It's safe to say that Cape Town is one of my favourite places so far, up there with New York and Rio de Janeiro. CT is such a beautiful city: lush green landscapes, dazzling whitewashed houses, bright white sand, shimmering blue seas and iconic mountains - what else do you need? It's going to be a struggle boarding my plane home...
The plan was to recuperate after nine day's worth of camping, squat toilets and bumpy bus rides, so I've spent two full days on the gorgeous beaches down the West coast. On the days I've managed to tear myself away from the sand, here's what I've been up to:
Table Mountain
I cheated and got the cable cars up and down CT's iconic landmark (but I did walk all the way there from the Waterfront, which is a long, steep hike in itself). The floor of the cable cars rotate as you ascend, so you get a panoramic view on the way up to get you started. You can stay at the peak for as long as you want, giving you plenty of time to soak up the views - which are stunning.
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| View of Lion's Head and the coastline from Table Mountain |
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| Panorama from Table Mountain - you can see Robben Island on the far right |
Boulder's Beach
Penguins! Penguins everywhere! Just past Simon's Town is a protected beach which a colony of super cute African penguins call home. These pint-sized birds are a joy to watch from the boardwalks and incredibly tame, giving you the chance to get some good close-ups. There's another beach close by which is open to residents and tourists where you can swim with the penguins!
Cape Point
I visited Cape Point as part of a Baz Bus Peninsula tour and almost ended up getting left behind! Not that I would have minded, it's SO beautiful: secluded beaches along the jagged coastline; bright blue, crystal clear shallows; deep blue ocean framed by lush greenery and distant mountains...and we saw a whale! Perfect for a leisurely stroll to the lighthouse, scrambling up rocks to abandoned buildings or just sitting on a bench and losing yourself in the breathtaking views.
Camp's Bay & Clifton beaches
With soft white sand, shimmering sea (although appearances can be deceiving - the water is bloody freezing! At least on the Atlantic side) and Lion's Head looming in the background, the West coast beaches remind me of Rio. Camp's Bay and the four beaches in nearby Clifton are my favourites. Clifton is super posh - sparkling white holiday homes, spotless white sand... "[...] such stuff / As dreams are made on." Can I live here please?
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| View from the sand. Idyllic |
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| In my element at Camp's Bay! |
The Waterfront
With al fresco dining, a huge modern shopping mall, boutique stores and Table Mountain as an impressive backdrop, the Waterfront is a lovely place to just chill out. I've just booked myself a cheeky hair appointment for tomorrow - it costs the equivalent of 33GBP for a full head of highlights, magic!
Queen Victoria Street
I really like this photo (if I do say so myself). The black and white cars were parked perfectly for a simple yet effective composition, made all the more poignant since I stumbled across this shortly after seeing two separate benches for white and black people. This is also the area where you'll find the National Gallery, the National Library and The Company's Garden. The District Six Museum (the museum of the apartheid era) is just down the road too.
Lion's Head
Sunday morning, day of rest - and I decide it would be a great idea to climb a mountain. Kind of forgot about my acute fear of heights until I found myself teetering precariously on narrow tracks, slipping on dusty rocks at 2,000ft and pulling myself up using chains, ladders and foot holds. Not my typical Sunday but I felt guilty for cheating my way up Table Mountain in the cable cars and for doing absolutely nothing the day before - unless sitting in a hair salon for three hours trying not to vom up last night's wine can be considered productive! Despite being very out of my comfort zone I'm so glad I did it - the views were amazing! And I felt like I'd actually earned my beach time for once...
Signal Hill
After 8 days in CT I still hadn't seen the sun set over the ocean, so on my last evening before Hermanus we took a taxi up Signal Hill (between Table Mountain & Lion's Head) and watched the blazing orange sun sink into the horizon. It was bloody FREEZING but so worth it - will definitely be going back to watch the city light up as darkness falls, it's so so beautiful.
:)
