Questions about Cape Town/South Africa? Ask a Capetonian!

Hi Diane,

Highlights around Cape Town are very subjective. For us a highlight is not to visit Robben Island - although the Nelson Mandela story is a great testimony the island itself is a little of a let down. It's not as exciting as visiting Alcatraz, so personally we don't take guests there for that reason and also because there are soooo many wonderful things to see in Cape Town, one has to choose the highlights that suit your personalities.

As you now know - we are crazy, avid, wildlife watchers …. so much of our time is taken up with Whale Watching in Hermanus, Penguins at Boulders, Seal Island off Hout Bay and a trip to Cape Point (whale and game viewing there too). South Africa has such unique animals (to Africa) and seeing them all in their own environments is such a plus. Just a side here: If you do get to go to Hout Bay, there is one of the most awesome restaurants there - Mariner's Wharf …. they serve the BEST seafood on the Cape Peninsula hands down. Also while in South Africa you must try a Dom Pedro …. it's like a double thick shake, made with ice cream but also contains either whiskey or Kahlua … you can order one at ANY restaurant that has a liquor license.

You are going to find so many places where the food is so inexpensive. Of course for us to exchange rate at the moment is pretty much $1 - R10, so we find most of the restaurants very reasonable.

You will find more restaurants at the V & A than you can imagine and they run the gamut in price. Starting with McDonalds and KFC right up to Nobu etc. But in the cheaper range here are some recommendations:

Santa Ana Spur (Spur is a chain of steakhouses in SA) - good food, good prices.

Steers - if you are looking for a burger joint, much better than Mc Donalds.

Mugg & Bean - for great breakfast and lunches

Ocean Basket - cheap seafood

Quay 4 - down on the water, you can watch the seals playing.

Moyo - for a true African experience. Although I will say we much prefer Moyo at Spier winery in Stellenbosch.

And other than Willoughby's (which you will not be disappointed in) our personal other favorite casual restaurant there is Balducci's.

Hope this helps a bit ……...

Jackie and Tony,

Thank you so very much for all your wonderful suggestions. We have booked a trip to Robben Island but... have been reading some reviews similar to yours so we may have to rethink that. We will be going to Hout Bay on our Peninsula tour (which is a private tour for the 4 of us) so I will ask if we can lunch at Mariners Wharf - it sounds amazing! We also can do an optional Seal Island Cruise. We are doing Hermanus for Whale Watching and Boulders Beach during our Peninsula tour as well. So, hopefully we have covered all the highlights for wildlife viewing.

Thank you for the restaurant suggestions. It seems that there were too many choices and I really appreciate you narrowing things down for us. We want to stay away from fast food joints so your ideas will really help. Looking forward to trying a Dom Pedro!

Thanks again.

Diane

P.S. Feel free to offer up any other suggestions, ideas, places to visit etc.

Jackie and Tony,

 

Thank you so very much for all your wonderful suggestions. We have booked a trip to Robben Island but... have been reading some reviews similar to yours so we may have to rethink that. We will be going to Hout Bay on our Peninsula tour (which is a private tour for the 4 of us) so I will ask if we can lunch at Mariners Wharf - it sounds amazing! We also can do an optional Seal Island Cruise. We are doing Hermanus for Whale Watching and Boulders Beach during our Peninsula tour as well. So, hopefully we have covered all the highlights for wildlife viewing.

Thank you for the restaurant suggestions. It seems that there were too many choices and I really appreciate you narrowing things down for us. We want to stay away from fast food joints so your ideas will really help. Looking forward to trying a Dom Pedro!

Thanks again.

 

Diane

P.S. Feel free to offer up any other suggestions, ideas, places to visit etc.

We have been to Robben Island (twice) and although I understand some of the negative comments, I would still recommend a visit. It is very 'atmospheric' and the photo opportunity back to Cape Town and Table Mountain is wonderful.

We usually stay in Hout Bay when in SA and can recommend Mariners Wharf, but also the calamari at the Chapmans Peak Hotel is out of this world.

On your journey down the Cape, go along Chapmans Peak Drive (toll road) for wonderful views.

Also, the Constantia wine growing area is beautiful, especially Groot Constantia - a lovely lunch stop.

If you have time, the Kirstenbosch gardens are stunning and we think the Moyo restaurant there is better than the one in Stellenbosch - reserve a table on the terrace for lovely garden and mountain views.

Oh yes - afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel (or taking tea at the Nellie) is a lovely experience. Also, the Bo Kaap area of Cape Town, below Signal Hill, is fascinating.

We have been to Robben Island (twice) and although I understand some of the negative comments, I would still recommend a visit. It is very 'atmospheric' and the photo opportunity back to Cape Town and Table Mountain is wonderful.

We usually stay in Hout Bay when in SA and can recommend Mariners Wharf, but also the calamari at the Chapmans Peak Hotel is out of this world.

On your journey down the Cape, go along Chapmans Peak Drive (toll road) for wonderful views.

Also, the Constantia wine growing area is beautiful, especially Groot Constantia - a lovely lunch stop.

If you have time, the Kirstenbosch gardens are stunning and we think the Moyo restaurant there is better than the one in Stellenbosch - reserve a table on the terrace for lovely garden and mountain views.

Thanks for your take on Robben Island. We'll probably go there to experience the atmosphere and history as well as the photo opportunities. On our Full day Peninsula Tour we do go along Chapman's Peak Drive and our last stop is Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. It sounds like we are hitting all the main attractions! We have a full day Winelands tour to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch with lunch somewhere along the way and several stops for wine tasting.

We'll be sure to check out the Bo Kaap area if we are able, we will not have a car as we are doing private tours daily.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

Diane

Thanks for your take on Robben Island. We'll probably go there to experience the atmosphere and history as well as the photo opportunities. On our Full day Peninsula Tour we do go along Chapman's Peak Drive and our last stop is Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. It sounds like we are hitting all the main attractions! We have a full day Winelands tour to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch with lunch somewhere along the way and several stops for wine tasting.

We'll be sure to check out the Bo Kaap area if we are able, we will not have a car as we are doing private tours daily.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

Diane

I'm sure you will know this, but book your tickets to Robben Island in advance (on line). We were there in February and they were fully booked three days in advance.

I'm sure you will know this, but book your tickets to Robben Island in advance (on line). We were there in February and they were fully booked three days in advance.

Yes, thanks our travel agent looked after this already for us through the Travel Tour company that we are using. They will give us all of our tour tickets etc. when we land in Johannesburg as we start our trip.

Thanks again for all your tips and suggestions. It is so great to get information from people that have lived or traveled to a destination. I love to research and read as much as I can before going somewhere so I can really appreciate what I am seeing and doing.

Diane

Wondered if anyone could tell me about using a cell phone in South Africa. Can we purchase a sim card to put into our own phone for use? Are there "disposable phones" available to purchase? We have several tours booked and may have to call for times of pickup and wanted to have something we can carry with us but not use our own phone due to roaming charges. Any help would be appreciated

Best way to get from Cape Town to Kruger is to fly direct from Cape Town to Hoedspruit. I believe there are around 3 flights a week scheduled. Your safari company should be able to organize transport from there to your accommodation in the Kruger. The other option is Nelspruit further south, but then you would have to go via Johannesburg, which is inconvenient.

 

In my opinion, best time to visit is around August. This is towards the end of winter, so temperatures are largely pleasant. It is also before the start of the rainy season, so the bush is dry and the animals roam more to seek water, often gathering at larger known waterholes which do not dry up. Hence you have a better chance of seeing a wider variety of wildlife.

 

Most decent Cape Town hotels will be able to organize day tours to the various wine regions, and will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel. May be difficult to fit all of the wine regions into only a one day tour though. I would say it would take a good two to three days to sample all the main ones.

 

Hope this info is of some help!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Thanks for the info. We chose august!

Debbie

Florida

Wondered if anyone could tell me about using a cell phone in South Africa. Can we purchase a sim card to put into our own phone for use? Are there "disposable phones" available to purchase? We have several tours booked and may have to call for times of pickup and wanted to have something we can carry with us but not use our own phone due to roaming charges. Any help would be appreciated

Hi Homeagain

Try Cellucity:

http://www.capetownmagazine.com/travel-tips/cellucity-prepaid-and-rental-cell-phones-south-africa/162_22_19067

Hi Homeagain

 

Try Cellucity:

http://www.capetownmagazine.com/travel-tips/cellucity-prepaid-and-rental-cell-phones-south-africa/162_22_19067

Thanks. Looks like just what we need.

We are planning to do a trip to SA, including Cape Town, Kruger, Sabi Sabi, and Victoria Falls in May.

Would this be a good time of year to visit? We are a group of retirees, so we can do any time. This seemed to be the best month for everyone in our group. We didn't want it to be either too hot or too cold.

We would love some expert advice.

Any time of the year has it's pros and cons. The only reason why we don't go in May is because the Victoria Falls is at it's highest at the end of March and if they have had a busy rainy season it sure doesn't give you good photo's of the Falls because the spray can be overwhelming. It's like trying to take photo's in the rain and the Falls themselves are misty with the spray. I always suggest September/October being IDEAL …… we are leaving next week. One of the other main reasons for this time of year is that SA is just coming out of winter. The animals (Kruger & Sabi Sabi) have trodden down the long grass through the dry winter, which makes game viewing much, much more of a pleasure. Also being Spring there all the shoots are coming up green, which brings the animals onto the roads because the edges get green first and of course the Impala are getting ready to give birth too!!! It's like a new birth all around.

Cape Town is just the opposite, they have a Mediterranean climate - they get most of their rains in the winter. So it is starting to get warmer there in Sept/Oct - it is cooler and windier in Cape Town than in the Kruger and Vic Falls areas.

Just my two cents worth!!! Every season is lovely for different reasons.

We booked our transport from the airport to our hotel in Cape Town. it would have been faster to have taken a taxi. Just make sure they have their meter on or negotiate the price before you get in. I seem to recall that they had taxi booking before you exited the luggage pickup area and they had set prices to various hotels.

We booked tours with a private guide for Cape Town. One day we went out to the wineries (fabulous tour, especially since he took us to this incredible chocolate shop) and the other we drove along the coast line, went to the Cape, saw the penguins and several lovely towns. We did not go up Table Mountain as it was socked in the whole time we were there.

It is not fancy dress in Cape Town. Country casual like on board the ship.

For safari, invest in a hat with a strap to hold it on your head. Very windy while on the jeeps or vans. For the later afternoon drives, you need long pants for the mosquitoes. I wore long sleeves for sun protection while on safari. You don't have any shade to speak of. Wear non acrylic clothing, cotton is much cooler to wear. You don't need to buy anything special. For morning drives and during the main part of the day drives, I wore capris as they were a bit cooler. The bugs come out at dusk and are around till dawn.

 

We went to Tala and enjoyed it. Did not do any of your other safaris.

Can you provide your Guide's contact information for me please?

Debbie

Florida

Oh yes - afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel (or taking tea at the Nellie) is a lovely experience. Also, the Bo Kaap area of Cape Town, below Signal Hill, is fascinating.

Why is it fascinating?

Debbie

Florida

Hi Diane,

Highlights around Cape Town are very subjective. For us a highlight is not to visit Robben Island - although the Nelson Mandela story is a great testimony the island itself is a little of a let down. It's not as exciting as visiting Alcatraz, so personally we don't take guests there for that reason and also because there are soooo many wonderful things to see in Cape Town, one has to choose the highlights that suit your personalities.

As you now know - we are crazy, avid, wildlife watchers …. so much of our time is taken up with Whale Watching in Hermanus, Penguins at Boulders, Seal Island off Hout Bay and a trip to Cape Point (whale and game viewing there too). South Africa has such unique animals (to Africa) and seeing them all in their own environments is such a plus. Hope this helps a bit ……...

I've heard personal stories about crime in the airport and people dressing as an official and extorting my friends. I've heard that the International area is very far from where we would need to go to travel to Cape Town. Is there a map of the airport so I can locate an Information Desk easily? What do the real porters wear so I can identify them. Where would the phone purchase stores be located in the airport?

Also, we live in Florida so I'm not sure about going to the Stellenbosch Gardens. Would it be the same things we see here? Should we still go? We don't usually go to Gardens because of that reason, but we did enjoy Buchart Gardens in Canada.

Debbie

Florida

Here goes! :D

 

Things To do

 

"Food and Craft Markets - Cape Town has lots of morning markets, normally Saturday, which are fantastic to visit and just chill. Some of my favourite include the market at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, the Hout Bay market, and the Saturday morning market at Laborie wine farm in Paarl."

 

We won't have a car but don't mind getting a taxi. I'm told our hotel will drop us off at places too. How far away is Woodstock?

 

Any info on where to go to ship something home to the US should we buy a large carved wooden animal?

 

Debbie

Florida

Can you provide your Guide's contact information for me please?

Debbie

Florida

Here it is. He was really good and tailored the tours to exactly what we wanted to do.

Wayne Milne, Director - Take 2 Tours & Safaris
Phone : +27 (0) 826500545
P O Box 364
Plumstead, Cape Town 7800

info@take2tours.co.za

...

We won't have a car but don't mind getting a taxi. I'm told our hotel will drop us off at places too. How far away is Woodstock?

 

Any info on where to go to ship something home to the US should we buy a large carved wooden animal?

 

Debbie

Florida

Debbie, you don't say where your hotel is, so I am guessing it is in the city. Woodstock is just to the east of the city - taxi needed. For Hout Bay, Paarl and other distant locations a car or tour guide operator would be better. This is not in-town distance taxi-transportation due to the distance.

GoogleMaps now have excellent coverage of SA, and Google Search should help for shipping goods - just don't rely on the SA Post office, they are on another strike at present ...

Why is it fascinating?

Debbie

Florida

Debbie, I think the person meant that the Bo_Kaap is fascinating because of the history, the architecture, etc.

I've heard personal stories about crime in the airport and people dressing as an official and extorting my friends. I've heard that the International area is very far from where we would need to go to travel to Cape Town. Is there a map of the airport so I can locate an Information Desk easily? What do the real porters wear so I can identify them. Where would the phone purchase stores be located in the airport?

Also, we live in Florida so I'm not sure about going to the Stellenbosch Gardens. Would it be the same things we see here? Should we still go? We don't usually go to Gardens because of that reason, but we did enjoy Buchart Gardens in Canada.

Debbie

Florida

Debbie,

Maps of JIA:

http://www.ifly.com/johannesburg-tambo-airport/terminal-map

This site has some interesting info on the terminal - scroll down to below the map.

I could not find others of value - even the one on http://www.acsa.co.za (the airports company) was not of great use.

Anyway I seem to recall when I last went back to SA: As you came through from Customs section (and before you enter the public area in the International Terminal) there was another desk where you could recheck luggage for domestic flights. I can't remember if they then had a dedicated ramp through to the domestic terminal, or if you had to exit to the public area and then re-enter via the next terminals doors from street-side.

When you say Stellenbosch Gardens, are you definitely meaning that one which is in Stellenbosch, or do you possibly mean Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which is the flag-ship and closer to Cape Town.

http://www.sanbi.org/gardens/kirstenbosch

From their web-site:

http://www.sanbi.org/gardens/kirstenbosch/kirstenbosch-through-seasons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirstenbosch_National_Botanical_Garden

You said you are going in August. Should be good to go then to Kirstenbosch, although another little secret that most foreign tourists are not aware of is that August is flower season up the west coast in the general area of Namaqualand. Now if you are interested in wild-flowers and I mean hills-full, then that is the region to check out. Quite a drive away from Cape Town, but definitely worthwhile if you have the time. A guided-tour group or self-drive can be done in August. Very enjoyable as you get out to the farming areas and meet wonderful people. Many open their homes to visitors at this time of year for the flower season which lasts about a month or so.

http://www.cedarberg-travel.com/south-africa/northern-cape/namaqualand/tips-on-flower-tours-in-namaqualand

http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionsnc/namaqualand-flower-route.htm

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrSbhByDUNULSIApE9XNyoA?p=namaqualand+flowers&fr=sfp&fr2=piv-web

Firstly, thank you for all the info on this post I have learnt such a lot.

We are on a cruise starting in Capetown, we have a day and a half at the beginning of the cruise and half a day at the end so want to fit in as much as possible and would like to include Boulders Beach, can we get there from a stop on the HoHo bus or do we need to do a tour?

Our next port of call is East London and we don't fancy any of the tours offered from the ship, have you any recommendations for what me might do please?

Thanks.

Thank you so much for starting this thread, I will definitely follow it.

Can you comment on Kanyzei South Africa Safaris?

Thank you for all of this great information. :)

We are going to arrive a couple of days ahead of our precruise safari to Sibuya Forest Camp to see Cape Town. (Wish it was longer this time)

 

Can you comment on a couple of things:

 

Transportation from the airport to the hotel (probably the Southern Sun Cullinan Hotel) which is fairly easy. My husband is 82 and I am a young 75. Probably a taxi, but we have heard nightmares about the transportation in Cape Town--true or not.

 

Do you know about Sibuya Forest Camp?

Suggested wardrobe? We have travelled wordwide, but for some reason, we are needing specific ideas so that all will go in Africa, where we have wanted to go for years.

 

A couple of other safaris we will be on are Botlierskop, Addo Elephant Park, and Tala Game reserve. Comments please.

 

No hurry. We don't leave until mid December, but whenever you have time, your recommendations will be appreciated.

 

We also only have the 2 days in Cape Town prior to our connection with our trip/cruise the first being the Sibuya Forest Camp. We thought that we would take a Hop On Hop Off for those two days. Good idea?

 

Thanks so much.

I realize this is a post from April but just in case you are still following this thread, please tell me what cruise company you booked? You have done a trip that I want to do. :)

I love the "young 75" :) I'm a young 74.

Interesting noticing where you live since we live in Richmond. As they say, small world.

I realize this is a post from April but just in case you are still following this thread, please tell me what cruise company you booked? You have done a trip that I want to do. :)

 

I love the "young 75" :) I'm a young 74.

 

Interesting noticing where you live since we live in Richmond. As they say, small world.

Hello SPacificbound,

If I may, we will be sailing on Regent's Seven Seas Mariner from December 9-23, 2015. Regent has a few cruises that feature pre/post-cruise safaris from Capetown.

I hope this helps.

Thank you Snackdaddy! :)