muizenberg. This is about 30 mins from Cape Town, and we didn't really explore much here, we just stopped at the beach. Apparently this is where a recent shark attack occurred right before we arrived in South Africa.

boulders beach

Yep. This is where the penguins are! It is about 45 mins from Cape Town, and there is a fee (not too much) to enter the boardwalk. It will be crowded, but the penguins were all over the beach when we were there, so you'll definitely get a good visual. You have to stay on the boardwalk, and sometimes the penguins go right under it, so make sure you look down!

cape of good hope

The Cape of Good Hope is the most South-Western point of Africa, and about a 1 hr 15 min drive from Cape Town. There were many tour buses stopped here, and you can spend quite awhile staring out at the ocean. There are more penguins here, not as close as Boulders Beach, and there is a trail leading up to the top, where there is a lighthouse and some incredible views. If you don't want to go up to the small, crowded lighthouse spot, there are a few small rocky paths to other viewpoints. I would wear good shoes if you plan on walking up (we were not aware of the walk up to the top, so Lisa was in flip flops). Also, bring a bottle of water, because it is a hot climb!

cape agulhas

Cape Agulhas is the true Southern tip of Africa. It is also where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. At some points in the year you can see the currents meeting in the water, but I believe this deviates between here and the Cape of Good Hope. This was a long drive, about 2-3 hours from Cape Town. So we took a day to come out here. The drive was great, we stopped in a little town for lunch on the way back, and there weren't many cars on the road so it was a great little road trip. Unlike the Cape of Good Hope, there were very few tourists here. We parked near the lighthouse, and from there walked the boardwalk and paths to the tip. It was maybe a 30 min walk, but beautiful as you're just walking straight to the ocean. If you've got a car and some time, I recommend visiting Cape Agulhas. You can also go to the top of the lighthouse, and I think there's a really good restaurant below too. 

stellenbosch

We didn't book this until we arrived in Cape Town, and on a recommendation, we decided to go to the Stellenbosch region. Many people choose to visit Constantia, due to its close proximity to Cape Town, but Stellenbosch is only 45 mins away from Cape Town. We were told Franschhoek is also another good region, with great food as well. In Stellenbosch we stayed at Asara Wine Estate, which was gorgeous (and not cheap), and exactly what we had imagined in wine country. We had not booked a wine tour in advance, and we were lucky to find someone for the next day (the hotel booked it for us). We told our guide our wine preference (dry, red), and he mapped out a few wineries to go to, which were all fantastic. We spent the whole day driving around to 4-5 wineries, tasting and enjoying the sun and the amazing views. We had a delicious lunch at one of our stops as well. We stayed two nights at Asara before heading back to Cape Town. On our way out, we stopped in the town of Stellenbosch, which is a really cool, kind of hipster university town. I would have loved to spend more time here. And of course, we had to stop at Ernie Els' winery. The views were the best we'd seen, and the wine was delicious too. I highly recommend treating yourself to wine country, and splurge on a peaceful, beautiful estate while here. 

if we were to go again...

First of all, I would love to go back to South Africa. It is definitely one of our top favourite trips, and I would love to explore more of the country (and more of its wines). Here are a few things we regret not doing, or places we would go next time.

• Shark Diving - we didn't go this time because we didn't book it in advance, and Lisa gets very seasick (although she would totally suck it up next time).

• Whale Watching in Hermanus - Winter or Spring in the Southern Hemisphere is when to go to see the whales, so we were not in the right season.

• Johannesburg - would love to see more of the country, and another big city.

• Cradle of Humankind - this just fascinates me, and I was so disappointed when I realized how far it was from Cape Town. We just didn't have the time to travel up there.