Travel
Amazing wildlife encounters and lip-smacking food will entertain plenty, writes PAUL EWART
Cape Town, SA
MORNING
Get an early start and check out Cape Town’s buzzing cafe scene. Make a beeline for the world’s best coffee shop, Truth Coffee. The hipster hangout is favoured by a melting pot of South African society. There are 11 official languages and your fellow coffee drinkers will be as diverse as the languages they speak. Fuelled by coffee, you’re ready to head to the city’s most famous landmark, Table Mountain. Go early to avoid the “tablecloth” cloud that descends on the mountain, and look out for the super-cute quokkalike “dassies”.
AFTERNOON
Make tracks to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Table Mountain National Park, where zebras and curious baboons roam wild. Undoubtedly the most famous residents of the park are the African penguins that live between the large granite boulders at Boulders Beach. After sightseeing, relax on the deck of the Two Oceans Restaurant for lunch and enjoy fresh seafood with a serious view.
EVENING
Book ahead and relax on the rooftop of Cape Town’s hottest new hotel, The Silo, with a sundowner or two. Open just seven months, it’s already become the hangout for in-the-know locals and has stunning views of Table Mountain in one direction, and the harbour and ocean in the other.
MORNING
Rise early and prepare to channel your inner David Attenborough. Cape Town has more wildlife experiences than you can imagine. The pinnacle for many, especially adrenaline junkies, is an encounter with a real-life great white shark.
South Africa has the largest population of the fearsome ocean dwellers, and Gansbaai – regarded as the great white capital of the world – is only two hours from the city. It’s an ultimate bucket list experience
and many companies offer pick-up from the CBD.
AFTERNOON
Half an hour’s drive outside Cape Town you’ll hit the Cape Winelands, which is home to some of the most prestigious wineries on the planet. There are more than 200 cellars within a couple of hours drive of Cape Town alone, and wine hounds will get serious bang for their buck here, with many bottles coming in at under $6. Don’t leave without trying the country’s most unique variety, pinotage – a red made from a hybrid of cinsaut and pinot noir grapes.
EVENING
If you’re in the CBD on a Thursday, forgo a sit-down dinner and satisfy your tastebuds with a walking degustation around one of the city’s best food markets. At the City Bowl Market, foodies can eat their way through delicious cuisine from around the world.