The day's Highlights:
- Cape Point Nature Reserve:
Part of the greater Table Mountain National Park, Cape Point situated at the southern most point of the peninsula, will simply take your breath away. The mountainous tip of the peninsular makes for a very dramatic back drop to the treacherous ocean down below which the visitor will be able to see by taking the funicular right to the top of the mountain (own account).
The reserve is inhabited by Blesbok, Zebra, Eland, Ostriches and some of the smaller predators. The area is also well known for its marine bird life and typical fynbos (heather) flora.
This 6 mile heart stopping drive takes you to 1970ft above the sea along a twisting road carved out of the mountain side in 1922. It's regarded as one of the most dramatic sea drives anywhere, named after the British sailor John Chapman, the first Brit to reconnoiter the area in 1607.
This quaint fishing village (translated as Wood Bay), is guarded by the majestic Sentinel Mountain and is the closest harbour to Cape Town. It was often used when the winter storms made Cape Town's harbour unusable in a time before man-made breakwater structures. You can visit the well known Seal Island by boat (weather permitting and own account), and witness the area's notorious Great White Shark population feasting on the resident seal population (maybe not for the faint hearted?)
- Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens:
Established in 1913, Kirstenbosch is regarded as one of the greatest botanical and horticultural institutions in the world. Only 12km from Cape Town, the 528 ha estate is filled with more than 7000 species and the herbarium is home to a further 750 000. The visitor can enjoy a good meal at the local restaurant, have a picnic, attend a summer Sunday afternoon family orientated music show in a wonderful natural amphitheater or hike around at own leisure.
Or:
- Groot Constantia Wine Farm:
Originally owned by Governor Simon van der Stel in 1685, this is the oldest wine farm in South Africa. The wines produced here have been admired by the likes of Napoleon, Jane Austen and Charles Baudelaire. The Cape Dutch architecture on the property are some of the best examples around and the work of the architect, Louis Thibault and sculptor Anton Anreith.
A lunch/wine tasting (own account), at any of the top restaurants will not disappoint.
Or:
Regarded as Africa's 'Riviera', this strip of the Atlantic Sea Board offers magical beaches, excellent restaurants and cocktail bars and very affluent suburbs carved out of the rocky shore at Clifton and Bantry Bay. All of this with The Twelve Apostles mountain as back drop and some of the whitest beach sand to stare over at a picture perfect sunset.
The Cape Town Peninsula has it all: scenic nature, history, wildlife and excellent cuisine in one day. |