Cape Town in South Africa is clearly in my top 5 ( or 10 😇) cities in the world. With pristine white sand beaches (the Atlantic Ocean is however chilly there 😰), amazing mountains, magnificent wildlife, vineyards, great food, etc, this is clearly a must-see place!
So here is my shortlist of 7 spots not to miss (as usual, with a photographer bias) when you travel to that jewel,
-1- Table Mountain
Of course, THE spot not to miss is the top of Table Mountain for an amazing view of Cape Town
The best is to go up there using the Cable car and come down by foot through Patteklip gorge, the most direct route on a well-constructed trail. Some alpinist would find different paths but stay on the trail 😂)
Coming down hiking a couple of hours will give you some cool perspectives and images…
-2- Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront
The famous waterfront is a very (very) touristic place situated in the oldest harbor of Africa, with stunning views of Table Mountain.
With many museums and an endless list of shops and restaurants, this is clearly the place to be to watch the sunset with a drink…
Walk by the famous waterfront Clock tower for a bit of orientation at the rotary place marker 😊.
There are always shows and street artists around as well!
If you’re a photographer or interested in great travel photography images, explore the harbor, especially around sunrise for great light.
Of course, look for the cutest harbor residents: There is a colony of Cape fur seals in the harbor!
3- Bo-Kaap quarter
Bo-Kaap (Malay Quarter) is a former racially segregated area of Cape Town on the slopes of Signal Hill. It is famous for its colored homes at the foot of Table Mountain.
A cool place to go around with your camera if you like travel photography …
4- Bloubergstrand beach
Looking for a great view of Table Mountain or a surfing beach, or both? Go to Bloubergstrand Dolphin Beach and enjoy the view… Remember, the water is a bit chilly down there …
5- Cape of good hope
Even if this is NOT the southern tip of Africa, most people believe it is, so you still need to go there. Get on the drive that loops around the peninsula, false bay, and then Cape point national park with the beautiful cape of Good hope
6- Cape point national park
Cape Point (with Cape of Good hope) deserves a day to visit, with the opportunity for great hikes, swims, historical discoveries, and a plethora of fauna roaming the park.
You can find a large number of baboons …
..as well as many herds of wild ostriches (and a lot of other animals).
7- Boulders beach
This is another famous spot that you might combine with your trip to cape point. You can see a colony of the endangered African penguins on a pristine white sand beach.
The granite boulders and the beach are beautiful and not to miss. I’ve been there much time over 25 years and, unfortunately, however, over the years, there are more and more barriers and fewer and fewer penguins …
There are of course many other things to do in and around Cape Town like getting out to the wine county (Stellenbosch, Paarl, Constantia, and many more) but I’ll keep that for another post …