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Situated on the south-western tip of Africa, the
Western Cape is the meeting point of the cold Atlantic and the warm Indian
Oceans. Its capital city Cape Town, is dominated by the flat-topped bulk
of Table Mountain. The province has South Africas fifth largest population,
numbering in the region of 4.5 million inhabitants. The story of the Republic of
South Africa began in the Western Cape, some 350 years ago, when it was
inhabited by the Khoi, San and other Bantu-speaking groups. In the late 15th
century European seafarers arrived here in search of a halfway stop on trade
routes to the East and thereby changed the face of South African history
forever.
The Western Cape climate is
hot summers and mild, green winters perfect weather for the production of fruit,
grains and, most important wine.
Thanks to its scenic beauty and many attractions,
tourism is a major and growing force in the Western Cape, which hosts over 50%
of the countrys international visitors.
Major attractions in the
area:
Cape Town Metropolitan area:
The area between Table Mountain and Hottentots Holland comprises the
Cape Town Metro pole and encompasses pulsating cosmopolitan city life, beach
playgrounds, forests and exquisite nature parks. see this tour
Table Mountain
Cape Towns most famous landmark a quick spin by revolving cable car to
the 1 086m summit will give the visitor a grand view of one of the most
beautiful cities in the world, and of course the equally famous South African
[Alcatraz] Robben Island. see this tour
The Famous V & A Waterfront
The most visited attraction in Cape Town is the Victoria & Alfred
Waterfront with its assortment of shopping, eating, entertainment and
sightseeing facilities, all set within a working harbor. see this tour
Robben Island
The V & A Waterfront is also the
gateway to Robben Island, a former prison (now national monument) where a visit
is an emotional journey echoing with the sorrows of stalwarts of [the struggle]
against apartheid. The island was [home] to
many of South Africas freedom fighters including Nelson Mandela. see this tour
Cape Fortress
The oldest surviving building in South Africa, and well preserved too,
is the Castle of Good Hope, the pentagonal fortress built by personnel of the
Dutch East India Company back in the 1660s - 70s. Today it houses the regional
headquarters of the South African Defense Force in the Western Cape, and a
military museum. see this tour
Africas Most Southerly Point
Cape Agulhus is the most southern point of South Africa with
spectacular views of the ocean. It is at this point that the Indian and
Atlantic Oceans meet. see this tour
Cape Point
A stop at Cape Point gives the visitor the opportunity to boast of
having been at the most southern point of the Cape Peninsula. Some 26 shipwrecks
have been recorded at Cape Point, some of them presenting good diving spots. A
funicular takes visitors on scenic trips to an old lighthouse and the spot is a
bird watchers paradise. see this tour
Township Vibes
Township tours will remind the tourist how the will to survive can
overcome any adversity. In Guguletu and Langa expect to be overwhelmed by
hospitality, informal roadside traders, rowdy taverns serving local beer and
toe-tapping jazz. Guided tours are recommended to get to most out of the
experience.
Most Fabulous Beaches in the World
Theres a beach to suit every mood in Cape Town
Clifton for those who want to see and be seen
Sandy Bay for the nudists
Muizenberg with its colourful bathing boxes for a good swim in warm water
Kommetjie for water sports
Fishhoek is a quaint seaside village
Hout Bay has a colourful fishing harbor and craft market
Kalk Bay attracts antique hunters
Boulders Beach at Simons Town is home to a colony of Jackass penguins
Shopping Frenzy
Cape Town has many markets and impressive shopping centers and malls.
One of the most talked about shopping venues is the impressive 400-outlet Canal
Walk Century City. It also boasts a 20 theatre cinema complex and for
adrenaline-pumping entertainment, theres Ratanga Junction, a 30 attraction theme
park with and the glitzy Grand West Casino & Entertainment World.
Great Gardens of the World
A day in Cape Town might end with a classical concert at sundown in one
of the worlds great botanical gardens Kirstenbosch, a repository for many rare
fynbos species and a wealth of indigenous plants, trees and flowers.
Nightlife
Cape Town city centre is known to many as the party capital of Africa,
down just a few streets in the Mother City there are hundreds of bars,
restaurants and clubs just waiting to be explored through to the wee hours of
the morning. Cape Town is also known as a pink city, offering a warm welcome to
the gay and lesbian community.
The West Coast
The West Coast offers some of the greatest of
small town experiences in South Africa. This is a region that needs to be
savored, slowly, and therefore road trips along the West Coast are a firm
favorite with locals and international visitors. Not only does the area offer
some of the most beautiful scenery in the world mountains, oceans and views that
go on forever, this coast is also a haven for the finest South African
hospitality. see this tour
The West Coast National Park (close to Langebaan)
is where 50 000 migratory birds can be seen in the summer, and at Bird Island at
Lamberts Bay, an unobtrusive viewing platform affords close-ups of a jam-packed
breeding site.
The national park also contains 40% of the earths
remaining strandveld fynbos, while the West Coast at large really blooms in the
spring months of August - October, even the roadsides bursting forth with
lilies, vygies and daisies.
Endemic Clanwilliam cedar and snowball protea can
be sighted in the Cederberg Wilderness Area, which also claims unusual rock
formations and well-known hiking trails.
The West Coast has two official wine routes, the
Swartland Wine Route and the Olifants River Wine Region. West Coast seas
also produce a bounty of quality seafood and line fish to accompany the fruit of
the vine and some of the countrys finest restaurants are found along this
coastline. see this tour
The Winelands
Just a 45-minute drive from Cape Town and youre
in the mountains and valleys of the Winelands all gracious gabled Cape Dutch
homesteads, cask-lined cellars, oak-treed towns and ultra fine restaurants. The
towns of Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl are delightful and beg to be
explored and savored very slowly, like good wine. see this tour
The Garden Route
This land of lakes, bays, mountains and forests
languishes on the southern coast from Heidelberg to the Eastern Cape's
Tsitsikamma Forest and Storms River. Its a nook of the country that offers
inspiration to writers and artists whose presence gives the Garden Route a
trendy flavour. It is also a top priority of many a foreign visitor.
This coastal drive links a series of charming
towns interspersed with natural wonder. Along the way, every kind of
adventure activity is possible scuba diving, abseiling, fishing and more.
The Klein Karoo
One of the most geologically interesting parts of
South Africa is the Klein Karoo, with its towering mountains and sheer gorges.
A notable geological feature is the Cango Caves, a series of caverns and
chambers naturally hewn out of limestone, outside of the city of Oudtshoorn.
These caves are among the top ten most visited South African attractions.
Oudtshoorn itself, the heart of the ostrich
feather industry when it was at its zenith in the late 1800s/early 1900s, is
worth a visit. The grandiose, old feather palaces are still to be seen,
while ostrich farms, now involved in the commercial production of meat, leather,
eggs and feathers, can be toured, with the possibility of riding an ostrich. The
town also hosts an annual music and theatre fest the Klein Karoo
Kunstefees.
The Central Karoo
The semi-arid Karoo derives its name from an
indigenous word meaning [thirstland], but the starkness this implies is
deceptive. Dig a little below the surface and you find fossil-rich
terrain, fascinating rock art, ancient stone-age sites, one of the largest
varieties of succulents on the planet and star-filled skies to thrill the
astronomer, no matter how amateur.
Peaceful Prince Albert at the foot of the
spectacular Swartberg Pass makes a convenient base from which to venture out and
explore. Its close to Gamkaskloof or Die Hel (The Hell), once home to an
isolated farming community that for a century was accessible only by foot or
horseback. The Karoo National Park, as the largest ecosystem in South Africa,
reveals how fauna and flora have adapted to their harsh environment.
The Breede River Valley
Some 15 attractive small towns have the good
fortune to nestle in the fertile Breede River Valley, wall-to-wall in orchards
and vineyards.
Theres Ceres, aptly named for the Roman goddess
of fertility; Tulbagh with 32 historical buildings making for the largest
concentration of national monuments in the country; Montagu, home of hot mineral
springs famed for curative powers; Worcester and Robertson - known for their
noble vintages.
Attractions in the valley include one of the
largest brandy distilleries in the world (KWV Brandy Cellar), game reserves,
tribal art and museums (try Kleinplasie Living Open Air Museum which revives
early settler days with demonstrations of candle making, sheep shearing and
harvesting).
The Overberg
An hour east of Cape town 'over the mountains' is
the Overberg, marked by a coastline of holiday-friendly beaches, picturesque
seaside towns, an ancient lighthouse that has witnessed many a shipwreck (at
Cape Agulhus) and a whale route that draws more whales and more watchers each
year. Between June and November crowds flock to Hermanus and its surrounds
to watch the great mammals court and cavort.
In the interior, wheatfields are broken by
Morovian mission towns such as Elim and Genadendal, agricultural museums
(Grabouw and Swellendam) and a new casino, hotel and spa resort at Caledon.
Ecotourists can plan an itinerary around the fynbos route that includes nature
reserves and wild flower gardens.
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