Cape Town City Tour

This full day Private City tour will give you an opportunity to orientate yourself in our beautiful mother city, Cape Town. What better way to do this then from the majestic Table Mountain. We ascend in a revolving state of the art Cable Car for 704m up to the top of the mountain, which is 1 067m above sea level. You will enjoy the most magnificent views from the rotating Cable Car on your way up. Once at the summit of this majestic mountain, you can see the beautiful City of Cape Town stretching out below you, Table  Bay Harbour, Lions Head, Signal Hill, Camps Bay, the Slangkop Light House and the majestic mountains of the Cape Winelands. Table Mountain is a World Heritage site and one of the 7  New Natural Wonders of the World, a fairly recent but much deserved accolade! There are 111 endemic plants on Table Mountain which you will not see anywhere else in the world.  You may be lucky and see a few Dassie’s (Hyrax) a small furry mammal which is apparently related to the Elephant! On descending the mountain you will be driven through the streets of the thriving city of Cape Town, thronging with different cultures and traditions.Should the Cable Car be closed due to adverse weather conditions, I will drive you along the Table Mountain Contour road so you are still treated to magnificent views of Cape Town City and Table Bay Harbour.  I will also take you to Signal Hill which also affords you lovely views of the City and Cape Town Stadium built for the 2010 World Cup. You may see some people paragliding off the hill which always great to see, most of them make it to the bottom unscathed!On the Cape Town City Tour, you can visit The Castle of Good Hope which is the oldest building in the country and home to a few ghosts from the Castle’s very interesting past, as well as to the William Fehr Collection of outstanding historical artworks and antique furniture dating back from the late 17^th Century.  Take a leisurely walk through the Company Gardens, originally the vegetable and fruit orchard which supplied the passing ships. It is now a lovely green area which provides the city with a leafy sanctuary. Green Market Square offers a lively flea market with a variety arts and crafts, clothing and curios. You will be exposed to one of the darker eras of past South African History if you opt to visit the Slave Museum. There is some very fascinating cultural diversity when we meander through “Die Bo Kaap” previously known as the Cape Malay District, with its colourful houses and smells of fresh spices. From there you have the following choices on a full day Cape Town City Tour:

• Visit the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where there are more plant species than in the entire United Kingdom! A lovely way to spend an afternoon learning about our amazing flora and scenic views of the mountain and Cape Town. There are some new attractions on offer at Kirstenbosch, you can walk on the ‘Boom Slang’ which is a Canopy walk in the tree canopy, which offers great views and is lots of fun for the whole family. There is also a Dinosaur display nestled in the Cycads which highlights how ancient and vulnerable the Cycads are.

Cape Splendour partners with a lady by the name of Ann Mac Gregor who is a Specialist in Wild Flowers and Garden Tours and a flower fundi of note!

Should you like a  two to three  hour tour of Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens with  detailed information about the flowers, how they re-produce and the relationship with various insects, birds and rodents, I will arrange that Ann meets us at Kirstenbosch and strolls around with you wile imparting her wealth of knowledge.

If you would like to take it a little easy, we can arrange a Golf Cart driven by a very knowledgeable guide who will be able to take you further and higher than time will allow on foot. It is a great way of seeing as much of the beautiful park in a limited time.

• We can include a visit to Rhodes Memorial for some fascinating history about the very interesting and somewhat controversial Cecil John Rhodes and absorb the splendid views of the City of Cape Town.
• Also an option on the Cape Town City Tour is some quality wine tasting in the Constantia wine growing valley, you are truly spoilt for choice here! Some of my favourites in the Constantia Winelands would be Constantia Glen where the lovely wine is complimented by a stunning view.  High Constantia where they make a lovely bubbly. My old favourites are Buitenverwachting which really lives up to it’s name, Beyond Expectations and Klein Constantia.
• Groot Constantia is always a good way of soaking up some history, lovely views and again some very good wine which can be paired with chocolate. I often incorporate a lunch stop at the lovely Jonkershuis Restaurant at Groot Constantia which offers the opportunity of a Cape Malay Tasting dish which is very tasty and allows you three portions of different Cape Malay food.
• If you would like to learn how to make Cape Malay Cuisine, this can also be arranged in one of the homes of a local Muslim lady, a very authentic learning experience, and lots of fun too!
• If you do the Cape Town City Tour on a Saturday morning we have the option to spend time at the Biscuit Mill, where you do some shopping at the very eclectic mix of shops, mostly stocked with locally produced products from leather goods to clothing and jewellery. There is a great food market where you can taste all sorts of cuisine, from Chinese noodles to biltong and just about everything in between.  There is also local craft beer and wine on offer.  It is a great opportunity to chill out, listen to live music, and mix with the locals!
• Another great market to visit on a Saturday is the Oranjezicht City Farm Market at Granger bay at the Waterfront. This gives you the opportunity tasting home grown, organic farm produce grown and produced by local farmers and artisanal food producers. A very different market experience indeed.
• If shopping is your bag, let me know what your interest is and I will plan a shopping route to take care of all those items on your list. We have some really great local art and craft stores as well as designer arts and crafts produced by local artist and producers. There are some great projects which supply work  and empowerment opportunities to locals.  Some examples of this are the Tea Bag Design Company in Hout Bay, Street Wires and Monkey Biz in Cape Town City. The Watershed at the V&A Waterfront is also a place where local folk market their wares, giving them a business opportunity and you a great shopping experience!
• While the ladies are shopping the gents may prefer to visit our Rugby Museum or perhaps the Golf Museum, both fascinating museums highlighting our sporting history and the role politics played in the field of sport.
• Another great shopping and tasting experience is the Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay, a plethora of music, homemade arts and crafts, jewellery, great food and locally made tea, coffee, wine and beer, a great vibe!
• For Nature Lovers, a walk around the Rondevlei Bird Sanctuary offers lovely bird sightings and the possibility of seeing a Hippo.
• You could also spend the second half of your Cape Town City Tour exploring Hout Bay. The Drive along the coast is breath-taking.  Whilst in Hout Bay, you can visit the World of Birds or the busy harbour with its fishing boats, jewellery shops, and souvenir vendors.  You could even catch a boat to go and visit Duiker Island where there is a colony of Seals.

The Cape Town City Tour for children and/ or the young at heart. We can adapt the Mother City tour for the children by adding a one or more of the following:

• A boat ride around Table Bay Harbour.
• A fun ride on the Big Wheel at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
• A visit the Two Oceans Aquarium.
• A walk up the Green Point Lighthouse (a bit scary, but you will love it!).
• A visit to an Ostrich Farm, where you can enjoy a very interesting tour and get to sit on an Ostrich. This will also include a visit to the world famous Blaauwberg Beach where the most beautiful pictures are taken of Table Mountain across Table Bay.
• A fun excursion to Acro Branch which is fun for the more mature and young alike.

For the folk keen on Adventure Travel, we can enjoy half a day of culture and history and spend some time doing a few of the following activities:

• For the brave, Abseil (Propel) down Table Mountain!
• For the more adventurous go Paragliding off Lions Head or Signal Hill
• Skim across the waves in a 12 seater, high-speed inflatable boat.
• Enjoy a spectacular helicopter flip over the Peninsula.
• Zip line along the slopes of the Constantia Berg Mountains, this is really great fun and the scenery is lovely!

For the more romantic at heart.

• Savour a sun-downer aboard a yacht on a cruise along the coast!

The possibilities are endless!