Cape Town – Rated the #1 City in the World for four years in a row by Telegraph Travel Awards. As if that wasn’t enough, South Africa ranked 3rd on their list of best countries, beaten only by New Zealand and the Maldives in 1st and 2nd place, respectively.
The rewards for Cape Town and South Africa don’t stop there. Condé Nast Traveler gave Cape Town the #1 spot on their 2015 list of Best Food Cities in the World. As someone who has been to Cape Town on quite a few occasions, I can’t help but to agree with their verdict. After all, few things beat the excitement of having a meal on top of Table Mountain, which was crowned as one of the New 7 Natural Wonders of the World in 2011.
The ratings for Cape Town down stop there either, and she boasts with the finest coffee shops, high teas and some of the best wine farms in the world.
For those interested in this amazing city, we decided to put together an Ultimate Cape Town Bucket List of things to do for when you visit.
Climb Table Mountain
Climbing and conquering Table Mountain is an absolute must for the bucket list enthusiast. Since it has been awarded one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, there is even more reason to tick this item off. The top of the mountain will not fail to disappoint, and while you are there you have the perfect opportunity to visit the Table Mountain Cableway Wi Fi Lounge and Restaurant as well!
Table Mountain, New 7 Wonders of the World
Table Mountain Cableway
After climbing Table Mountain a few times, we decided to go up a third time using the cableway. The cable cars can carry up to 65 people, transport about 800 people per hour, and reach a maximum speed of 10 meters per second.
Cape Town Cableway
The floors of the Table Mountain Cableway cars are rotating floors, which means you get to experience full 360 degree views of the area as you go up or as you come down.
Cape Town Cableway – View From The Top
Before you go, make sure you visit the official cableway website at https://www.tablemountain.net/ for important information.
Sundowner On Table Mountain
Few things are as epic as watching the sun go down from the top of Table Mountain. You can either get drinks and snacks from the restaurant or bring your own picnic basket along. Most importantly, don’t forget to bring the wine!
Cape Town – Sundowner Table Mountain
Cape Town – Sundowner Table Mountain
Cape Point
About 60km’s south from Table Mountain you will find one of the most majestic places in Cape Town. A declared Natural World Heritage Site, Cape Point lies at the tip of the Cape Peninsula and is the final destination of the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve, which lies within the Table Mountain National Park. No visit to Cape Town is complete without experiencing this gem.
Cape Point – Cape Town
Diaz Beach
While visiting Cape Point, be sure to visit Diaz Beach. Diaz Beach is also part of the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve, and a semi-challenging walk of about 20 minutes from the main car park will get you there. However, getting back will be much more challenging and could easily take twice as long.
There are no life guards and we wouldn’t recommend swimming as the sea can get really rough and the currents are strong.
Nevertheless, the beach itself is romantic and secluded.
Twelve Apostles Helicopter Ride
The amazing thing about Table Mountain is all the angles from which you can view her. On a clear day, she towers over the bay as you drive in to the city from the main land. You can also view her from across the bay while having a delicious meal in Blouberg Strand.
If you are in the city center, her presence can almost be felt and you always know she is there. You can also see her when you visit the beautiful beaches at Camp’s Bay. Then there is the option of viewing her from Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was kept in prison.
However, there is one other option which far exceeds all of the above, and that is a helicopter ride.
Cape Town From The Sky
Abseil Table Mountain
Some of the most epic places from where you can abseil include El Capitan in the Yosemite, California and The Lost World in Waitomo, New Zealand.
In October 2005, Maletsunyane Falls in Lesotho made it into the Guinness World Records as the longest commercially operated single-drop abseil in the world. The drop is a 204 meter non-stop descend to the bottom of the gorge.
Even so, a quick Google search for the best abseiling in the world will bring results back where Table Mountain will be on top of the list. The impressive 112 meters descent down the mountain is an experience out of this world, and a definite bucket list item for anyone interested in adventure sports.
Abseil Africa has a desk inside the Wi Fi Lounge on top of Table Mountain. You can visit their website here to make a booking: https://abseilafrica.co.za/
Table Mountain Abseil Ad
Kirstenbosch Canopy Walkway
Cape Town just keeps on winning awards.
In 2015, the International Garden Tourism Awards Body declared Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens the International Garden of the Year. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is the most prominent botanical garden in South Africa, and it is situated at the eastern foot of Table Mountain. The garden is truly beautiful, and the national flower of South Africa, the King Protea, can be seen here.
Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town – King Protea
The garden also boasts with one of the very few Canopy Walkways in the world. A Treetop Walkway, also called a Canopy Walkway, is a bridge-like structure that provides pedestrians access to the topmost part of a forest. This topmost part of the forest is also known as the forest canopy. Slowly but surely, these types of structures are becoming increasingly popular, as they provide access to a part of nature we were unable to experience before.
Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town – Canopy Walkway
The walkway is a curved steel and timber bridge, winding its way through and over trees in a small but intimate section of the garden. Because the walkway takes you so high up in the trees, you experience bird- and other animal life in a completely different way. The view of the surroundings are also breath-taking, and in Cape Town this includes the back side of Table Mountain.
Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town – Canopy Treetop Walkway
View Table Mountain From Bloubergstrand
Bloubergstrand is a suburb of Cape Town, situated across the bay. The name Bloubergstrand literally means “blue mountain beach” in Afrikaans.
From Bloubergstrand you have a beautiful view of Table Mountain. There are a few restaurants in the area that look directly across the bay at Table Mountain. It is also a popular spot for windsurfers. No trip to Cape Town is complete without having experienced the mountain from this perspective too.
Table Mountain View From Bloubergstrand
Sunrise Espresso At Truth Coffee
Rated by The Telegraph as the best coffee shop in the world, this unique restaurant boasts with coffee that is hand-roasted in a vintage cast-iron barrel. The coffee is great, the atmosphere is great, and the décor is something out of this world.
While there are many coffee shops in Cape Town who sell the Truth Coffee brand, you need to visit the actual Truth Coffee Roastery in the city center. There are many items to choose from on the menu, and you will feel frustrated that you can’t try everything in one go. Whatever your choice, you will want to go back to try the other items on the menu as well.
Truth Coffee -Best Coffee Shop In The World – No Sugar Needed
If you are looking for something different though, you have to give the Sunrise Espresso a try. The Sunrise Espresso is made from a double shot espresso with a dash of Orange Juice. You can order it any time of the day.
Truth Coffee – Sunrise Espresso
You can visit the Truth Coffee website here:
Pizza At The Brass Bell
The Brass Bell is situated along the coastline of False Bay, in the historic fishing village of Kalk Bay. The restaurant has 8 different dining areas, along with a menu that will appeal to almost everyone. There is a tidal pool which adds to the ambiance, and you have a beautiful view of the sea and crashing waves.
Depending on where you sit, you can also see the metro train passing by from time to time.
Kalk Bay – Train
To arrange for a booking, you can visit the Brass Bell website here:
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, which can be clearly seen from the coast line. It is approximately 7km from the coast of Bloubergstrand, covering a maximum of 3.3km in length. Since the 17th century, the island was mainly used as a prison, a military base and even as a hospital for what was perceived as “socially unacceptable” groups.
Cape Town – Robben Island – View From Table Mountain
The island is visited every year by thousands of tourists, primarily for the fact that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned here for 18 years.
The Mail & Guardian published an interesting “Things you didn’t know about Mandela’s Robben Island” article here. Visiting the island is done by ferry, an added bonus for those looking for a different vantage point from where to take photos of Table Mountain.
Table Mountain From The Harbour
Chapman’s Peak Drive
Chapman’s Peak Drive is hailed by many as one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world. The drive along the coast line of the Atlantic Ocean is about 9kms long with 114 curves of amazing scenery. There are stops along the way, and ideally you should not be in a rush to finish the drive. You can take a picnic basket with to make the most of the stops.
There are various hiking trails as well, accessible from the Silvermine Nature Reserve and the Cape Peninsula National park where you can discover the area by foot.
Chapmans Peak Drive, Cape Town
Sundowner From Muizenberg
Considered to be the birthplace of surfing in South Africa, Muizenberg is situated on the curve of False Bay just before you get to Fish Hoek. We were driving from Gordon’s Bay towards Kalk Bay when the sun was hitting the perfect spot on the Cape Peninsula.
It was only a brief moment in time, but the memory of this special moment will stay with us for years to come.
Simons Town – False Bay – Western Cape
Two Oceans Aquarium
The Two Oceans Aquarium opened in November of 1995, and is one of the better aquariums in South Africa. The aquarium has a total of 7 exhibition galleries, and they do cater for children and adults alike.
Two Oceans Aquarium – Finding Nemo
Overall we really enjoyed our visit.
The predator exhibit is the most impressive. The tank holds approximately 2 million liters of sea water, and includes ragged-tooth sharks and turtles.
Two Oceans Aquarium – Big Tank with Turtle
Sundowner From Signal Hill
By now you can probably tell that we love beautiful sunsets.
While Signal Hill is an amazing place to visit during the day, it is also one you need to visit late in the afternoon / evening.
Signal Hill Sunset Cape Town
For the Signal Hill Sundowner we took the city tour bus from the Two Oceans Aquarium. After dark the traffic down the hill was terrible, and we were glad we could just sit back and let the bus driver worry about it.
Silo Hotel Rooftop Bar
The Silo Hotel was spectacularly converted from a 1920’s grain elevator. While most people won’t be able to afford the accommodation, the rooftop bar is open to the public as long as you book in advance. The rooftop bar is the perfect place for a light meal or just a coffee, with majestic views of Cape Town and Table Mountain. This is also the perfect setting for a special occasion, and the cocktails are top notch.
Here you will find: Good Coffee
Clarence Drive
Even though this coastal drive is less popular than Chapman’s Peak drive, it still has to be one of the most scenic coastal drives in South Africa. In fact, we would argue it has to be one of the most scenic coastal drives in the world! It takes about 45 minutes to an hour from Cape Town to get to the start of the drive in Gordon’s Bay, but is well worth the trip – especially on a clear day!
What is your favourite Cape Town Bucket List item? Share with us by posting in the comments below.
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