svccwa.org

The Southern suburbs of Cape Town are made up of formerly ‘whites-only’ neighbourhoods and are bordered by the east side of Table Mountain, the Cape Flats, and False Bay. This area has most of the suburban attractions of Cape Town, as well as the best shopping and cinemas. In the summer, it’s a good place to escape the city heat and you can visit the Tokai Forest, which offers shelter not only from the summer sun, but also from the gusting southeaster winds.

Bohemian Hub

The oldest of the suburbs is Woodstock, which still has some fine old Victorian buildings and the suburb called Observatory is considered to be the city’s bohemian hub. Because of its proximity to the University of Cape Town, it has a large student population. Its narrow Victorian streets are lined with the residences of young professionals, artists, and hippie-culture hold-outs and there are some great cafes and bars here, along with antiques emporiums. Here, too, is the Groote Schuur Hospital, where the world’s first heart transplant was performed in 1967.

Irma Stern: Pioneer Artist

The Irma Stern Museum on Cecil Road in Rosebank was the home of one of South Africa’s pioneering artists for 38 years until her death in 1966. Stern is remembered for bringing modern European ideas to art in South Africa. She used expressionist distortion in her intensely sensuous paintings, and is considered by South African art historians to be a giant of her generation. Her former home is now one of the best art museums in Cape Town. It is worth visiting not only for its collection of Stern’s work, but also for her own collection of Iberian, African, Oriental and ancient artifacts. The whole house is a reflection of her fascination with the exotic.

Rondebosch: Kipling was Here

South of Rosebank is Rondebosch, home of the University of Cape Town. The university’s 19th century buildings are stately and garlanded in greenery. Of interest to students of literature and history is a small house called Woolsack that is on the campus grounds. Built in 1900, this cottage was, for several years, the winter retreat of renowned British writer Rudyard Kipling. He allegedly wrote his famous poem “If” here. Rondebosch is also the site of an iconic Cape Town landmark, the Rhodes Memorial. This replica of a Doric Greek temple honours South African statesman Cecil John Rhodes. It was designed by Sir Herbert Baker, and was unveiled in 1912. From the Rhodes Monument, visitors have a sweeping view of the southern suburbs of Cape Town. The oak and pine woods around it are home to a few fallow deer and refreshments are available at a pleasant tea garden.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens

Five kilometers south of Rondebosch are the Kirstenbosch National Gardens. After the V&A Waterfront and the cable car ride up Table Mountain, this is the most popular tourist attraction in the city. Created by Cecil Rhodes in 1895, it is the oldest and largest botanical garden in South Africa and in 2004 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are over 22,000 indigenous plants, as well as a research unit and a library. The gardens are truly magnificent; in the summer, open air concerts are held every Sunday evening creating a perfect opportunity for a picnic.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

The Bo-Kaap district is one of the oldest and most fascinating residential areas in Cape Town. Situated on the slopes of Signal Hill, not far from the Parliament, Bo-Kaap has its own distinct and very strong identity. The residents even speak their own dialect of Afrikaans, although it is gradually losing ground to English.

Cape Malay Origins

Many of today’s Bo-Kaap residents are descended from slaves who were brought to Cape Town in the 16th and 17th centuries. Rather than enslaving members of the local population, Dutch settlers instead imported slaves from other parts of Africa, as well as Madagascar, India, and Sri Lanka, with a very small percentage from Malaysia. Nonetheless, the slaves of the Cape colony were dubbed Cape Malay, and the name stuck. Because of the blend of Asian, white, and black people, the Bo-Kaap of today has a very racially mixed population.

Deceptively Quaint

As you walk along Bo-Kaap streets, you’ll see many brightly coloured 19th century Dutch and Georgian terraces which provide a rather deceptively quaint atmosphere. With the exception of Wale Street, a main thoroughfare, this is not an area that tourists should explore alone. Even though Cape Town authorities are making great efforts to reduce the crime rate, tourists are advised to join one of the tours that take visitors through the neighbourhood. The guides are often Bo-Kaap residents who know the streets well and are full of interesting information.

The Bo-Kaap Museum



A good place to start a tour of the Bo-Kaap is the Bo-Kaap Museum. Located at 71 Wale St., near the Buitengragt end, it was once the home of Abu Bakr Effendi. He was a 19th century Muslim religious leader from Turkey who the British brought to Cape Town in 1862 to act as a peacemaker between feuding Muslim factions. Abu soon became a leading member of the community. He founded an Arabic school, and wrote a book in the local Afrikaans vernacular – thought to be possibly the first book ever published in Afrikaans. The museum displays many of his possessions. There are also exhibits pertinent to local Islamic traditions.

Cape Town’s First Official Mosque

On Dorp St., one block south of the Bo-Kaap Museum, is the Auwal. Dating back to 1797, this was the first official mosque not only in Cape Town, but also all of South Africa. Its founder was Imam Abdullah ibn Qadi Abd-al-Salam, known to his followers as Tuan Guru (Master Teacher). He was a Moluccan prince who was exiled to Robben Island in 1780 for opposing Dutch imperialism in the East Indies. While he was on the island he wrote a series of important Islamic commentaries which greatly influenced Muslims in the Cape colony. After his release in 1792, he founded the Auwal. Today however, not all of the residents of the Bo-Kaap are Muslim. Because of the neighbourhood’s architectural charm and central location, it has become attractive to non-Muslim Capetonians as well. Houses fetch high prices, and many have been sold to people from outside the community.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

Fascinating Long Street is one of Cape Town’s most popular and diverse attractions. With its views of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill, it invites a leisurely exploration. It was first settled by Muslims about 300 years ago, and made up Cape Town’s old boundary. By the 1960s, Long Street had become a disreputable part of town, lined with brothels and seedy bars. Some of that underworld atmosphere still remains, but the street has been somewhat upgraded by the presence of antique shops, craft shops, delicatessens, cafes, and some very good second hand book stores.

The Long Street Baths

The Long Street Baths are a Cape Town institution. Established in 1906, the Baths are at the top of the road, near where it intersects with Buitensingel. The steam rooms provide great relaxation on a cool winter day but, if you’re going with a friend, be aware that there are separate hours for men and women. A session lasts four hours, and the price of admission gets you a private cubicle and a towel, access to the wet or dry steam rooms, and a massage. Give it a try for a unique and invigorating Cape Town experience.

The Palm Tree Mosque and the Pan African Market

Just north of the Long Street Baths, the Palm Tree Mosque is an unmistakable city landmark. It is not open to the public, but is nonetheless worth a look from the outside. This is the only surviving 18th century building on the street and was constructed in 1780 as a private home. In 1807 it was bought by Frans Van Bengal, a Muslim, and Jan Van Boughies, a freed Muslim slave, who turned it into a mosque. Just nearby, you will find the Pan African Market, one of Cape Town’s most intriguing secrets. It is one of the best places in the city to buy African crafts, but it is very easy to miss if you don’t know where it is with a quite inconspicuous frontage. Within, however, are three floors of rooms and connecting passageways crammed with art and artifacts from all over Africa. A range of traders display brass animal figures, masks from West Africa, contemporary South African textiles, leather goods, and tailored clothes. You can also buy bargain priced CDs and musical instruments, have your hair braided, and even take lessons on playing drums.

The South African Missionary Meeting House Museum

Located near the end of Long Street at the harbour is the South African Meeting House Museum. Completed in 1804, this was the first missionary church in South Africa. It is an extraordinary building, with one of the most beautiful frontages in Cape Town. The fa?ade is dominated by large windows which are separated into bays by delicate Corinthian pilasters. The interior features an impressive neoclassical pulpit carved from wood which is perched on a pair of columns high above the congregation. The columns frame the inlaid image of an angel in flight. This museum is a good place to either start or finish your stroll along Long Street.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

As with any vacation destination, the weather in Cape Town is an important factor to consider when you are planning your holiday. Certain seasons are better for some specific activities than they are for others. For example, while summer is the best time for beach lovers, the city’s winter months are better for visitors who want to head out of the city on wildlife safaris, as various weather-related conditions can make the animals more visible.

Mediterranean Climate

Because South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the opposite of those in North America and Europe. It is located halfway between the Equator and Antarctica, so overall it has a temperate climate. Cape Town’s southernmost location on a peninsula between two oceans gives it a Mediterranean-like climate. The summers are warm and dry, and the winters are wet and cool. But be forewarned, the weather can be fickle in Cape Town at any time of year. In the summer, cool winds can bring a sudden chill to the city, ruining plans for a day at the beach. Likewise, in winter a sudden warm spell can bring gorgeous, sunny days. A rule of thumb for tourists going to Cape Town is to pack a sweater or jacket if you’re visiting in the summer, and some light clothing if you’re going in the winter to cover all bases.

Southeaster and the Cape Doctor

The nippy summer wind that can suddenly sweep across Cape Town is called the southeaster. It blows in from across False Bay and can reach gusts of up to 60 km per hour. On those days you’ll want to find something to do indoors! In its gentler form, this wind is called the Cape Doctor and is a breeze is just cool enough to provide relief from the humidity. The Cape Doctor is what causes the mantle of cloud around Table Mountain which locals call the Tablecloth. The Tablecloth is beautiful to look at, but it can shut down the cable car service on the mountain due to poor visibility.

Party Time

For fun in the sun, sand and surf, the best times to visit Cape Town are from October to mid-December, and from mid-January to Easter. These periods will produce an average of ten hours of sunshine a day. From mid-December to mid-January, Cape Town is one of the favourite places for South Africans looking for a seaside holiday and this is also party time when the city hosts numerous festivals. So it is advisable to book accommodation and transport well in advance if you’re planning your holiday around this time.

Joys of Spring and Autumn

In spite of the shorter hours of daylight, the autumn period, from April to mid-May, is a pleasant time to visit Cape Town. The southeaster drops off, the temperature is comfortably warm, and the light is sharp and bright. Likewise, the spring month of September can be very attractive. These are good times to tour the Garden Route or enjoy spectacular views from Table Mountain.

Winter Wonderland With No Snow

June and July are considered the depth of winter in South Africa. However, aside from periods of heavy rain, the weather is usually quite mild and temperatures rarely dip below six degrees Celsius. Flowers are always in bloom and there are no bare trees, making it a picturesque time. In addition to being the best time to go on wildlife viewing excursions, winter also marks the beginning of whale watching season. Migrating whales begin to appear off the Whale Coast in July, and remain until November.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

Cape Town’s musical pace is pretty laid back and leisurely compared to the wild and woolly music scene of Johannesburg. Nonetheless, a remarkable amount of high quality music is produced there, especially by jazz artists. Cape Jazz is, in fact, the city’s greatest musical legacy, and a South African treasure. Cape Jazz has in its own way made the city the New Orleans of South Africa. It had its roots in the 1920s and grew in spite of a conservative political environment. It borrowed from American and European innovations, but developed into a sound that is distinctly Cape Town’s.

Dollar Brand and Friends

One of Cape Town’s greatest jazz legends is Abdullah Ibrahim, who went by the professional name Dollar Brand before his conversion to Islam. He was born and raised in Cape Town’s District Six, and emerged on the music scene as an extraordinarily gifted pianist and composer. His work is a spellbinding mixture of African, American, and Cape Muslim idioms. Other Cape Jazz greats include three saxophonists: Winston “Ngozi” Mankunku, Robbie Janson, and the late Basil Coetzee; bassist Spencer Mbadu, guitarist Errol Dyers, and pianist Hotep Galata. Young stars who are carrying on the tradition include pianist Paul Hanmer, whose subtle, mellow artistry defies verbal description; and guitarist Jimmy Dludlu, whose sense of cool when he is on stage is infectious. Music lovers visiting the city should take the opportunity to see them live to really experience their musical genius.

The Beat Goes on in Studios

Of course, not everybody will have the opportunity to hear these artists live. For those who do, recordings are the only way to relive the experience at home. Several adventurous independent recording studios have sprung up around the city. They have been producing not only cutting edge jazz, but also hip-hop and the gritty South African urban underground sound, kwaito. Melt2000 is the most innovative and intelligent of the established labels. Their titles, and those of the other studios, can be purchased in Cape Town music stores or ordered through them. These albums make fantastic souvenirs and gifts.

Cape Town Music – “Must Have” Recordings

For any serious music lovers, jazz fans in particular, who want a comprehensive collection of the best of the Cape Town music scene, the following albums are essential: Monwabisi by Basil Coetzee, Operation Lahlela by Dantai, Essence of Rhythm by Jimmy Dludlu, African Princess of Pop and Memeza by Brenda Fassie, Trains to Taung by Paul Hamner, African Market Place by Abdullah Ibrahim, Nomad Jez by Robbie Jansen, Crossroads by Winston Mankunku, Ghetto Code by Prophets of Da City, Sondelani by Ringo, and Afterlife Satisfaction by Springbok Nude Girls.

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival

Visitors to Cape Town can hear Cape Jazz played by both famous artists and emerging musicians at many venues throughout the city at any time of year. But the very best place to hear both local artists and international stars is the city International Jazz Festival. This great celebration of jazz music dates back only about ten years, when it was established as a counterpoint to the renowned North Sea Jazz Festival. Since then it has become world famous in its own right. Besides showcasing local talent, the Cape Town festival has attracted such stars as Herbie Hancock and Courtney Pine. The festival is held every year on the last weekend in March.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

The South African city of Cape Town was founded 350 years ago, making it the oldest city in the country. It was once just a place where Portuguese ships put in for food and fresh water on their way to and from the Far East. When the Dutch took over the lucrative spice trade, they established a base on the Cape Peninsula but had no intention of starting a colony. Then someone noticed that the land around the Cape was prime agricultural real estate and Dutch farmers came to stake out new lives. They were soon followed by French Huguenots and others and the Cape Colony was firmly established.

Legislative Capital

The city is the legislative capital of South Africa but for many years it was the administrative, social and economic centre of the Cape Colony as well. Today, the distinction and responsibilities of the South African federal capital are shared by three cities: Pretoria is the administrative capital, the headquarters for the judiciary are in Bloemfontein and Cape Town is the seat of the national parliament. The Parliament Buildings, which date back to 1885, are on Government Street and guided tours are available. Cape Town is also the capital of the Western Cape Province.

This Old City is Young

Cape Town has a population of just over three million people. Half of Cape Town’s population is of mixed race; “coloured”, according to South African ethnic classifications. Native black Africans make up 26 percent of the city’s population and white Capetonians of Dutch and English descent account for 23 percent. The rest of the population is of Asian background. Of the total number, one third of the population is under the age of fourteen making Cape Town demographically a very ‘young’ city.

So Many Mother Tongues

The post-apartheid South African government recognises eleven official languages and three of them are commonly heard in the city. Xhosa is the mother tongue of most of Cape Town’s black residents. Afrikaans is a distinct Dutch dialect that is indigenous to South Africa and is the first language not only of the Afrikaners, the descendants of pioneering Dutch farmers, but also of a large portion of the coloured population. English, besides being the first language of Capetonians of British background, is also the language of business and education. Knowledge of English in Cape Town’s tourist industry a given, and most of the people holiday-makers encounter in the city speak English.

Buy Genuine Souvenirs

Poverty is a fact of life for many of the residents of the city and unemployment is high, especially in the black neighbourhoods. The inhabitants of about 40 percent of Cape Town’s households live on, or below, the poverty line. As a result, the city also has a high crime rate and visitors should take all common sense precautions. They can help by purchasing souvenirs that are hand-made by local craftsmen, sometimes from refuse found in the streets. These souvenirs are a genuine product of the community, and the purchase of them helps struggling families.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

With everything to do in Cape Town, you could be forgiven for wanting to take a little while to sit back, sip on a Mojito cocktail, and relax to some of the unique sounds of Cape Town’s music. As well as being home to a wide variety of South African cultures, the city is also home to its own particular brand of music – goema, or goema jazz. Based on a wooden, barrel-shaped Malaysian drum set known as a ghomma, the style evolved into a unique brand of music that became identified as Cape Town’s ‘goema’.

Cape Jazz

Previously identified as ‘Cape Jazz’, the music of Cape Town sounds similar to the popular jazz style of marabi, a fast-paced keyboard style known for its energy and the ability to get people dancing in local bars or shebeens! Cape Jazz became more improvisational than marabi, however, in large part due to the celebratory culture of Cape Town. A large part of the improvisational structure evolved from the situations the music would be played in – often street parades, where being able to improvise or extend a piece of music or song would be of tremendous help to an aspiring musician! The style also developed around the instruments used, as the players became accustomed to instruments that could be carried by hand, such as brass instruments, banjos, guitars and, of course, ghomma drums.

The Goema Captains

One of the most famous bands of Cape Town, the Goema Captains featured famous jazz musician Mac McKenzie, Alex van Heerden, and Hilton Schilder, who took a different direction by rearranging traditional songs with the important improvisational elements of goema. Another example is The Cape Jazz Band, an ensemble drawing all of its members from different groups playing in Cape Town.

Where to Go

If you’re looking to investigate Cape Town’s live music scene, you can’t do better than a few of the venues nestled right in the heart of the city. ‘Mercury’ has long been the favourite haunt of most of the top South African Bands playing in Cape Town. It is divided into a downstairs lounge and an upstairs section, ‘Mercury Live’, boasting one of the best sound systems in the city, as well as a spacious stage and standing area. For those looking for a little more variety than simply music, the ‘Zula Sound Bar’ offers a diverse range of music including hip-hop, rock, traditional African, reggae, and goema, as well as live comedy on occasion. Situated in Long Street, it sits in the heart of Cape Town’s nightlife and provides a full menu, along with tables on a balcony affording great views of the bustling city.

Whether it’s a short visit to Cape Town, or a longer exploration of all the city has to offer, music is an unavoidable part of the urban landscape. With the reintroduction of several traditional songs to the popular repertoire of goema music, it’s also becoming a new way of discovering the city’s cultural history. Give goema a go, and you never know – you may find yourself unexpectedly tapping a foot along to the beat.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

No trip to Cape Town would be truly complete without setting some time aside to experience a trip to Table Mountain. Once the habitat of lions and leopards, the mountain has come to be seen as a symbol of the city it towers over. But as spectacular as the views from the mountaintop are, there’s enough to be enjoyed during the trip up and down in Cape Town’s cable cars.

The first cars

It took over 40 years of discussion and planning – interrupted by two wars – before construction began in 1926, and the first cableway opened for business three years later in 1929. In the beginning, the construction of the cars featured a tin roof and sides made out of wood. Of course the design evolved over time, and cable cars leaving from Cape Town today are built to maximise the view during the journey, with a rotating floor ensuring a 360 degree view during the journey. The base of the cable car is filled with water, serving as ballast in the windy conditions – and it can get windy above Cape Town. Ascending to Table Mountain takes visitors 1067 metres above sea level, and the winds at that height can be extremely strong. Luckily, the cableway only operates when weather permits, which is often, and boasts an impeccable safety record.

A unique system

The system itself is fairly unique – Cape Town is the home of one of only three Rotair cable cars in the world (the others having homes in Switzerland and the USA). The system relies on two cable cars to counterbalance each other – as one goes up, the other comes down. The cars can’t operate independently, but it also halves the wait whether you’re ascending or descending. The cars travel at a maximum speed of ten metres per second – long enough to enjoy the view, and quickly enough to reach the summit in about 4 or 5 minutes. Good news for the traveller in a hurry. Each car can carry 65 passengers, and the cableway as a whole has transported over 20 million people from Cape Town to Table Mountain and back. They can’t be booked in advance, though, and tend to become very busy on clear days.

Starting or finishing

If you’re looking to take advantage of the adventurous activities around Table Mountain the cable cars are a convenient way of beginning or ending your chosen day. If you’re interested in hiking up Table Mountain, but worried the descent back to Cape Town might be a step too far, then descending in a cable car will allow a quick and restful descent. Likewise, if abseiling down from the summit is your method of choice, a cable car up to Table Mountain could give you some perspective on your route, as well as letting you save your energy beforehand! Whether walking up from, or climbing back down to Cape Town, or even just enjoying a peaceful ride and appreciating the vista, the cable cars of Cape Town are something to experience in their own right.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

So you’re tanned, you’ve toured – in fact, all the items in your guidebook have been checked off, one by one. So what better way to refresh yourself than by seeing Cape Town through the eyes of a fellow traveller? Discovering the quirks of a holiday destination through stories and novels has been a time-honoured tradition for generations of travellers, and Cape Town provides a superb canvas when it comes to stories. In fact, whatever your tastes, there’s something that might just give you a new way of looking at the city.

Travel and Teaching

Some novels are packed with cultural insights, such as Zoe Wicomb’s collection of stories titled ‘You Can’t Get Lost in Cape Town’, which (instead of the travelogue you might expect!) features different vignettes of a young woman returning to South Africa in order to confront the culture that shaped her as a child. Another critically-praised read is Finuala Dowling’s ‘Flyleaf’, a novel depicting the life of a teacher with some very unorthodox teaching methods, and the challenges she faces in moving from the country to build a life in Cape Town.

Action and Adventure

For the more adventurous, there isn’t a better setting for a thriller than the vibrant, bustling city of Cape Town. ‘Thirteen Hours’ by Deon Meyer, South Africa’s bestselling crime fiction author, is a detective tale of a missing backpacker and a conspiracy that threatens the country. Or there’s Lauren Beukes’ ‘Moxyland’, a debut science fiction novel looking to Cape Town’s future, displaying the blend of cultures in the city along with a vision of where technology might take them. You’ll never look at your phone the same way again, wherever you are.

Choices and Cooking

Or if you prefer a lighter touch, Patricia Schonstein’s ‘A Time of Angels’ is a light-hearted comedy, focusing on the colourful characters inhabiting an expatriate neighbourhood in Cape Town. It is a wonderful fable about good, evil, and most importantly – the love of food! If you’re venturing on holiday with family members, there’s no better way to get the teenagers excited about being in Cape Town than by giving them Sally Partridge’s ‘Fuse’, with its story of teenage friendship put under pressure by bullying, and a plan to fight back that transforms the novel into a gripping tale of adventure.

Off the Page

Not only can you find a new way of looking at Cape Town in novels as well as the guidebook, but the city is proud of its literary culture. Cape Town’s book fair gives around 18,000 literature lovers a new way of enjoying South Africa, after the wines have been drunk, the food enjoyed, and the music danced to. Notables such as Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, and novelists Jodi Picoult and Wole Soyinka visited 2010′s fair, marking it as the place to be seen for authors from around the world.

With pages and pages written about Cape Town outside of the guidebook, there’s a story for everyone – and reading a few others can help you decide how you’re going to live your own. Whether you’re there already, or just planning a visit, picking up a novel or two just might give you a few new ideas about Cape Town.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury South Africa holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

The South African flag is a national symbol that you are bound to see several times during any visit to Cape Town. Adopted in 1994 following the election of Nelson Mandela as president, the flag represents a desire for unity and the convergence of a diverse and tumultuous nation. Originally, the colours stood for elements of both the past and the future; red representing bloodshed, blue standing for blue skies, green meaning the lands, yellow reflecting natural resources such as gold, and black and white representing the respective ethnicities. However, these colours represent much more in Cape Town.

Red is For…

…the Red City tour around Cape Town, which offers you the chance to see the city from the comfort of an open top bus. The hop-on hop-off bus service will take you around the city, allowing you to alight and board at your leisure, and getting you within close proximity to many of the major sights. See Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, Camps Bay and much more from the comfort of the bus, and enjoy the chance to explore them at your own pace.

Blue is For…

… the waterfront, and in particular the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Next door to Cape Town’s harbour, the waterfront is nestled in between Table Mountain and Robben Island, and is arguably one of the most visited areas of the city. A shopping and entertainment venue like no other in South Africa, incorporating fabulous lifestyle with fantastic views of the ocean, the waterfront is by far the most popular part of town.

Green is For…

… Table Mountain. Cape Town’s most prominent landmark, the flat-topped mountain is part of a stunning national park that is well worth a visit. Visible from all over the city the mountain is an integral part of the landscape, and of any holiday. However, if you can’t quite face the slopes on foot, you can always take the aerial cableway to save your legs. On arriving at the top of the Table Mountain, you are guaranteed to have your breath taken away by the stunning views of Cape Town and all that surrounds it.

Yellow is For…

… the Gold of Africa Museum in Cape Town. Home to a collection of at least 350 gold artefacts originating from Western Africa, this museum is the best place to learn about the history of the art of goldsmiths. If you are particularly interested in the making of gold jewellery, there are demonstrations and courses centred upon the making of jewellery held quite regularly, bringing the ancient artefacts exhibited in the museum to life for you.

White is For…

… the Witsand Nature Reserve. Witsand, meaning white sands, this Nature Reserve on the Northern Cape spans 2,500 hectares and is surrounded by red Kalahari sand which contrasts beautifully. The white sand is said by geologists to be caused by a collection of hillocks that are buried beneath the dunes. If you visit the nature reserve between September and April, you may even hear the roaring sound emitted by the dunes from time to time.

Black is For…

…the Black Marlin Seafood Restaurant. Housed in a building in Cape Town, which was once a whaling station, the restaurant’s proximity to the scenic coastline en route to Cape Point affords diners sensational views. With an extensive and contemporary seafood menu, and some of the most delectable local wines on offer, this really is one place you have to have dinner during your time in Cape Town.

So, next time you see a flag flying in Cape Town, be sure to do a quick run through your mental check list and make sure your trip has represented each of the colours on the flag.

Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.