Get there

Virgin Atlantic is hoping to resume its seasonal direct flights between London Heathrow and Cape Town from October 2020; prices from £713 return. It’s a 12-hour flight (virginatlantic.com). British Airways fly direct from Heathrow daily and Gatwick three days a week, from £603 return (ba.com).

The hours of sunshine in a typical December or January day. In July, the middle of winter, you still get five hours of sunshine on an average day in Cape Town.

The amount of plant species on Table Mountain – 150 of them endemic to the Cape Floristic Region, which is, for its size, one of the richest regions for flora in the world.