The Best Places to Travel in Cape Town

April 25th, 2009

Cape Town is one of the most popular destinations in Africa as a tourist spot. It has many hot spots that you may want to visit and experience for yourself the magic of this incredible city. The infrastructure is wonderfully efficient, and the services at the hotels and other tourist catering places are superb. The people are also amazingly cordial. While there, you can choose to visit a variety of tourist destinations that are popular with both international tourists and the locals themselves. These include the beaches, cultural attractions, the winelands, and you can also spend time within the city centre marveling at the architectural prowess of the city’s buildings.

The beaches of Cape Town are incredibly diverse and are suitable for your family, posers, surfers and all round nature lovers. At the top of the list is Clifton Beach where the trendiest people hang out. A beach you will want to be seen at. Families mostly go to Muizenberg and Fish Hoek. The water here is warmer than at Clifton, so your kids can enjoy a nice swim. If you are a nudist, Sandy Bay is the place to visit. Penguins can be viewed at Boulder’s beach.

If you like to shop and dine slowly and luxuriously, and also prefer a cultural mix to your outing, then make sure you visit The Victoria and Alfred waterfront. It is commonly called the “waterfront” by locals. It has a tantalizing array of restaurants and shops you can visit. It is safe day and night, in case you want to stroll about. There are helicopter and boat rides offered if you want a good view of Cape Town. Close by, you can purchase tickets to visit Robben Island.

If you are a hiking and outdoor fan, the Table Mountain is the place for you. It is a huge block of sandstone located right in the middle of town. The clouds at the top often form what the locals call the “tablecloth”. The plant and animal diversity on Table Mountain is unique. When the tablecloth is not present, the view of the surrounding areas of Cape Town is breathtaking. You can opt to ride up to the top in a cable car, but if you can, it is definitely worth the three hour hike to get to the top through one of the many trails to the top. To top it all of, you can buy souvenirs at the shop located at the top of Table Mountain.

Robben Island is also a great spot to visit and learn about where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. The rocks surrounding the island have sunk a number of famous ships. Seamen of old called the isle “The Isle of Purgatory”. The island is part of the Unesco World Heritage, serving as a painful reminder of the apartheid days in South Africa. Some tour guides are ex-political prisoners who used to live on the island.

Travel to Cape Town today, and forever cherish the memory of your time there.

Top Cape Town Attraction

April 24th, 2009

Cape Town attractions offer you the best scenic beauty ever you can’t afford to miss. The sandy beaches, the shape of the coastal line, cooler and warm Atlantic / Indian Ocean and the scenic mountains are popular points for relaxing, sunbathing and other recreational activities.

The Sandy Beaches
Traveling in top Cape Town attractions will leave you with memories worth remembrance, when in Cape Town you will be able to see the long stretch of the Cape Town sandy beaches which are golden and soft on foot the rocky beaches are rare but comfortable to lie on when relaxing.

The Cape of Good Hope is one such beautiful site you will ever enjoy visiting. Cape of Good Hope is covered with nearly twenty thousand steep cliffs; it is also part of Cape Peninsula National park. The cape point, another name for Cape of Good Hope is well known for its treacherous seas and is situated at the tip of south western part of Africa.

Congo caves
Another very important top Cape Town attraction is the Congo caves, situated next to the city of oudtshoorn and has a series of cavers hewn out of limestone. This site is rated one of the top ten attraction sites in South Africa attractions. Here you will also meet the ostrich farms and also have the opportunity of riding an ostrich.

At the coastal drives are a number of charming towns with natural beauty, enjoy scuba driving, fishing and drama found at the Tsitsikamma National Park which is in the Indian ocean shore and many more activities carried out within. The Klein Karoo is a very interesting geological part of South Africa.

Castle of Good Hope
The castle of good hope, the oldest in building in South Africa was built by the Dutch East India Company (Castle of good hope) between 1666 and1669 and has since served as the military command centers that is for the old cape colony. Here you shall meet displays of earlier military ceremonies and the Malay food.

Robben Island
Robben Island which is well known as a place of banishment, isolation, exile and imprisonment is also situated within the Cape Town possibly 200 kilometers away from the Cape Town through Nelson Mandela gateway ferry terminal. You shall also be able to read the history of the island and its role in the apartheid struggle here.

The companies gardens, is among the oldest tour attractions sites within the Cape Town, also built by the Dutch East Indian Company 1652. It used to supply the passing ships with fresh vegetables and fruits and it is now maintained with well guarded imported trees from abroad. This garden was maintained by the slaves in the early times. It provides you with luxurious shade and tranquil relaxation that you will love.
The shore line is dotted with beaches and lovely flowers.. Mountains crowd closer between Mossel Bay and Tsitsikamma or Storms River. The forest has a lovely leisure drive with meandering trails.

Major Airports in Cape Town

April 23rd, 2009

The city of Cape Town is the second largest in the republic of South Africa and it’s the second hub for airlines landing and takes off. Cape Town is connected by big airports with big airlines visiting the city in torrents. This city is parked with very useful information which every traveler is required to know about.

Cape Town is not limited with airlines either, talk about the AirArabia which is a low cost airlines in the city airport. Its prices are fair to those who have little money and wish to travel by air.

Cape Town has one major airport within it that offer services to the local and international travelers. The big Cape Town international airport is the only noticeably airport in town.

Cape Town international airport
Cape Town international airport is well serviced in that the services it offers range from car hire to room hospitality: there are car services which are much unlimited. Their availability is basically from the air port up to the main town. The availability of bus services also makes it easy for travelers to enjoy the services of this great city.

The airport of Cape Town has so much on offer, whereby banks are unlimited. You will make it out when you want to get your money. For the tired and hungry visitors, there are shops which offer foods at affordable prices all round the airport. These shops include the sweet from heaven, CAN, diamond South Africa, Cape union mart, vodashop rental fone and the list is endless. You will just find out that it’s the best airport you cannot refuse to visit.

There is the rental postal agency that offers postal services of every kind. You will obviously find everything suitable for you when you pass through the town. The airport also has points to keep visitors luggage; visitors should not despair when they get into this airport because their luggage will be safe from theft or spoilage. There is this international departure hall where luggage is safely kept. Porters are available to offer these services to those in need of them.

Cape Town international airport also has business facilities at its disposal. The zenith airport conference venue found at domestic entrance terminal has many venues within it that offer space and room for business dealings. Rental services are also available at these zenith airport venues. You be eager to visit Cape Town airport and see it all on your own. You will just like it.

Best Hotels in Cape Town

April 17th, 2009

By far the most popular destination in South Africa, Cape Town has the advantages of great climate, pretty well developed infrastructure and a breathtaking natural setting. There are plenty of places that attract great tourist interest – the most notable ones being natural features like the Table Mountain, which constitutes a major chunk of Table Mountain National Park. Going for a dive on Chapman’s Peak Drive (a rather narrow road from Noordhoek and Hout Bay) gives tourist a spectacular of the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Town offers a great choice of luxury hotels to choose from.

CAPE GRACE
Recently refashioned, this luxury hotel indulges its guests in all possible creature comforts one could expect from an international standard luxury accommodation. This world class luxury hotel is situated in the middle of Cape Town’s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Each of the 121 rooms on the hostel are custom decorated – rendering an experience that gives a taste of modern luxury along with Cape culture’s charms. Such personalisation as an intimate reading area along with each guest’s personal book and newspaper selection render a rather welcoming atmosphere. One may book luxury rooms having inter-leading doors - great for people travelling together or families. As it is with all Cape Grace rooms, Luxury rooms have French doors that open to scenic views like the Waterfront harbours, yachts in the marina passing by and even the Table Mountain itself.

The Superior rooms give guests the added luxury of a lot more space with a step-out balcony – just step out and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Marina and various parts of the city. As with all rooms at Cape Grace, convenience of the guest is of prime importance with separate bath, shower and toilet, room safes, satellite TV and other such handy features.

Mount Nelson Hotel

An iconic hotel situated in a lush green garden estate within the vibrant cultural centre of the city, The Mount Nelson Hotel is one of the most luxurious hotels in Cape Town. It’s proximity to the V&A waterfront and great beaches in Cape Town give it a great location advantage.
Besides a commitment to excellence in service beyond par, the hotel also has a unique, soft sense of style – it’s an urban sanctuary, though with a significantly romantic heritage.

There is a huge choice of rooms and suites to choose from:

  • Superior rooms
  • Luxury rooms
  • Junior rooms
  • Disabled rooms
  • Executive suites
  • Deluxe suites

Therefore, whether travelling on business or taking a leisure trip to Cape Town, a holiday with the family, or a honeymoon or even an adventure trip alone, the Mount Nelson Hotel gives you the ideal serene environment to lay back and take in the great natural splendour of Cape Town.

The Federal Palace Hotel
It’s situated in Lagos – Victoria Island’s commercial hub – and it overlooks the open Atlantic waters. The hotel is tailor made to match international corporate standards –complete with eight luxurious Boardrooms and an Executive Business Centre. The Federal Palace Hotel is haven for discerning corporate for whom consistency in excellence is an absolute requirement.

The decor is rather unique with a personality of its own where yesteryear’s grandeur melds with modern designs. A mini bar, facility to make tea/coffee, digital safe, iron, hairdryer and even a digital safe are standard in all rooms. The rooms and bathrooms in the suite have great quality furnishing and fittings, and even the wooden laminate on the floors conveys a great attention to detail.

Cape Town Travel Guide

November 17th, 2008

Cape Town is a city located South Africa and is the second largest city in South Africa after Johannesburg it also known as the mother city, Cape Town is the capital of the Western Cape Province the city is the legislative capital of South Africa since the house of parliament is located here. The city is located near the Cape of Good Hope at the in the south west of the country. Cape Town is a metropolitan city and the metropolitan area of the city covers a wide area from Somerset West, to Cape Point, Durban Ville, and Atlantis. Cape Town is located on a small area between Table Bay and Table Mountain.

The climate in Cape Town is generally fine, the only concern is that it very windy, and from December to April it’s the summer season in Cape Town. Cape Town is generally very hot especially during midday and has low humidity. July and June are the winter months and they tend to be very wet, although it doesn’t rain everyday but it does get very cold in winter and temperatures can get as low as 6-7 degrees Celsius. October and November is spring in Cape Town this is when the temperatures start to rise. These are the windy months in Cape Town.

You can cape town by plane, the major airport cape town is the cape town International Airport, it happens to also be the second largest airport in south Africa after the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, the cape town International Airport serves many destinations and has daily flights to both local and regional destinations for example to Durban and Johannesburg in south Africa, Windhoek, Walvis Bay, and Swakopmund in Namibia, and other flights to Nairobi in Kenya, Maun, and Gaborone in Botswana. The airport is serviced major airlines such as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, SAA, British Airways, Malaysian Airways, and Singapore Airlines, and it is linked to internatio0nal destinations such Doha, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, France, Singapore, London and Atlanta.

If you enjoy traveling by train there is the cape town main train station in the city centre, there are daily departures for many local destination all through the day, if you want to travel between cape town and surrounding towns then you need to use the MetroRail. traveling by car is the best way to travel in and around cape town because the city has a very good road network and the roads are in good shape, however you have to beware of hichjackers since south Africa has one of the highest highjacking rates in the world, you have to be carefully especially at traffic lights, and when traveling at night. Another alternative mode of transport is by bus, there are many bus companies in Cape Town for example Translux, Intercape Mainliner, Greyhound, and SA Roadlink. To get around the city you can use any of the following foot, Metered Taxi, Minibus Taxi, Scooter or cycle, motorbike, and even by boat.

Cape town has many sites and sounds to experience for example the Castle of Good Hope, which is also known as “the castle” by the local people, the castle has a wide variety of displays of historical military paraphernalia, it also has a display of the castles history, and an art collection plus a collection by William Fehr, the castle has other special features such as the restaurant in the castle were you can eat out. Bo-Kaap is a neighbourhood, situated downtown; the area was inhabited by Muslim descendents of south East Asia slaves. The area is a very common area for film shoots since the buildings in this area are very colorful, there are also quaint streets, and mosques in the area, the area is also famous for its good food which can be bought from the side of the street. A visit to the Bo-Kaap museum is very advisable.

Botanists and those interested in botany can visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which are open to the public daily from 8am to 6pm, a visit to the gardens will be an eye opener because you get to see a wide diversity of flowers and plants in this magnificent botanical garden, the botanical garden hosts plants from all the regions of south Africa and a few rare plants are also avialble, a giant baobab tree, plants that are used for medicine, restaurants, an indigenous tree nursery and gift shop, an open air amphitheatre where there are several concerts, Zimbabwean Shona stone sculpture.

Just off the coast of cape town is Robben Island, the island has a historical significance in that it was the holding place for political prisoners during the apartheid era in South Africa. It is a famous tourist destination because major political figures were once imprisoned there for example the former South African President Nelson Mandela and the late Walter Sisulu. You can get tour guides by former prisoners at the prison and you will get plenty of insight into what it was like during those days, there are tour several times everyday seven days a week, although you will have to book to visit the island several days in advance.

There are several museums in Cape Town, there is the District Six Museum, which provides rich historical insight into the areas history, and you can visit one of the oldest buildings in Cape Town, the Slave Lodge. There is the South African Jewish Museum, is a high-tech interactive museum which highlights South Africa’s history, particularly focused on the Jewish community. The Galleria Gibello is a gallery situated in Bo-Kaap; it offers visitors a visually captivating experience with its stunning array of photos which capture moments on the African continent. There is the South African Maritime Museum, Groot Constantia, and the South African National Gallery which showcases South African art, and history of South Africa.

If you like fishing you can go deep sea fishing with a number of fishing tour companies such as Cape Charters, Ama Feesh Charters, and Hooked on Africa. Other exciting activities to do in Cape Town include diving, kayaking, hiking, sunset cruises, and whale watching.