Destination Cape Town

The V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain

I’ll never forget seeing the legendary Table Mountain for the first time. Flanked by Devil's Peak to its left and Lion’s Head and Signal Hill to its right, it looms over the beautiful, green city of Cape Town.

For spectacular views of the Mother City as it is also know, I took a cable car to the top of the mountain. The table cloth, as the locals call the white cloud that frequently covers Table Mountain, makes visits weather dependent.

Take a stroll around the city. The Company Gardens and the Greenmarket Square are well worth seeing. For quirky boutiques, cool bars and restaurants head to Long Street.  

There are also plenty of museums. A must is a visit to the Gold of Africa Museum, not only to see the collections which include objects from the ancient gold civilisations of Southern Africa, but to try out the Gold Restaurant where you can take part in an interactive Djembe drumming session. Then listen to African singers as you enjoy your meal. 

My favourite place is The V&A Waterfront – watch out for seals playing in the water – home to the city’s smartest shops and countless eateries and Cape Grace, one of Cape Town’s chicest hotels. It’s old South Africa meets new. I couldn’t find one fault with this hotel. The service is out of this world and its setting spectacular.

The colony of African penguins, Simon's Town

A trip to Cape Point, in the southern section of Table Mountain National Park, about an hour away from the city, whisked me past sandy bays, quaint villages and towns. I did a whistle-stop tour of the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and Boulders, Simon’s Town, to see the colony of African penguins. They are such fun to watch. Cape Point is often said to be where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, but they actually meet at the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas.

Looking down at the craggy cliffs and the ocean from the renowned Cape of Good Hope (also within the same section of Table Mountain National Park), I imagined what the Portuguese navigator, Bartolomeu Dias experienced when he discovered it in 1488.

 

Cape of Good Hope

I came back via the Chapman's Peak Drive, a 9km road blasted into the mountain rock, which runs along the coastline between Noordhoek and Hout Bay. I reached Camps Bay, a trendy suburban beach area of Cape Town, at the foot of the Twelve Apostles mountain range, in time for a sundowner.

The next day took me to Constantia Valley, peppered with forests and vineyards.  Approximately 20 minutes from Cape Town, this is the country’s oldest wine-growing region. One of the best vineyards is Klein Constantia Estate, which started producing wine in 1689. If you can’t get there, you can buy in the UK its Klein Constantia Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (£11.99, www.majestic.co.uk), a refreshing, fruity wine.

Robben Island

South Africa has its challenges as does every country. You will see townships – a visit is a humbling experience – and there is poverty. But, standing on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent many years as a prisoner, listening to a former inmate’s account of life there, I realised how far this country has come.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

South African Airways (www.flysaa.com)

Cape Grace (www.capegrace.com)

South African Tourism (www.southafrica.net)