Cape Town Tourism

One of the main reasons to visit Cape Town is its beautiful beaches. The Clifton Beaches are the most popular ones here for sunbathing and swimming, while at Boulder Beach you can have the unique experience of catching African penguins at their play. Do visit Muizenberg Beach for the cute and colourful Victorian bath boxes, and it also happens to be a Blue Flag Beach and so are Hawston and Grotto Beach, meaning ecologically conscious. For more youthful places, opt for Camps Bay Beach or Bikini Beach.

Wildlife of Cape Town

Who needs Narnia when there is Cape Town tourism in the real world? Right within the urban premises of the city, you will find a bunch of unique wild animals which will just make your day. Be it the sunbathing, furry brown Dassies of Table Mountain, or the Zebra-like Quaggas near M3, the friendly Cape Fur Seals in the harbours of Kalk or Hout Bay or the adorable African penguins at the Boulder Beach – these animals will make you feel like you are sitting right inside a Discovery Channel Show. There are official places to interact with animals as well, like Buffelsdrift Game Lodge, Cango Wildlife Ranch, Brenton Blue Butterfly Reserve or Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre.

Here are some of the best attractions which you should visit on your trip to Cape Town.

1. Table Mountain

The most important landmark of Cape Town travel is the Table Mountain, lying inside the National Park of the same name. A trek up to the flat table-like summit of the mountain takes around 2-4 hours depending on the route you choose. There are cable car facilities for those who want to save time and energy. The view of the national park, Cape Town and the entire Cape Peninsula from the top is the most spectacular view of the trip.

2. Robben Island

Robben Island off the Table Bay used to be a notorious prison for over 400 years, and during the infamous Apartheid era, it held Nelson Mandela before he went on to reform the country. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a historic location, adorned with attractions like the Nelson Mandela Gateway and Museum, and the former cell of his where he spent 18 long years.

3. Town Hall and Castle of Good Hope

The Town Hall is a towering Neo-Renaissance and colonial style mix building, with a 60ft high bell tower modelled after London’s Bell Tower. It overlooks the Grand Parade where Nelson Mandela made his famous speech in 1990. Across the Parade, the Castle of Good Hope stands as the oldest surviving building of South Africa, built in 1666-79 for the Dutch Governors.

4. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens

Located on the eastern slope of the Table Mountain, this beautiful location is home to over 20,000 native African floras. Do not miss the proteas, cycads, the Tree Canopy Walk and the Sculpture Garden.

5. Signal Hill and the Noon Gun

Signal Hill along the slopes of Lion’s Head Peak is where tourists and Cape Town people gather for stunning sunsets and picturesque views of Cape Town, Table Bay and the Atlantic Beyond. This summit was earlier used as a signalling platform for harbour-bound ships and the Noon Gun was used to let the sailors know the noon time.

People and Culture of Cape Town

Cape Town has a rich population of about 3,740,026 people. The majority of the population comes of colored groups, followed by black Africans, White, Asian or Indian, and the other ethnicities following all these groups. The history and culture of the city is quite rich to lend a character of its own. The mixed-race backgrounds provide different religions to breathe together in a city. The most prominent ones are Christianity and Islam. The people of Cape Town, also referred to as Capetonians are quite friendly and enjoy a good rate of happiness level generally.