Cape Town 4 Day Itinerary
Sorry for the long post, but we both now live in Nigeria and we’re SO excited about this trip!
Living in Nigeria gives us the opportunity to travel all over Africa. For our first big trip since living together in Nigeria brought us to Cape Town, South Africa. We had heard nothing but good things about the city, and we knew we wanted to go there at some point.
I had not started work yet, and was beginning to have cabin fever. Russell and I were on our way to the gym, and when he parked the car he told me we needed to be quick. When I asked why, he told me we needed to pack our bags because we were leaving for Cape Town, South Africa TONIGHT!
I am the biggest planner I know. I like to make a day-to-day plans for everywhere we go, and frequently write trips down in my planner months in advance. So when Russell shared this surprise I was actually excited to be going on an unplanned trip!
We had 4 days in Cape Town, and we made the most of it! We kept active and wanted to squeeze as much in as possible. Here was our BUSY 4 day plan.
We booked a B & B in Camps Bay called Houghton View. We HIGHLY recommend this quaint B & B. Camps Bay ended up being a perfect location as well. Right outside of the city and not to far from the Waterfront and right next to Table Mountain. It is more of a suburban type of area and within walking distance of a strip of restaurants. We stayed in the River Palm, but if you want a great view I would recommend staying in the Lion’s Head or the Atlantic Suite.
View from the B & B
Day 1:
Arrived in the morning and walked from Houghton View to a sushi/seafood spot called the Godfather. We then decided to hike up Table Mountain. We started around 1:00, and in hindsight we learned you should definitely start in the morning!
We started at the Camps Bay Pipe Track and we were dropped off at the end of a cul-de-sac by our cab driver. We followed Kasteelport trail, which takes you over the 12 apostles to the top of Table Mountain. We just followed the yellow & orange paint along the trail.
There were picture worthy moments and views, but we regretted a view things… starting at 1 instead of in the morning, not checking the weather, and all in all PLANNING ahead of time.
The trail took us 4 hours, but would not have taken as long if it weren’t for the downpour, my stopping and complaining with a few meltdowns here and there, and knowing that the last cable car ride left at 5:30 PM. Longggg story short- we got to the top with no view due to clouds at 5:20 PM with sirens going off.
We had dinner at Hussar’s Grill down the street from Houghton View. I would recommend making a reservation. IT WAS PHENOMENAL!
Day 2: Cage Diving with Sharks at Gansbaai
Diving with sharks has been on our bucket list since we first started dating, so we knew we wanted to cram it into our 4 day Cape Town experience! What better place than Gansbaai, South Africa- the Great White Shark capital of the world.
We booked our trip through Apex, and they pretty much took care of the whole day for us. We wanted to get on the early morning pick up, but due to so many cancellations from weather, we were picked up at our B & B at 10:20 AM, and met up with a van of passengers in the city.
The drive took about 2 hours, and we arrived at the Great White Diving Center. They had lunch waiting for us- pasta and salad.
We went out on the boat and needless to say the cage diving part was awesome. I got sick (as well as 90% of the boat) and Russell was completely fine. I really wish I would prepared for the sea better, but I thought I was going to be okay.
We saw a total of 6 great white sharks, and the trip was very informational as well. Apparently not everyone gets to see a great white shark during their trip so we were lucky to have seen 6!
After getting back we got changed out of our wet suits, and they had soup and bread prepared for us. Then we had a 2 hour drive back.
Recommendations:
-Take a dramamine the night before and morning of (I am usually fine on boats, but there were 3m swells the ENTIRE time/ wear a patch?
-Eat light before going out on the boat (luckily we did)
Day 3: Hout Bay, Boulder’s Beach, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, and Groot Constantia
Why yes, we fit all of the above into one day. Do we recommend doing so, ehh probably not. YOLO.
We got in contact with a driver who was recommended by a friend, and we planned on using him for our final two days in Cape Town. It worked out very nicely, and he was able to show us the perfect little places to stop along the way.
He picked us up early and took us on the Coastal Drive (Chapman’s Peak). We planned to have our final destination be Cape Point. It was the perfect day to go down the Coastline. To get onto Chapman’s Peak it was 45R. We stopped at Hout Bay Marina to walk a little and we saw some seals. Some of the locals expect you to pay a few Rand for taking a picture of the seals because they are the ones that keep them around by feeding them fish.
We stopped along Chapman’s Peak to take some breathtaking pictures of Hout Bay from afar.
We later stopped in Simon’s Town to see Boulder’s Beach- home to African Penguins. It was 125R for 2 adults.
In order to get into Table Mountain National Park, which is where Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope is located, each car needs to pay 125R per adult and 65R per child.
When you enter you will drive by Cape of Good Hope to go up to Cape Point. We got a bite to eat and hiked up to the top of Cape Point (there is a lighthouse at the top). There is a cable car that goes to the top, but it only took us 10 minutes to walk up, and the views on the way up were beautiful.
We then ventured back to Cape of Good Hope, which is apparently where Vasco de Gamma first landed in Africa. It is also the Southwestern most point of Africa. You can hike up to the top of the point, but we just stayed and took pictures by the rocks and left.
We had planned to stop at wineries on our last day, but since the weather was perfect we stopped in Constantia on our way back. Groot Constantia Winery was opened for another hour, which was a beautiful vineyard. Since we are both from Virginia we are very used to doing a wine tasting. However, we quickly learned that everyone else takes one tasting and sits down to enjoy it, rather than quickly tasting each one… we found out due to us being the only ones standing at the bar and quickly taking back each tasting. They also fill the glass more than they do in VA.
You could definitely spend a whole day in Stellenbosch or Constantia going from one winery to the other!
We finished the evening by having dinner at Den Anker at the Waterfront, which has a mix of food and some delicious Belgian beers!
Day 4: Cheetah Outreach, Vrendeheim Lion Rescue & Shopping
The next day we went to a Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West, which was not far from Camps Bay. We were able to experience a Cheetah Encounter and their mission is to save cheetahs from being killed by farmers in various regions.
After the Cheetah Outreach we went to Vredeheim, which is an estate in Stellenbosch and is actually a winery but also has big cats as well. There is no way you would be allowed to get as close as we did in the U.S. It was scary and incredible all at once.
We drove through Stellenbosch on the way to the Waterfront for lunch, and the view of the vineyards were incredible! We recommend stopping in Stellenbosch if you are looking to go to some vineyards.
Once we got to the Waterfront we ate lunch at VovoTelo, which is a bakery and cafe located right by the ferris wheel. We recommend eating there – we ordered the cheese and antipasta boards and coconut soup!
Finished the day by shopping around at the Wharf and also did more shopping at Canal Walk. We discovered Canal Walk too late, but if you are looking to shop- that is where to go!!! The mall is enormous.
Other suggestions from locals:
- Truth Coffee (We went to Origin one morning)
- Game Reserves (Kruger- is close to Cape Town)
- Kloof Street (Nightlife)
- Rust en Verde- winery
- Spier- winery
- Hikes in Table Mountain National Park
