Best Way to See Cape Town’s Big Six and More

QUICK VIEW:
South Africans know Cape Town as the Mother City, home to Table Mountain. Start with the Big Six highlights—the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain Cableway, Groot Constantia, Kirstenbosch Botanical, Cape Point, and Robben Island. Then, fill in all the gaps between the Six!

At Hacking the Road, we are dedicated to finding ways to help people live a Better Life ... on the Road! We are full-time travelers and experience seekers, and we want to share our journey with you. We believe that travel opens hearts and minds, and makes the world a better place. Join us as we explore each new destination.

SOUTH AFRICA is located on the southernmost tip of the African continent. This Blog is part of a travel series covering the Road Hackers' three month visit to the Western Cape in 2022. 

If you are fortunate enough to visit South Africa, we would strongly recommend the Cape Town Big Six as a foundation for an unforgettable southern African experience: 

Visit our other blogs for an in-depth look at the final three destinations.

THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN
Finally, we were ready for Cape Town! There are those who say that Cape Town can be explored over a couple of days. To us, that's not exploring! Thats's what we'd call drive-by tourism. 

Our slow travel strategy allowed us to totally immerse ourselves in the Cape Town experience. To really enjoy the area, we spread our visits over several weeks, heading to Cape Town for a day or two every week over the next month. This section is an amalgam of all of those visits.

Cape Town is known as the "Mother City" because it was the location of the first European settlement in Southern Africa. This jewel is often listed among the "Top 10 cities to see before you die."

Situated at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula, Cape Town proper essentially lies between the spectacular backdrop of Table Mountain and Table Bay. The immediate suburbs extend southward from Table Bay, most notably including Camps Bay, Clifton, Sea Point, and Green Point.

The Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality actually covers the entire Cape Peninsula and extends across all the communities on either side of False Bay, which lies east of Table Mountain. Notable communities on the east side of the Cape Peninsula include Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek, and Simon's Town.

Today, Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. The city covers an area of about 116 square miles/300 square km, and has a population of over three million people.

On our first visit to the city, we spent the day with Jane and Rochelle, seeing some of the more popular highlights. The easiest and most economical way to see these focal points is to buy a ticket on the open-top double decker CitySightSeeing red bus.

CitySightSeeing Cape Town offers open-ended one-day (Classic $17) and two-day (Premium $22) hop-on/hop-off tickets with very generous access to a wide array of sights and experiences scattered over Cape Town and its many suburbs. The Premium ticket adds access to a special Sunset Bus Tour and a Harbor or Canal Cruise. All tours include an audio narrative through free head phones, offered in 15 different languages.

The ticket offers four very entertaining tour loops:

We decided to take the very popular Red City Tour. Our plan was to cover the sights of the Blue, Yellow, and Purple Tours on our own when we had more time for in-depth exploration. On those excursions, we also hoped to add visits to Robben Island, Cape Point in Table Mountain National Park, and Seal, or Duiker, Island near Hout Bay.

We bought our CitySightSeeing tickets while visiting the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Waterfront. This major tourist attraction boasts tons of world class shopping, great hotels, all kinds of restaurants, and wonderful public art.

The area is actually part of Table Bay Harbor, which is the oldest working harbor in South Africa. You can even enjoy the view of Table Mountain while taking a harbor cruise. An adult ticket costs about $8. What a deal!

We walked all over the beautifully laid-out development on our way to boarding our first bus.

A top attraction here is the Two Oceans Aquarium, the biggest of its kind in South Africa. Highlights include an African penguin colony, a very cool shark exhibit, and a walk through the transparent tunnel under the aquarium. Adult entrance tickets cost about $14.

For those who love to visit all the big Ferris wheels of the world, the Waterfront has the Cape Wheel. Given Rainman's fear of heights, this wasn't high on our list. Adult tickets cost about $12 each.

Though we weren't in the market for adding anything to our suitcases, we didn't skip The Waterfront shopping walk. Browsing and window shopping the small artisan shops displaying arts, crafts, jewelry, clothing, ceramics, and even furniture accessories, was a feast for the eyes and the imagination. The whole zone was well laid out and quite upscale.

The wide open airy space of the V&A Food Market has a whole array of street food choices, micro-brewery options, and a variety of dessert caterers. We were temped to sample everything, but we settled for homemade cookies to tide us over until lunch later.

One of the coolest sights was the operation of the V&A Waterfront Swing Bridge. This unique engineering solution facilitates foot traffic between the Alfred and Victoria Basins, while allowing boating to continue between these waterways.

As we made our way over to the Clock Tower and the Zeitz Museum, we had the opportunity to see the bridge in action as it slowly reconnected the pathway between the basins so we could make the crossing. The bridge is 13 ft/4 m wide and about 137 ft/42 m long.

Once across the bridge, the old Clock Tower came into full view. The tower, built in 1882, was designed in period Victorian Gothic style and originally housed the Port Captain's office. The clock itself was imported from Edinburgh, Scotland. 

Passing the Clock Tower, the inspiring tall structures of the Silo District lay up ahead. The focal point of this locale is the amazing Silo Complex. The silos themselves were originally built in the 1920s to store grain before export from South Africa to foreign destinations. At the time, this was the tallest man-made structure in southern Africa.

The old silo complex was completely renovated and redeveloped with reinforced concrete, creating a giant atrium with 70 large eco-friendly glass panes and beautiful architectural designs throughout. The complex houses the world-famous Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCCA) and the Silo Hotel, with 28 lavish guest rooms.

The Zeitz Museum is the real star here. Zeitz is advertised as the biggest museum in Africa, with over 65,500 square foot/6,000 square meters of exhibit space, spread over eight floors. Zeitz regularly exhibits the works of internationally-renowned artists.

For us, the architecture alone was worth the $15 price of admission for an adult ticket. Jane and Rochelle paid the reduced admission price for South African residents, but they agreed with us!

We took the elevator to the top floor and were treated to a unique view of Table Mountain, as it peered from the impressive glass panes of the restored silo. Even better, Table Mountain was sporting a very dramatic tablecloth, the name locals call the clouds that cascade over the mountain. 

The top floor also houses an impressive restaurant and bar, strictly for those with a healthy budget! The actual floor is made of thick transparent glass. Walking across it provides a birds-eye view of the internal structure of the silos--a unique perspective to be sure, but a little scary for those of us with a heights phobia!

The museum's art exhibits on display the day we toured were quite varied and abstract.

Even the restrooms had an artistic flare!

Leaving the Silo District, we hopped back on the bus for a quick trip through downtown Cape Town. We made sure we had great seats with unobstructed views from the upper deck. Sometimes the wind was whipping, so we literally had to hang on to our hats! But the upper deck view was definitely the best way to see the sights.  

The hustle and bustle of the city came alive before us. It was fun just people watching as they all seemed in such a hurry. Like any other city worldwide, cars were double-parked, horns were honking, and pigeons were abundant!

We exited the bus, and made our way up Darling Street past the beautiful Cape Town City Hall building. Built in 1905, this Edwardian edifice was built of lime stone imported from Bath, England. In 1990, Nelson Mandela made his first free speech after being released from his Robben Island prison at this historic building.

More than 10,000 people were in attendance to hear Mandela's words, just hours after his release. The address given from the balcony began, "Comrades and fellow South Africans, I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom. I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people."

Across the way from City Hall, we walked past the Grand Parade plaza and its expansive open-air market. On the way to our next destination, we took a quick jaunt through the vendor stalls, with our gaze on a swivel. Art, textiles, native instruments, jewelry, handbags, and a wide array of other goods made for a colorful and eye-catching exhibit.

We finally arrived at the historic Castle of Good Hope, locally known simply as The Castle. Built by the Dutch East India Company (DEIC) between 1666 and 1679, The Castle replaced Jan van Riebeeck's original 1652 Fort de Goede Hoop. This impressive edifice is the oldest European structure in South Africa, and is also considered the best preserved fort built by the DEIC. 

The early history of South Africa is very much linked to the establishment of the Castle. Jan van Riebeeck was tasked with setting up the first permanent European settlement in Southern Africa. The Castle used a pentagonal design, including five bastions for defense. 

The DEIC wanted a replenishment station for their ships traveling between Europe and the East Indies (Indonesia). The settlement was responsible for supplying fresh water, fruit, and vegetables for these long voyages. Along the way, they discovered that the Cape was ideal for cultivating vineyards--and making wine!

When first built, the Castle foundations lay very close to the waters of Table Bay. Reclamation efforts in the 1930s and 1940s pushed the water's edge quite some distance from the fort walls. Cape Town gained approximately 0.9 square miles/2.34 square km with this impressive project. The reclaimed areas created the area known today as the Foreshore.

We couldn't help feeling somewhat nostalgic as we came upon the front entrance of The Castle. The Dutch side of Rainman's family arrived in the Cape back in 1753 and most likely walked the same grounds we were about to walk on our tour. Our original Dutch ancestor eventually became the Chief Surgeon for the Cape Town Government Hospital in 1761!

As we entered the interior courtyard of The Castle, we felt a sense of history all around us. The entrance structure dates back to about 1682. The substantial tower above the entry gate was added in 1684. A bell, cast in Amsterdam and weighing about 660 lbs/300 kg, was added to the tower in 1697. The tolling of the bell could be heard 6 miles/10 km away, and was regularly used to warn the locals of impending dangers.

To our left lay the towering Buuren and Katzenellenbogen Bastions, originally situated on the Cape Town coastline before reclamation. We imagined it must have been quite a sight looking out from the Bastion walls.

Originally, access to The Castle was via a water entrance called Waterpoort. Located between the Buuren and Katzenellenbogen Bastions, the entrance was frequently inaccessible due to high and spring tides.  Interestingly, the land-side bastions were built a bit higher than the seaward-side bastions so that the land-side cannons could fire over the seaward bastions in case of a sea attack.

Back in the early days, The Castle housed a thriving hub of activity that included a church, kitchens, living quarters for the officials, a garrison, all kinds of supply shops, artisan workshops, and cells used to hold important prisoners. We were struck by the magnificent views of Table Mountain that community members must have experienced firsthand.

We entered the lower buildings and began to wander through the various ground-floor and subterranean rooms. We soon realized that it's easy to get disoriented!  We chose to explore by ourselves, but an organized tour would give visitors a better orientation of the layout. 

Located on the lower level are the front and back courtyards. 

The front courtyard includes a look at the Governer's Quarters, the Kat Balcony, the "Kings of the Castle (four kings once imprisoned at The Castle)," the Slave Quarters, an archeological museum, and various artifact exhibitions. The slate paving and much of the cement used in construction came from Robben Island.

Due to the castle's military involvement, many prisoners were held in areas of the fortification. The back courtyard is home to the Torture Chambers, and a section of the castle named “Donker Gat" or “Dark Hole” in Dutch.  This dungeon room had no windows and was reportedly used as a torture chamber for prisoners. Legend has it that in winter, because the castle was located so close to the sea, tides would sometimes fill the dungeon with several feet of water, drowning any prisoners chained to the walls.

Next we headed up the stone stairway to the upper level. Our first stop was the Leerdam Bastion, the first one built at The Castle. This vantage point provided a great view of the city, with the moats and gardens below creating a very picturesque setting. 

From there, we made our way along the crosswalk to the Orange Bastion. Cannons from by-gone eras line the upper walks, giving us a sense of what it must have been like defending the city. On our way, we passed the old Captain's Tower.

In the distance, a clear view of Lion's Head and Signal Hill can be seen from the Oranje Bastion. Walking the upper level walkway between bastions really provides a sense of how impenetrable the walls must have been. 

The Castle, and its history, are so central to any visit to Cape Town, it's a must-see!

As we headed out of The Castle grounds and back to our Sightseeing Bus Stop, we noticed that even the tree trunks were festively decorated in Cape Town, making the city feel alive, vibrant, and colorful.

Back on the bus, we cruised through the heart of central Cape Town and started our journey to the Lower Cable Car Station of Table Mountain. We started gaining elevation, and as we left the more built-up areas, we had another great view of Signal Hill and Lion's Head. 

Signal Hill is an enticing spot for para-sailing and hang-glider launches. Both hills are popular for their hiking trails, affording amazing views of the surrounding area. 

Lion's Head offers a much more challenging hiking experience, with even better views of Table Bay and Table Mountain. The 4.3 km long hike is favored by hiking and trail-running enthusiasts. The trail winds its way around the slope as it ascends, affording the hiker a 360-view of Cape Town. Hiking Lion's Head at full-moon is a unique experience enjoyed by area climbers..

Signal Hill has the added, very accessible, tourist attraction of the Noon Gun firing. Tourists flock to Signal Hill to see, and hear, the firing at noon each day. The guns have been firing for more than two hundred years. In current day, the firing is the responsibility of the South African Navy. Historically, Signal Hill was used as a signaling station for ships in the bay below, using an array of flags and cannons for this purpose.

Not long after passing Lion's Head, we turned up toward the base of Table Mountain, and started gaining elevation very quickly. Our view of Table Bay and the city below was just stunning as we reached the Lower Cable Car Station. With this ground level view, we could only imagine what the view would be like at the top! 

The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway offers visitors a five-minute trek to the top of Table Mountain. About one million people a year take the  ride, making it one of Cape Town's most popular tourist attractions. Tickets ($17 for an adults) can be bought as part of the bus tour or directly from the cable car station. We recommend waiting to buy tickets directly at the station, because everything does close suddenly when the wind increases beyond a safety threshold.

Luckily, the winds were cooperating for us, and the station was operational that day. We joined the line, anxiously anticipating our turn up the mountain. Of course, Rainman's adrenaline was on overdrive with his fear of heights, but he felt the experience, and the view, would be worth the discomfort.

The cable car whisked us up the mountain with very little effort. Occasionally, a wind gust swayed the car just enough to get our attention! Once at the top, we got our first glimpses of the views to come...

Table Mountain is a little over a kilometer above sea level. Believe it or not, thousands of people hike to the top of the mountain every year. All kinds of trails criss-cross the mountain's face. And thrill-seeker alert! Table Mountain is said to have the world's highest commercial abseil experience, which is basically rappelling down the mountain. 

For those who just want an awesome view without summiting, there's The Pipe Track trail. For those interested in attempting the steep summit, try the very popular Platteklip Gorge route. There are a number of other trails to choose from, depending on your interests and fitness level.

According to hikers, the summit trails are significantly more difficult than the Lion's Head route. Hikers are strongly urged to be aware of the rapidly changing weather during a climb, since conditions can change in an instant! Come prepared.

We took the safer option, and took a free guided tour. This was the perfect orientation to get a better sense of what we were seeing below, and included a great overview of the flora and fauna on the mountain.

As we explored, we seemed to attract some local wildlife. The Cape rock hyrax, commonly known as a dassie or rock rabbit, is a stocky, squat mammal that looks similar to a guinea pig. It was surprising to see them in such numbers at this high elevation.

We were astonished to learn that this rodent is considered to be the closest living relative of the planet's largest land mammal, the African elephant!  In spite of the size difference, this close evolutionary tie is due to similarities in the structure of their feet and teeth. 

Before long, it was time for a snack at the Cableway WiFi Lounge. We learned that visitors can even enjoy a high-tea in the afternoons, at the adult ticket price of $22. We'd already eaten, so just opted for a small snack and a hot chocolate.

We may have been experiencing summer temperatures before we ascended, but cooler weather prevailed on the summit, especially when the breeze picked up.

As we boarded the cable car to head back down, the weather was changing rapidly. Wind gusts were increasing, and the cloud cover was just beginning to cascade over the edge of the mountain. Mother Nature was once again draping the tablecloth on Table Mountain.

Once back at the base station, we jumped on the bus and headed back into the city center. Our Sightseeing Bus tour would continue on another day, as daylight was beginning to wane. 

With our appetites ramping up, it was time for an authentic local culinary experience at the much-hyped Eastern Food Bazaar (EFB). This is a stop that just has to be on your itinerary as you explore Cape Town. 

EFB is housed in a long hall, with at least ten different kitchens. With something for everyone, they offer a huge selection of Chinese, Turkish, Malaysian, Indonesian, and Indian dishes. Take-out and sit-down options are available, and menus include plenty of Halaal and Vegetarian options. EFB takes street food to a whole new, delicious, level! 

The lunch-time and the early evening meal times are pure chaos! The jostling, the shouting, the sounds of aggressive chefs in action, and the exotic smells all added up to an indescribable sensory-overload experience. We loved every minute--it felt so alive!

Unless you're a local, it's a bit of a challenge to figure out how to place an order and pay. Luckily our locals filled us in. Payment is centralized at a few kiosks scattered up and down the hall, so the best strategy is to figure out what you want before heading to the long queue where payment is due. Once you have your order ticket, head back to the kitchen of your choice for order placement. It's not an intuitive process, but the resulting food is delectable!

Our choices settled on yellow curry and rice--one dish with chicken and the other with only vegetables. In addition to the main course, the order came with dhal (a tasty lentil sauce) and several small enticing salads. The dishes left us sweating and our taste buds hoping we'd come back soon. Needless to say, we did return a couple weeks later for an encore that was as satisfying as the first time around.

We strolled leisurely back to the car, taking in more sights, sounds, and smells of the bustling city. We stumbled on a quaint small Ethiopian restaurant called Madam Tatou that was so unique, we just had to step in to take a look around. As we entered, we were immediately transported to an unexpected exotic world--a cross between a scene from the movie "Avatar" and a middle eastern curio shop. 

Every table had its own unique ambience and decor, with private and cozy seating. The decorator used a rich mix of carpets, pillows, cloth throws, exotic art pieces, artificial trees and plants, books, and lighting to create this mystical place. To top it off, the menu looked quite inspired. What a delightful and unexpected way to end the perfect day in Cape Town.

The Victoria Road Experience in Cape Town
A couple weeks later we were back to Cape Town, and hopping on our now-familiar SightSeeing Bus. This time, our plan was to continue the Red Line Tour over to the western side of the Cape Peninsula.

Our bus headed up Kloofnek Road and we passed Signal Hill and Lion's Head. Now, instead of taking the turn-off to the cable station, we continued around Table Mountain on Camps Bay Drive. We were headed to the western coastal suburbs of Camps Bay, Clifton, and Sea Point.

These communities tend to be quite upscale and expensive--a bit out of our budget comfort zone. But the drive itself is not to be missed if you're exploring Cape Town.

The stunning roadway that runs between Camps Bay and Sea Point is called Victoria Road, originally named in honor of Queen Victoria. The road was built in an effort to improve access to the beautiful coastline of the western side of the peninsula. 

As we started our descent down to the coast, the panorama of Camps Bay and its white beaches came into full view. Camps Bay Beach is one of the more popular Blue Flag beaches in South Africa, with one of the most beautiful natural rock pools in the country.

As we continued our coastal drive, we rose above Camps Bay and were treated to amazing views as we reached an overlook high above the beaches.

Next up was the beach community of Clifton. Again, the views on the ride were stunning. It's no surprise that Clifton has some of the most expensive real estate in South Africa. Clifton has a couple of Blue Flag beaches that are very well regarded internationally, and is often rated as a Top 10 Beach Destination in major travel magazines. 

On to Sea Point! As we approached, it was clear why this is one of Cape Town's most densely populated suburbs. This area is home to more high rise development, as Sea Point is only a few kilometers from the Cape Town central Business District.

The promenade is one of the most popular outdoor spots in Sea Point, and a favorite gathering spot for young and old. 

The Sea Point shoreline is much more craggy and rocky than we saw in Clifton and Camps Bay. The ruggedness of the coastline has caused its share of shipwrecks over the years. Most vessels entering Table Bay from the east coast have to round this treacherous coast.

We really liked Sea Point for its jagged coastline and proximity to a major city. We would definitely like to return here for a more in-depth exploration at some point.

After Sea Point, we headed back to central Cape Town, where we saw the Kaapse Klopse commemorated high above the street.

The Kaapse Klopse have a rich history in South Africa. Their performance art is very uniquely a Cape Town cultural phenomenon. The first Klopse, meaning clubs or troupes, were formed in 1887. The groups were organized to celebrate Second New Year on January 2nd, which was a widely recognized day off for the servants of Cape Town. 

The celebration started in the heart of Cape Town in the Bo Kaap district, immediately adjacent to the Cape Town Business District. Bo Kaap had a rich mix of Malaysian, Indian, Sri Lankan, Indonesian, and Madagascan residents that participated in the celebrations. 

On one of our visits to Mariner's Wharf in Hout Bay, we saw a troupe of Kaapse Klopse performing for the tourists. This group was dressed in colorful costume, and their energy was high and full of spirit! It was an uplifting experience to see this artistic display live and in person. It felt like Carnival-meets-Cape Town! 

The Second New Year tradition is as strong as ever today. More than 13,000 Kaapse Klopse gather in Cape Town on New Years Eve for a massive carnival--officially known as the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival. Thousands of domestic and international tourists line the streets to get a glimpse of these festivities.

Cape Town is the country's oldest city. As a culturally rich and diverse metropolis, The Mother City is South Africa's modern gem.

Up Next: Need A Great Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens Itinerary?