South Africa was a country I had been dreaming of visiting for a long time! So I was super happy when I got the chance to do a 3 month internship there. The country did not disappoint. Here’s my Cape Town travel guide.
After some Apartheid and Nelson Mandela history in Johannesburg it was time for adventure in Cape Town. As I said, I was looking forward to finally visiting this city and it’s hard to describe the feeling I had as I came closer to Table Mountain.
I arrived at my hostel Ashanti Lodge Gardens, which was located close to the city center and a bus stop. The Wi-Fi was good, breakfast was simple and there was even a swimming pool. I prefered Never at Home Greenpoint where I have since stayed for a few weeks. I also tried out 91 Loop, which is smack in the middle of the heart of the city, but that made me feel more unsafe. It also wasn’t as social.
I would only be in town for a couple of days and wasn’t planning on renting a car. Usually, I am not a fan of hop-on hop-off city sightseeing busses, but for Cape Town they are the best option to discover the peninsula if you don’t have a car.
You can go to Mariner’s Wharf where you take a boat to Seal Island. There you can spot the seals in the harbor already. Some guys feed them fish so you can touch them and get a picture with them to get a tip. I thought they were fishermen throwing out the waste and fell right into the trap. So keep this in mind and if I were you I wouldn’t support this, since it impedes with the self-sufficiency of the animals. In 2022 I even went snorkeling with the seals here, this is one of my favorite excursions I have done EVER, ANYWHER!
I loved the boat ride. You can buy a ticket when you get there and have fresh fish and chips whilst you wait for the boat to leave. I met the loveliest Indian ladies who I had lunch with.
The bus takes you along the beautiful beaches of Camps Bay and there’s even a sunset bus and a Cape Town harbor boat tour included in the 3-day package.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to take the bus to Kaap de Goede Hoop, the most southern part of the continent and the penguins at Boulders Beach. One of the reasons I would love to go back. In 2022 I finally got the chance to do it and THIS EXCURSION was my favorite day in South Africa!
I also visited Robben Island, the island in front of Cape Town where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. It’s a guided tour and you have a great view of Table Mountain. There are wild penguins running around and if you’re lucky you might spot a whale breaching whilst you’re on the ferry.
The city center is situated around the V&A Waterfront and The Watershed, both great for shopping and finding lovely souvenirs by local artists. Since I love marine biology the Two Oceans Aquarium was on my radar. I had a great time walking along the many aquariums.
Of course, you have to go wine tasting in the Wine Country. I did an alternative tour with Dreamcatcher Foundation. A local registered guide explains all the good and bad (slavery and alcoholism) and takes you to a sustainable, delicious wine and cheese tasting.
My all-time favorite activity, probably ever, was kayaking through the wild dolphins and even spotting a sun fish! If I lived in Cape Town, and I hope that one day I do, I would do this activity once a month. It’s always a surprise which wildlife you might encounter. The dolphins are a guarantee, but you might come by amazing animals like penguins, whales and the sun fish. The ocean is not rough at all and you have a great guide. All with Table Mountain and the V & A Waterfront in the background.
In 2022 I decided to try paraglyding for the first time. What better place to do this, than Cape Town? It is by far the most amazing background! This excursion is very dependant of the weather, so it’s good if you are flexible with your time slot. I do believe that value for money wise, the previous activities are much more worth it, because the flight doesn’t take that long.
From Cape Town I took a 4-hour bus ride to spend the rest of my 3 months in Melkhoutfontein. I was an intern for a pioneer in sustainable tourism. You can discover the incredible community-based tourism yourself by joining a CookUp or sleep at a local Homestay with Kamamma. It’s even possible to spend time here volunteering. Read all about my unforgettable time in the Township in this article.
You can’t leave South Africa without a little safari and I got to do one at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve. It’s really special being so close to a rhino that you can hear it chew on the grass. We even saw a baby elephant and so much more.
I hope to be back soon to climb Table Mountain and walk along the colorful houses of Bo-Kaap. Also to go to Kaap de Goede Hoop and Boulders Beach and to visit my friends in Melkhoutfontein.
If you’d like to watch a video I made about this Cape Town Travel Guide, here it is:
Hopefully you enjoyed this Cape Town Travel Guide and leave a comment if you have any questions.