Seven of the best ways to explore the sites Cape Town has to offer.
Video / Stephanie Holmes
Cape Town shares a fundamental weather fact with New Zealand – you’re likely to experience four seasons in one day. On this particular day, it was a warm, sunny winter’s morning at sea level but Table Mountain’s summit – some 1086m above us – had a long, grey cloud, stretching along its ridgeline.
So it was with some hopefulness that we took the five-minute cable car ride, sending out positive affirmations that the cloud would lift by the time we got to the top.
Spoiler alert: it didn’t. The difference in temperature was remarkable and I patted myself on the back for being prepared, with jumper, down jacket and beanie. Even then I was frozen by the time we’d finished our 20-minute walk around the mountain’s trails. We huddled inside the cafe, with as much steam rising from our bodies as it was from our boiling cups of rooibos. The young woman wandering around in cut-off denim shorts and sandals must have been made of sturdier stuff than me.
So no, there was no view from the top of the mountain that day, but when we got back down to earth, the sun was still out and I discovered many more ways to get a great view of Cape Town and its surrounds.
Cape Sidecar Adventures has been operating for more than 20 years and offers tours around Cape Town, the Winelands region, and the Cape Peninsula. Photo / Supplied
As if a vintage motorbike sidecar tour along Cape Town’s stunning coastal highway doesn’t sound fun enough, how about adding a goggle-, T-shirt- and bandana-wearing dog to the mix? As much as owner Tim Clarke might beg to differ, motorbike-riding dog Brody is the real star of a Cape Sidecar Adventures tour. This placid 9-year-old rescue dog will sit behind you in the double-cab of one of the company’s 44 vintage bikes, and he sure seems like he’s enjoying the ride.
Cape Sidecar Adventures has been in operation for more than 20 years and offers one-hour to full-day tours exploring Cape Town, the Winelands region and along the Cape Peninsula.
The idea came about when Tim was living in Shanghai, co-owning and operating pubs. One of his regulars showed him a classic CJ750 motorbike with sidecar, manufactured and used in the late 1950s and 70s by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. He brought a couple of bikes with him when he returned to Cape Town, thinking they’d be a great vehicle to transport visitors around the city and its surrounds. The company has since grown and grown, becoming one of the top-rated tours in Cape Town.
Guests can request Brody rides with them – bring a handful of biltong and he’ll be your best friend for life – or if you’re not a dog lover, it will be just you and your driver. The company has more than 60 motorbike enthusiasts on its books who guide guests around the city.
Cape Sidecar Adventures become even more enjoyable with the delightful addition of Brody, a 9-year-old rescue dog sporting goggles, a T-shirt, and a stylish bandana. Photo / Supplied
Our two-hour tour out to Cape Point, with Brody riding behind me – sometimes with his head resting on my shoulder – was one of the highlights of my trip. The journey took in some of Cape Town’s most beautiful views and landscapes, weaving along the coastal highway from the white-sand beaches of Sea Point and Camps Bay, through coastal suburbs Hout Bay and Noordhoek, to the ochre-coloured sandstone walls through a gorge climbing high to Cape Point.
All along the way, onlookers smiled, waved and took photos of Brody and the bikes – one couple even followed behind us in their Jeep for some of the route, so they could get a better look.
As we returned to the city, with the winter sun dropping lower in the sky, paragliders drifted slowly back to earth after launching from Signal Hill.
Brody seemed ready for a nap after all the excitement. It can’t be easy being a local celebrity.
sidecars.co.za
Scenic helicopter flight
It was a case of short but very sweet when I boarded one of NAC’s Bell 407 helicopters at the V&A Waterfront for a scenic “Hopper” flight along Cape Town’s coast. We followed a similar route to the previous day’s sidecar adventure, only this time we were viewing it from above, and it was as good as any sweeping panoramic scene you’d see in a movie.
Table Mountain (this time with no cloud), the 12 Apostles, Robben Island, the thundering Atlantic Ocean surf at Camps Bay, Green Point Stadium, and the winding coastal road to Cape Point looked stunningly beautiful in the morning sunlight. It was only 12 minutes, but it was enough to make one fall in love with the city’s beauty.
A range of other tours are available, varying in length and destination.
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, often referred to as the V&A Waterfront, is one of the most iconic and popular tourist destinations in Cape Town, South Africa. It's a vibrant and bustling area located in the heart of the city, offering a wide range of attractions, activities, shopping, dining, and entertainment options. Photo / Supplied
Reminiscent of Auckland’s Viaduct or Sydney’s Darling Harbour, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is one of the most popular tourist spots in Cape Town. As well as a big shopping mall with local and international brands, you’ll also find restaurants and bars, the aquarium, boat tours, arts and crafts market Watershed and, opening soon, a Time Out food market.
You’ll also see live music from local bands and buskers, as well as resident sea lions basking in the sun, and it feels perfectly safe to walk around, even as a solo female traveller.
Don’t miss the free museum at Jetty 1, a building that was once the departure point for people leaving for Robben Island – prisoners, wardens and visitors. It’s now a small museum exhibiting accounts of life on Robben Island, before, during and after apartheid. It will give you a small glimpse of what life was like in this infamous prison if you’re too short on time for the boat trip and day tour.
waterfront.co.za
Meet Christo Brand
For an even more immersive account of Robben Island and its most famous prisoner, book a meeting or tour with Christo Brand. A former prison warden, Brand guarded Nelson Mandela for many years, first meeting him in 1978 at Robben Island, then spending years with him at Pollsmoor Prison from 1982. Brand released his book Doing Life with Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend in 2014, and since 2018 has been telling his story full-time, with speaking engagements, private guided tours of the island, and presentations to small groups. His website gives more details of his story, and how you can book to spend time with him to hear it for yourself.
Just an hour’s drive from central Cape Town (in good traffic, and it’s often bad), you’ll find the Winelands region. Taste some of the country’s top wines, dine at fantastic restaurants, stay in gorgeous accommodation, and enjoy a getaway from the city. Quaint towns like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, with their wide boulevards and Cape Dutch architecture, are just made for lazy afternoons of wandering, grazing and sipping.
It was pouring with rain on my visit but that didn’t hamper my enjoyment of an afternoon at Boschendal. A working farm since 1685, it has now become a multi-purpose destination, with winery and cellar door, a range of accommodation, farm shop, art gallery, deli, restaurants, wedding and conference venue, and much more.
On a sunny day, enjoy a picnic on the lawn (all supplies can be bought on site), or a wine tasting and platter under the old, sprawling oak tree. There’s accommodation for up to 154 guests, ranging from self-catering cabins to a private cottage that comes with its own butler.
I enjoyed lunch and a wine-tasting at Boschendal’s restaurant, Werf, which has a “soil to table” concept. Seventy-five per cent of the ingredients and produce on the menu are from the farm. They make up the difference by supporting local suppliers – a commitment to regenerative tourism and giving back to their community.
boschendal.com
Polish a diamond
If you like to add a little ice to your outfits – or know someone who does – visit Shimansky for a diamond polishing experience. This unique tour takes you to the showroom and workshop of Shimansky Diamonds – a local brand founded in 1991 by Israeli expat jeweller Yair Shimansky. He gained fame for his patented Brilliant 10 Diamond design, which has been cited as the most brilliant diamond in the world thanks to its lack of light leakage.
As part of your tour, you’ll learn the history of diamonds, watch the Shimansky master craftsmen at work polishing and shaping diamonds, then get to have a go yourself (don’t worry, you won’t break them). You can even try on some of the finished creations and, if your holiday shopping budget allows, buy one to take home.
Finish off with a gin and chocolate tasting… but perhaps get someone to confiscate your credit card if you get a bit tiddly. You should never drink and shop.
shimansky.co.za
Learn how to make koeksisters
One&Only Cape Town enjoys a prime location at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, offering breathtaking views of Table Mountain, the marina, and the surrounding harbour. Photo / Supplied
Often referred to as the Rainbow Nation thanks to its diverse cultural mix, there’s much more to South African food than just red meat, seafood and biltong.
At luxury hotel One&Only Cape Town, I learned how to make koeksisters, in a hands-on cooking class guided by Chef Caitlin, one of the hotel’s team of pastry chefs.
Koeksisters are a cross between a dumpling and a doughnut, with sugar and spices added to the mix. We made two different versions – Cape Malay style, that are rolled into balls, deep fried, then glazed in sugar syrup before being coated in desiccated coconut, and the Afrikaner style, plaited strips with no glaze or coating. Both are spicy, sweet, doughy, light and incredibly moreish. Which is perfect, because we left with boxes full of leftovers to take away.
The Winchester Mansions, a Cape Dutch-style heritage hotel, is a charming and historic establishment located in Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa. Photo / Supplied
I spent my last night at the Cape Dutch-style heritage hotel The Winchester, which has sat pride of place on the Sea Point waterfront since the 1920s.
My ocean-facing suite was so beautiful I was tempted to settle in and not leave, but the Promenade walk looked too inviting, and my stomach was rumbling. I followed my nose back a couple of blocks to Regent and Main roads, where hospitality venues were in abundance, ranging from local wine bars like Only Fools, to tapas restaurants like La Boheme, right up to chic rooftop restaurants like The Nines. The latter is on the ninth floor of luxury apartment block Station House, and has some of the best sunset views in Sea Point, the perfect place to end my trip.
Checklist
CAPE TOWN
GETTING THERE
Singapore Airlines flies from Auckland and Christchurch to Cape Town, via Singapore. singaporeair.com
DETAILS
Travel specialists Adventure World can plan and tailor an itinerary to suit your interests. adventureworld.co.nz
