Top Three Sights to See in Cape Town, South Africa
Four years ago, Matt and I were heading to Kenya, Africa to visit the village where some really good friends of ours were working as missionaries and then go on a safari. We were SO excited to see everything!!!! However, shortly into our planning process, I got pregnant and we had to cancel the whole trip because of the risk of malaria. We have ALWAYS wanted to go to visit them, however, between malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, etc. we've decided to wait until boys are just a few years older. However, our Kenyan friends highly recommended Cape Town, South Africa as a substitute because there is is no malaria in the area, and it is relatively safe for travel.
Cape Town doesn't "feel" like Africa. Growing up I always pictured Africa as a big open dry flat land with safari animals roaming everywhere... Cape Town is pretty much the opposite of that. Located on the southern tip of Africa, it is surrounded by water, the most gorgeous mountain cliffs and a bustling first world city. The whole area outside the city was so picturesque; as we drove along the coast, we stopped NUMEROUS times to snap a photo of the landscape. We were in awe of it all. It seriously reminded us exactly of Hawaii!!! The city did not disappoint either. Parts of the city seemed more affluent than most cities we've visited in America.
Sights
Our top 3 favorite sights in Cape Town were: Boulders Beach, Table Mountain and V&A Waterfront.
1. Boulders Beach- This beach in phenomenal for penguin sighting. When you arrive, you can pay to go to the beach (where you may see a few penguins on the rocks or around), or walk along a boardwalk to a private beach section just for the penguins. We did this and it was amazing! You pay to get access into the beach area and view all the penguins from above. We couldn't believe how many penguins we saw! It was so fun to watch and definitely a highlight for the boys! After, we continued walking along the boardwalk to a public free beach that also had penguins and took some pictures there (instead of paying to get into the penguin beach).
3. V&A Waterfront- This was a huge highlight for Dylan. A Thomas train takes kids for rides around the whole harbor!! It costs only one or two dollars and takes you around for about 15 minutes. The look on his face was priceless and I'm so glad we went to this section even just for that. The whole place was bustling!!! Shops, street performers, restaurants, a huge playground and Ferris wheel; it was definitely a fun place for everyone!
Safety in Cape Town
We were surprised to learn that Cape Town was in the top ten most dangerous cities in the world. Although, for the most part, we felt fairly safe (especially during the day) we definitely felt uneasy walking around some parts of the city at night. We noticed a lot of "beggars" in the downtown section of Cape Town, and they were much more pushy than what we are used to in the states. People would come up to you and ask for money, food, diapers, the drink in your hand... yes all of those things happened to us. And they would FOLLOW you persistently asking as you walked. It definitely made me feel uncomfortable, especially because we had our kids with us. I really struggled with wanting to help, but also feeling the need to protect my family. We didn't want to put anyone in danger, so we normally ignored all requests and walked away.
It is unfortunate we had any negative experience in Cape Town because the city is amazing and I would hope that experiences like that would not taint anyone's experience or opinion of the city. I would still highly recommend Cape Town for it's gorgeous views, beaches and wild life! :)
Cape Town doesn't "feel" like Africa. Growing up I always pictured Africa as a big open dry flat land with safari animals roaming everywhere... Cape Town is pretty much the opposite of that. Located on the southern tip of Africa, it is surrounded by water, the most gorgeous mountain cliffs and a bustling first world city. The whole area outside the city was so picturesque; as we drove along the coast, we stopped NUMEROUS times to snap a photo of the landscape. We were in awe of it all. It seriously reminded us exactly of Hawaii!!! The city did not disappoint either. Parts of the city seemed more affluent than most cities we've visited in America.
Sights
Our top 3 favorite sights in Cape Town were: Boulders Beach, Table Mountain and V&A Waterfront.
1. Boulders Beach- This beach in phenomenal for penguin sighting. When you arrive, you can pay to go to the beach (where you may see a few penguins on the rocks or around), or walk along a boardwalk to a private beach section just for the penguins. We did this and it was amazing! You pay to get access into the beach area and view all the penguins from above. We couldn't believe how many penguins we saw! It was so fun to watch and definitely a highlight for the boys! After, we continued walking along the boardwalk to a public free beach that also had penguins and took some pictures there (instead of paying to get into the penguin beach).
2. Table Mountain- Boy did we get lucky here! Table Mountain is generally ALWAYS covered with this beautiful "table cloth" of clouds. However, the day we decided to check it out, skies were clear and we had the most fantastic view. To get to the top, you wait in a pretty long line to take a cable car up the mountain. We went later in the day (around 5 o'clock) and waited about an hour to get to the cable car. It is also pretty expensive, about 20 USD to enter, however it is definitely worth it if the conditions are clear. The view is breath taking and it was so fun to explore all around the top and take lots of photos.
Safety in Cape Town
We were surprised to learn that Cape Town was in the top ten most dangerous cities in the world. Although, for the most part, we felt fairly safe (especially during the day) we definitely felt uneasy walking around some parts of the city at night. We noticed a lot of "beggars" in the downtown section of Cape Town, and they were much more pushy than what we are used to in the states. People would come up to you and ask for money, food, diapers, the drink in your hand... yes all of those things happened to us. And they would FOLLOW you persistently asking as you walked. It definitely made me feel uncomfortable, especially because we had our kids with us. I really struggled with wanting to help, but also feeling the need to protect my family. We didn't want to put anyone in danger, so we normally ignored all requests and walked away.
It is unfortunate we had any negative experience in Cape Town because the city is amazing and I would hope that experiences like that would not taint anyone's experience or opinion of the city. I would still highly recommend Cape Town for it's gorgeous views, beaches and wild life! :)
Stunning photography! Looks like an amazing trip!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!! It wasn't hard to get good pictures because Cape Town is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!! Would definitely recommend visiting this beautiful city!!
DeleteI love the penguins!
ReplyDeleteYes!! They were so fun to watch! Our boys loved them, and it was super easy to get there with a stroller too! :)
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