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Discover the "Big Five" as part of your South African trek
Things to do in Cape Town
After exploring the untamed corners of Kruger Park, you'll probably be ready to seize on the sophisticated life of Cape Town, South Africa's gorgeous "Mother City." It's a two-hour flight from remote Kruger Mpumalanga Airport to teeming Cape Town International Airport, but don't expect a break from mother nature – towering mountains and exquisite vegetation, not to mention baboons and penguins, can be found right on the doorstep of this increasingly popular metropolis. In fact, it's a good idea to save South Africa's Western Cape Region for the last leg of your trip so as not to render everything else anticlimactic.
Like Johannesburg, it's best to get your bearings here with a panoramic city view, courtesy of a dramatic cable car trip to the top of the city's signature landmark, Table Mountain (daily 8.30am–sunset; $18.50). The rotating action of the cable car affords 360-degree views of the city and the Cape Peninsula. When you get a glimpse of the city's surroundings from this spectacular vantage point, you'll understand why JRR Tolkein, author of The Lord of the Rings, divined inspiration for Middle Earth not from New Zealand (where the trilogy was filmed), but from the rugged peaks and misty forests of his native South Africa.
Nestled at the base of Table Mountain, Cape Town's compact, walkable city center stands in sharp contrast to the rambling expanse of Joburg, 883 miles away. Saunter down St. George's Mall, taking in street musicians and café society, or amble up Government Avenue to visit some of the city's best museums, galleries and gardens. Don't miss the District Six Museum (Mon 9am–3pm, Tue–Sat 9am–4pm; free; 25A Buitenkant St.), which documents the manner in which the residents of District Six, a once thriving neighborhood in Cape Town's city center, were forcibly removed at the height of the Apartheid era. The museum is housed in an old Methodist church, one of the few buildings to survive demolition.
The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, which features over 250 shopping outlets, dozens of great restaurants, and the Two Oceans Aquarium (daily 9.30am–6pm; $10.50; Dock Rd. and V&A Waterfront), has helped restore Cape Town's maritime roots and become one of the city's most visited attractions. Nearby, the V&A clock tower is the departure point for tours of Robben Island (daily hourly departures between 9am and 3pm; $25), the penal colony where Nelson Mandela was held during the darkest decades of apartheid. Guides who did time as political prisoners themselves lead a three-and-a-half-hour tour to the offshore isle; the price covers a ferry ride (7.5 miles each way), a 45-minute bus tour, and a visit to the maximum-security facility where Mandela spent 27 years in a tiny cell that measured just 54 square feet.
No visit to Cape Town would be complete without spending some time at the friendly Langa Township, the oldest township in South Africa. Thuthuka Tours (+27-21-439-2061) runs half-day tours led by locals who actually live in this enormous neighborhood on the other side of Table Mountain. You'll enjoy a buffet lunch of delicious African dishes like dumplings, mogodu (tripe) and ting (soft porridge) before visiting a Sangoma, a traditional Zulu healer who "listens" to the bones of her ancestors to hear messages about the future. The tour also includes a visit to the Khayelitsha Craft Market, where crafts, pottery and brightly colored fabric paintings are available for sale.
Cape Town's Beaches
Don't forget to work on your tan. Often referred to as the African Riviera, Cape Town's gloriously sexy beach scene is based around Clifton Bay, which encompasses a series of four white sand beaches, each separated by jagged outcrops of granite boulders. Each beach is numbered: beaches one and two are where the chic and stylish play in semi-secluded splendor, beach three is favored by gays and lesbians, and beach four is the most family-friendly. The first three, hidden by apartments and hotels, are accessible by steps winding down from the coast road. The fourth is the largest and most popular, with ample parking and refreshment facilities. Of course, most beachgoers are here to be seen, not to swim—Atlantic Ocean temperatures are generally quite frigid. Thick skinned surfers frequent Camps Bay, a popular beach on the west side of Table Mountain lined with a promenade of restaurants, sophisticated shops and shaded picnic areas.
