The Western Cape is one of South
Africa’s premier tourist attractions, and for
good reason. It is home to the famous Table Mountain,
vast winelands, magnificent beaches, world-class restaurants
and cosmopolitan entertainment haunts. The Cape boasts
exquisite scenery and a myriad of cultures and tourist
treasures that are just waiting to be discovered, so
get going to the fairest Cape…
Overview
Situated on the south-western tip of Africa,
the Western Cape is the meeting point of the cold Atlantic
and the warm Indian Oceans. Its capital city
Cape Town, is dominated by the flat-topped bulk of
Table Mountain. The province has South Africa’s
fifth largest population, numbering in the region of
4.5 million inhabitants. The story of the Republic
of South Africa began in the Western Cape, some 350
years ago, when it was inhabited by the Khoi, San and
other Bantu-speaking groups. In the late 15th century
European seafarers arrived here in search of a halfway
stop on trade routes to the East and thereby changed
the face of South African history forever.
Climate
The Western Cape enjoys hot summers and cool
rainy winters – perfect weather for the production
of fruit, grains and, most important – wine.
Getting To Know The Western Cape
Thanks to its scenic beauty and
many attractions, tourism is a major and growing force
in the Western Cape, which hosts over 50% of the country’s
international visitors.
Major attractions in the
area:
Cape Town Metropolitan
area
The area between Table Mountain and Hottentots
Holland comprises the Cape Town Metropole and encompasses
pulsating cosmopolitan city life, beach playgrounds,
forests and exquisite nature parks.
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Cape Town’s
most famous landmark – a quick spin by revolving
cable car to the 1 086m summit will give the visitor
a grand view of one of the most beautiful cities
in the world, and of course the equally famous South
African `Alcatraz’ – Robben Island.
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The most visited
attraction in Cape Town is the Victoria & Alfred
Waterfront with its assortment of shopping, eating,
entertainment and sightseeing facilities, all set
within a working harbour.
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The V & A
Waterfront is also the gateway to Robben Island,
a former prison (now national monument) where a visit
is an emotional journey echoing with the sorrows
of stalwarts of ‘the struggle’ against
apartheid. The island was `home’ to many of
South Africa’s freedom fighters including Nelson
Mandela.
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The oldest surviving
building in South Africa, and well preserved too,
is the Castle of Good Hope, the pentagonal fortress
built by personnel of the Dutch East India Company
back in the 1660s-70s. Today it houses the regional
headquarters of the South African Defence Force in
the Western Cape, and a military museum.
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Cape Agulhus is the
most southern point of South Africa with spectacular
views of the ocean. It is at this point that the
Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.
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A stop at Cape
Point gives the visitor the opportunity to boast
of having been at the most southern point of the
Cape Peninsula.
Some 26 shipwrecks have been recorded at Cape Point,
some of them presenting good diving spots. A funicular
takes visitors on scenic trips to an old lighthouse
and the spot is a bird watcher’s paradise.
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Township tours
will remind the tourist how the will to survive can
overcome any adversity. In Guguletu and Langa
expect to be overwhelmed by hospitality, informal
roadside traders, rowdy taverns serving local beer
and toe-tapping jazz. Guided tours are recommended
to get to most out of the experience.
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There’s a beach to
suit every mood in Cape Town:
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Clifton for those who want to see
and be seen
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Sandy Bay for the nudists
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Muizenberg with its colourful bathing
boxes for a good swim in warm water
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Kommetjie for watersports.
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Fishhoek is a quaint seaside village
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Hout Bay has a colourful fishing
harbour and craft market
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Kalk Bay attracts antique hunters
- Boulder’s Beach at Simon’s
Town is home to a colony of Jackass penguins.
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Cape Town has
many markets and impressive shopping centres and
malls. One of the most talked about shopping venues
is the impressive 400-outlet Canal Walk Century City. It
also boasts a 20-theatre cinema complex and for adrenaline-pumping
entertainment, there’s Ratanga Junction, a
30-attraction theme park with and the glitzy Grand
West Casino & Entertainment World.
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A day in Cape
Town might end with a classical concert at sundown
in one of the world’s great botanical gardens – Kirstenbosch,
a repository for many rare fynbos species and a wealth
of indigenous plants, trees and flowers.
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Cape Town city
centre is known to many as the party capital of Africa,
down just a few streets in the Mother City there
are hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs just
waiting to be explored through to the wee hours of
the morning. Cape Town is also known as a pink city,
offering a warm welcome to the gay and lesbian communit
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