Highlights Western Cape Province

Cape Town

It is simply impossible to be bored in Cape Town. There are nice terraces at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront and plenty of nice restaurants, bars and clubs.

Robben Island

A visit to Cape Town would be not complete without a visit to Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobuke among others have spent years in captivity and were forced to do labour. For further information you can look on www.robben-island.org.za

Table Mountain (De Tafelberg)

You can climb Table Mountain both by foot as by cableway. Please keep in mind that the cableway will not be operating in case of too strong winds. The cableway is opened from 07.30 in the morning until 21.00 at night. The view from the top is spectacular.

Two Oceans Aquarium

In this aquarium at the Victoria & Albert Waterfront, you can see the animals that live in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Further information: www.aquarium.co.za

Garden Route

The Garden Route starts around Still Bay and runs to Plettenberg Bay. Along the garden route you can enjoy the splendid wild coastal areas and forests. You can take beautiful walks in Wilderness National Park (for more information: http://www.sanparks.org)

Whales

The area around Hermanus is an excellent place to see whales from the shore. The best time for this is from June to November, when the Southern Right Whales (Eubalaena australis) come to this area to give birth to their calves. Sometimes humpback whales are also spotted here. Hermanus itself is quite touristy. If you prefer to stay in a quieter area, you can also stay in for example De Kelders.

Western Cape Winelands

A visit to the Western Cape would not be complete without enjoying a glass of wine at one of the many vineyards. You can find them around Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl etc. The wine area can be visited on a day trip from Cape Town, but you can of course also choose to stay in of the earlier-mentioned towns. You can recognize the vineyards from the following signs:

Diving with White Sharks

For the real adrenaline-addicts among us, you can have your ultimate trip at Gansbaai, where you can see white sharks up close from a cage in the water. On these tours the boat first goes to an area where there are a lot of white sharks (around Dyers Island). The crew of the boat then throws pieces of fish and a fake seal into the water to lure the sharks. Afterwards you can climb into the cage, which is fastened to the side of the boat. The white sharks will swim so close you could touch them, which of course is not recommendable.

Surfing

In Mossel Bay, Victoria Bay and Plettenberg Bay surf fanatics can enjoy the good waves.