| Cape
Town is one of the most popular tourist destinations in
South Africa due to its good climate, natural setting,
and relatively well-developed infrastructure. The city
has several well-known natural features that attract tourists,
most notably Table Mountain, which forms the majority
of Table Mountain National Park and is the back end of
the City Bowl. Reaching the top of the mountain can be
achieved either by hiking up, or by taking the Table Mountain
Cableway. Cape Point is recognised as the dramatic headland
at the end of the Cape Peninsula. Many tourists also
drive along Chapman's Peak Drive, a narrow road that links
Noordhoek with Hout Bay, for the views of the Atlantic
Ocean and nearby mountains. It is possible to either drive
or hike up Signal Hill for closer views of the City Bowl
and Table Mountain.
Many tourists also visit Cape Town's beaches, which
are popular with local residents. Due to the city's
unique geography, it is possible to visit several different
beaches in the same day, each with a different setting
and atmosphere. Beaches located on the Atlantic Coast
tend to have very cold water as the water is mostly
glacial
melt from Antarctica. The water at False Bay beaches
is often warmer by up to 10 °C (18 °F). Both
coasts are equally popular, although the beaches in affluent
Clifton and elsewhere on the Atlantic Coast are better
developed with restaurants and cafés. The
most famous beach in Cape Town, Boulders Beach, is
known for its colony of African penguins. Surfing is
also
popular and the city hosts the Red Bull Big Wave Africa
surfing competition every year.
The city also has several notable cultural attractions.
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, built on top of
part of the docks of the Port of Cape Town, is now one
of the city's most popular shopping venues, with several
hundred shops and the Two Oceans Aquarium. Part
of the V&A's charm, as it is locally known, is that
the Port continues to operate and visitors can watch
ships enter and leave. The V&A also hosts the Nelson
Mandela Gateway, through which ferries depart for Robben
Island. It is possible to take a ferry from the V&A
to Hout Bay, Simon's Town and the Cape Fur Seal colonies
on Seal and Duiker Islands. Several companies offer tours
of the Cape Flats, a mostly Coloured township, and Khayelitsha,
a mostly black township. It is also possible to sleep
overnight in Cape Town's townships. There are several
B&B's where you can spend a safe and real African
night.
Cape Town is also noted for its architectural heritage,
with the highest density of Cape Dutch style buildings
in the world. Cape Dutch style, which combines the
architectural traditions of France, the Netherlands,
and Germany, is
most visible in Constantia, the old government buildings
in the Central Business District, and along Long Street.
The annual Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, also known
by its Afrikaans name of Kaapse Klopse, is a large minstrel
festival held annually on January 2 or "Tweede Nuwe
Jaar" (Afrikaans: Second New Year). Competing
teams of minstrels parade in brightly coloured costumes,
either
carrying colourful umbrellas or playing an array of
musical instruments. The Artscape Theatre Centre is
the main
performing arts venue in Cape Town.
Cape Town's transport system links it to the rest of
South Africa; it serves as the gateway to other destinations
within the province. The Cape Winelands and in particular
the towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek are
popular day trips from the city for sightseeing and wine
tasting. Whale watching is popular amongst tourists:
Southern Right Whales can be found off the coast during
the breeding season (August to November) and Bryde's
Whales can be seen any time of the year. The nearby
town of Hermanus is known for its Whale Festival, but
whales can also be seen in False Bay. Heaviside's
dolphins are endemic to the area and can be seen from
the coast north of Cape Town; dusky dolphins live along
the same coast and can occasionally be seen from the
ferry to Robben Island. 
Approximately 1.5 million tourists visited in Cape Town
during 2004, bringing in a total of R10 billion in
revenue. The forecasts for 2006 anticipate 1.6 million
tourists
spending a total of R12 billion. The most popular areas
for visitors to stay include Camps Bay, Sea Point,
V & A
Waterfront, Hout Bay, Rondebosch, Hermanus, Constantia,
City Bowl, Somerset West and Newlands.
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| Find accommodation in Western
Cape and particularly Cape Town,
to experience what this gem in South Africa's
tourism crown has to offer. The Mother City awaits
you to show off all she has to offer. |
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