Top Travel is a new series here on Sarcasm and Stripes for those of us with a severe case of wanderlust! Visiting new places is such a great experience and I have been lucky enough to do a lot of traveling in my life. In this series, I will be writing about both places at I have been to (and loved) and places that I wish to visit. Up first: Cape Town, South Africa.
This year on my spring break I had the amazing experience of traveling with my family to this diverse, immensely interesting city for the first time (of hopefully many!) and it was one of the most unforgettable trips I have ever taken. There is so much culture and history as well as endless things to do.
Table Mountain is a definite must for anyone visiting Cape Town. The views of the city are gorgeous:
We took the cable car to the top and, once again, the views were amazing. This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It is very obvious why Table Mountain has been named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Hiking to the top (instead of taking the cable car) is also an option. It is a 3km hike that is steep and strenuous, according to the visitor's website for Table Mountain. That being said, I think that the views and experience would be well worth the walk, if time will allow.
Another sunset, this time from the restaurant that we ate at in Camps Bay along the beach.
This year on my spring break I had the amazing experience of traveling with my family to this diverse, immensely interesting city for the first time (of hopefully many!) and it was one of the most unforgettable trips I have ever taken. There is so much culture and history as well as endless things to do.
Table Mountain is a definite must for anyone visiting Cape Town. The views of the city are gorgeous:
We took the cable car to the top and, once again, the views were amazing. This was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It is very obvious why Table Mountain has been named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Hiking to the top (instead of taking the cable car) is also an option. It is a 3km hike that is steep and strenuous, according to the visitor's website for Table Mountain. That being said, I think that the views and experience would be well worth the walk, if time will allow.
The Cape Town sunsets are another marvelous thing about the city, so be prepared for an overload of "sun dipping into the horizon behind the ocean" photos in this post, starting with this one:
The neighborhood of Camp's Bay is a great place to spend a day at the beach. There are restaurants lining the street along the beach and gorgeous views of Table Mountain and the 12 Apostles, not to mention white sand and extremely blue water. I've heard it gets pretty crowded in the summer, but when I went in April, since it was fall in the Southern Hemisphere, the number of people wasn't too bad.
Next up, the V&A Waterfront. It contains four markets to browse, as well as many other shops and restaurants, and is in close proximity to the Two Oceans Aquarium (one of the best aquariums that I've been to in the world).
One of the markets is the Market on the Wharf, a building with a bunch of food stalls inside that were absolutely delicious! I think we ate here about 3 times and each time it was amazing. I'd recommend the wraps, the juices, and the empanadas.
About a 45 minute drive from central Cape Town is Boulders Beach. This beach is famed around the world for being the home to...
a colony of African Penguins!
There is an inlet for (human) swimming, but be prepared for crowds. People come for the penguins, but stay for the gorgeous, clear water. Same goes for the penguin viewing area, it will be crowded, but it is well worth it.
I'd recommend taking a day to explore both Boulders Beach and the Cape of Good Hope. They are both a bit of a drive from the city, but you can make a route from the beach to the cape and take Chapman's Peak Drive as a segment of your journey to and from the city's center. Chapman's Peak Drive is a scenic road which is famous in Cape Town and beyond. You can knock out those three exciting things in one day which is an especially great plan if you're pressed for time during your travels.
The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point are at the tip of the Cape Peninsula and provide beautiful views of the ocean and some great photo-ops.
On the drive back to Cape Town, we spotted these ostriches on the side of the road.
Definitely an awesome experience!
Also on the way back, we spotted a gorgeous beach and an absolutely mind-blowing sunset.
One last one. Sorry, I can't resist!
Cape Town is a dream destination and I definitely hope to visit again sometime in the future!
-Gabi