1. Catch a Cable Car up Table Mountain
If you fancy following a rope 112 metres down Table Mountain (and we’d recommend it as the world’s highest commercial abseil even if it wasn’t for the views), then Abseil Africa is your best bet.
The less adventurous can catch the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway up… and back down. The quick ride will give you a bird’s eye view of the City Bowl. The summit can also be reached on foot through a multitude of beautiful albeit exhausting, trails.
If you want a longer experience – spending up to five nights in tented camps – take the long-distance Hoerikwaggo Trail up from the Cape of Good Hope.
2. Take a Lesson in South African History
Robben Island
and the District Six Museum are must-visits for anyone interested in South Africa’s period of apartheid, which came to an end in 1990.
The fascinating and inspirational Robben Island is a symbol both of centuries of cruel oppression and the triumph of hope. It has become synonymous with the former leader of the free and democratic South Africa, Nelson Mandela, who spent 18 years in its maximum security prison.
The award-winning community museum, District Six lays bare the time when the ruling government declared the area ‘whites only’ and over 60,000 of its residents were forcibly taken from their homes and shipped out to the Cape Flats, before their houses were reduced to rubble.
3. Explore the Continents Flavours and Taste
Cape Town offers adventurous eaters tastes from across the African continent, be it Xhosa fare like samp (crushed maize used in porridge) and marog (African spinach), spongy injeras (flatbreads) from Ethiopia, or Cape Malay cuisine.
For an authentic taste of Cape Malay food (samosas, lamb denningvleis, or mild chicken kalya) head to Biesmiellah’s. For dishes from across the local spectrum, try Nyoni’s Kraal, which serves braaivleis (barbecue), Malay curries, amangina (chicken feet) and smileys (sheep’s heads). For something more universally appealing, try the Africa Café, where you’ll have your pick of everything from Xhosa spinach patties and Mozambican peri-peri prawns to Ethiopian lamb. Mama Africa is another Pan-African treat, boasting a live (and loud) Congolese band and as much meat from feathered, scaled and furry beasts as you can eat, all served with a side of samp and pap (mealie meal porridge). There’s more African food at Marco’s African Place. The menu includes specialities like Zwelethu’s Favourite Chicken (simmered with onions and peppers) and a platter of pan-fried springbok, ostrich and kudu fillets. End your meal with the tongue-in-cheek Group Areas dessert, comprised of white and dark chocolate mousses. You can taste the food of Ethiopia at the beautiful and authentically decorated Addis in Cape, where you are encouraged to eat with your hands, mopping up every drop sauce with pieces of injera (flatbread).
4. Take Home an African Memento
Savvy visitors know to come with a half-empty suitcase ready to fill up with well-priced buys for themselves, friends and families, a portion of which is reserved for African mementos. Visit the Pan African Market (a gem for Victorian tiling, old fok art, and custom-tailored garments) and Greenmarket Square (offers a full range of African folk art plus well-priced CDs and souvenir clothing) for a real-deal bargaining experience.
For quality gifts and souvenirs head to Heartworks (abuzz with a broad range of local crafts hailing from locations as diverse as rural Africa and cutting-edge urban studios), Imagenius (a stylish horn of plenty, fusing neo-Rococo with modern third-world knick-knacks), and Baraka (something for all tastes, ranging from wire woven baskets, cacti and pop-art pics to authentic African masks and beautifully bound Indian leather notebooks). For homeware make tracks to Africa Nova (an encyclopedic treasure chest of Pan-Africa objets) or African Image, where Africana is juxtaposed with modern transitional pieces, and for antiques get along to Lütge Gallery.
5. Waddle Down to the Penguin Colony
Enjoy some beach time with the endearing jackass penguins (so-called because of their unrefined singing voices that resemble those of braying jackasses) who call the African Penguin Colony at Boulder’s Beach home. For R5 extra, you can spy on slippery sea life or beach babes through the binoculars dotting the walkway.
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