Going to a wedding just outside Cape Town (Worcester) over Easter. Staying in Claremont with some of Mrs wingnuts female friends. There will be 1 other bloke with us. Not to sure of their commitment to physical activities. Got 4 days before and 4 after the wedding so any suggestions welcome. Not got a bike with me (but have thought of hiring one) and booked Robben Island. Got two hire cars between us so can get about independently.

So apart from hunting for water and wet wipes what do you suggest?

You will go mighty thirsty without water.

Best of luck.

I went there for the first time a few weeks back – it is a spectacular place.

Things I’d recomend:

Table mountain cableway is a must do.

Drive to boulders beach and see the penguins.  When you get there you have two beaches, one with a boardwalk viewing area is much like a zoo (a nice zoo with only penguins) but if you carry on and get there early enough you can go on the actual beach with penguins swimming around you.

After boulders a local recommended to head north to Kalk bay which is very chilled out slightly bohemian small town and the harbor has seals around and they sometimes come out to the quay.

Visit Camps Bay and some of the other beaches, they’re beautiful and some have coastal pools with barbecues around them.

We went to the Lourensford market on Sunday at the Lourensford winery which is about an hour outside capetown which is super chilled, great wine and food.

In town there is the v&a waterfront which is an interesting place but a bit touristy, good markets though.

Oh and water wasn’t a problem in February.  You are definitely aware of the shortage but things were ok especially out of town where places were self sufficient.

Go biking we hired bikes and got a guide. Nip out to boschendaal  and visit vineyards. We took our hire car up Paarl mountain which is quite cool

We only spent a day there  and memory has dulled ..we spent some time on a beach which had a rusting shipwreck ..did the cable car and got the t-shirt ..went to The Cape of Good Hope ..where I seem to remember there were a lot of aggressive baboons .

I’m not exactly sure how close to Cape Town they were but we also visited an ostrich farm and watched some jockeys racing them ..also some caves ( Sudwala ?) ..which were well worth a visit ..but all of this was 36 years ago !

Having started in Johannesburg ..had a week touring in the Kruger National Park ..then headed all the way south we never stayed in one place longer than a couple of days.

After Cape Town we then travelled up the east coast with the intention of getting to Durban staying in a hotel at Wilderness ..which was anything but ..but then realising that our three weeks with friends was rapidly coming to an end and having to make a mad dash back to Johannesburg for our flight back home

Fabulous country ..

Stellenbosch vineyard tour . Take a taxi 🙂

No need for a taxi as there are some real lightweights to ferry us about occasionally 🙂 Any local brews/food to sample? Any venues for music?

Mount Nelson Sunday Jazz Brunch next to the pool. Haven’t been in a while but it’s a good place to relax after a Saturday in the vineyards!

That’s what I want. Thanks monde.

My partner and I went in January and had a great holiday.

We stayed at the Gordons Bay guesthouse which has its own borehole and isn’t affected by the water shortage. Gordon’s bay is relatively safe and has nice beaches and some good restaurants.

Hermanus and Franschoek are lovely and well worth a visit, especially when you drive over the Franschoek Pass.

The drive over Sir Lowry’s Pass is pretty cool too.

We went to Vergelegen wine estate which is stunning. As is the Harold Porter Botanical garden, which is quite close to the penguin colony at Betty’s Bay.

We hiked up Table Mountain with a guide called Christopher Smith. Couldn’t recommend him highly enough, we had a fantastic day.

We didn’t actually do much in Cape Town itself as we’re not really city people but it would be worth booking a walking tour with a good guide as there’s a lot to see. Cape Town traffic is an interesting experience!

Kirstenbosch gardens. Stunning, just stunning.

Table Mountain

Penguins there is another spot near Cape Town that is less touristy.  Betty’s Bay about an hour from Cape Town.

I wouldn’t bother with Hermanus out of whale watching season. It’s a nice town but too much of a trip from Cape Town without that as your objective. Dassies do not make a whole days entertainment and they’re on the mountain anyway!

V&A waterfront is nice (aquarium there if piddling down).

Bird of prey sanctuary at Spier.

If going out east of Cape Town the Orchard Farm Stall / Coffee Shop is nice for a pit stop just off the N2.

Look out for baboons and tortoises at side of the road.

Do not drive through Cape Town at rush hour. It’s bedlam.

I was there three weeks ago and was pleased to find that the cold beer hasn’t run out.

An interesting place to go is De Noordhoek Farm Village, I always stay at the hotel there because there are several restaurants and a couple of coffee shops and bars, plus the hotel restaurant does very good sushi thanks to the two resident Japanese chefs. After De Noordhoek you can cycle or drive up Chapman’s Peak, which is the most feared and most spectacular section of the Cape Argus cycle race, now renamed the Cape Town Cycle Tour.

All along the bay side of the Cape there are interesting towns like Muizenberg, Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town, which have quirky shops and great fish restaurants. Passing through Muizenberg, look out for Casa Labia, an expensive restaurant. *cough*

Thanks for the responses.

Thats a relief about the beer! Casa Labia looks like just the place for Binners. I’ll see if I can get the house remortgaged by Tuesday! Fish restaurants are high on Mrs W’s agenda.

Then this place is pretty damned good: http://www.harbourhouse.co.za/

…and this place more informal and great fun: http://www.brassbell.co.za/

They look great gobalti. 12 miles from the place where we’re stay so bike hire becomes an attractive option.

I wouldn’t recomment cycling from Claremont in a southerly direction, the only road is the M3, the so-called “Blue Route” which is a fast six-lane highway. For the Cape Argus it’s closed to cars going south but I certainly wouldn’t use it in traffic. As soon as you go east you are straying onto the Cape Flats, which is one of the no-go areas so you would not want to be cycling there. Best to drive down to Muizenberg and unload the bikes there.

If you do go over to Noordhoek be very careful on Noordhoek Beach especially if you’re tempted to walk in a southerly direction to explore the shipwreck; there is currently a problem with muggers coming out of the bush at the southerly end of the beach.

Generally life in CapeTown is safe and relaxed; you can stroll around the city safely. I recommend the Eastern Food Bazaar in Longmarket Street for cheap street food. The area known as Cape Quarter up the hill at the back of the city is also worth a visit. Just take local advice on where NOT to go.

Yes sir! Thanks.

Just take local advice on where NOT to go.

This, when we were over in may we cycled up  to the Rhodes memorial with a local guy we bumped into, really good trails but he said he was glad he met us as he could now do some bits he wouldn’t ride alone.

Love Cape Town, very jealous.

Be mindful of your water use (i.e. short showers, grey water for toilets if staying in someones house) but you really shouldn’t notice any major effects.

With 4 days either side of the wedding, I would be tempted to spend a few nights further east to see some more of the countryside, it is gorgeous. If you have never been to SA before and might not go again, you could have looked at spending a few nights at Addo (fly in and out of Port Elizabeth) but being Easter it could be hard to get accommodation and flights. I really liked going from the lush greenery over the mountain passes into the Little Karoo area – there are hot springs, limestone caves, remote mountains and ostrich farms at Oodtshoorn – but you may not feel you have time for that.

Wildlife: I prefer the penguin colony at Betty’s Bay and the R42 rivals Chapman’s Peak drive for scenery. You can combine that with Harold Wilson garden, hiking in Kogelberg and/or tubing on the Palmiet River.

You kind of have to do the Cape Peninsula loop! A long day trip is to do the penguins at Stony Point (Simons Town), then visit the Cape. The baboons have been largely removed from the Cape itself, but on the road to and from, lock your car doors if you stop. You can usually see ostriches either on the road to Cape Point or at Buffelsbai, which is a 5 min detour off the main road. You might also see cape zebra and antelope if you are lucky. Then aim to drive up Chapman’s Peak Drive towards sunset and you will see the layby that everyone stops at to get their sunset photos. It is beautiful.

If you like wildlife encounters and are adventurous, Kamikaze Kayaks offer sea kayaking from the city and often encounter dolphins and sun fish.

Scenery: Walk up Table Mountain if you get a chance. it might be cloudy so you need some flexibility, but there are lots of routes. If your party really don’t fancy it, I would recommend walking up Lion’s Head on a clear day, particularly towards sunset, when you get nice views over the city and to the mountain – however, this walk is not for those with vertigo (chains / ladders).

There are tons of nature reserves with walking trails around Cape Town – see capenature.co.za. It is particularly nice if you spend a few nights in the winelands to go into the foothills in the mornings and then enjoy a picnic in the afternoons while wine tasting. Jonkershoek and Assegaaibosch are easy to access.

Food: There are amazing restaurants in Cape Town but the best book up months in advance. The V&A waterfront is generally good quality and will seem cheap. There is a ‘new’ scene off Devil’s Peak / Woodstock with breweries and restaurants. Carne (and it’s sister Keerom 95) are very good quality + value if you want to be a tourist and have something a bit different.

Culture and history: Of course Robben’s Island. I think well worth seeing. Also consider seeing District 6 museum and the other museums around Company’s Gardens. Wander around Bo Kaap (colourful muslim quarter) and Cape Quarter for nice suburb eateries. If you want to do something productive relating to townships, we were introduced to Laura through a friend living in Cape Town and she is doing good things schooling kids: http://laurastownshiptours.co.za/

This is all great stuff, thanks everyone. Not sure about being able to travel much further afield. I’ll report back in a couple of weeks.