table mountain

The next stop on your virtual tour of the Western Cape is Cape Town…

Even though we did not want to leave Stellenbosch, we packed our things and headed to Cape Town. We stayed at the Cape Royale hotel near the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront. The V&A Waterfront is a touristy area with lots of shops, restaurants, and endless entertainment. It is also a harbor and working wharf so there is always something to watch. Next time, however, I would prefer to stay on one of the beaches because they are absolutely gorgeous.

{actively restoring a fishing boat}

On our first day, we decided to take the hop-on-hop-off red bus for an easy way to get acquainted with the city. We saw some cool places but we were really looking forward to one stop in particular: Table Mountain (and Lion’s Head).

You may not remember off the top of your head, but you’ve definitely seen a photo of Table Mountain. It’s one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature! It is a flat-topped mountain that overlooks Cape Town.

Here are our obligatory tourist photos of Table Mountain from the Waterfront...

Going to the top of Table Mountain is arguably the #1 activity to do while in Cape Town. You can hike (if you’re crazy) OR take a cable car (if you’re lazy) to the top of the mountain and get an unparalleled view of the city.  Can you guess which option we chose?! Either way, once you get to the top it truly is spectacular. I could have easily spent half a day up there taking in the view while sipping a glass of vino.

Here are some pics from our Table Mountain adventure.

{cable car, our preferred way to get to the top}

{look closely and you will see the 2 cable cars}

{view of coastal highway}

{daredevils preparing to repel down Table Mountain}

{dassies (aka rock rabbits) gave us an X-rated show}

{high winds create huge whirlpools in the ocean}

{Lion's Head}

{Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned}

{Cape Town Stadium, built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup}

Love,

Jess & Mat