Everybody has a list. A bucket list, travel list, a hit list (jk). Something special holds the top spot, something that makes you more excited and giddy than every other option. For years, South Africa has held that spot on my list. Despite constant eagerness, this trip just wasn’t in the cards until recently, and I think it worked out for the best. I’m not sure I would have fully appreciated it in years prior. This place is really something special - it has everything you could ask for: urban life, nature, adventure, history, culture, good people, great food, and on and on. You can see why it’s becoming such a hot spot for travelers. There is little to debate, now is the time to visit the Mother City!
1. South Africa
I’m just going to come out and say it. 91 Loop. Best. Hostel. Ever. This place and their people made me feel at home, 8,000 miles from home. Located in central downtown, it’s a 22 km drive from the airport. While there are public transit options to get from the airport to downtown, I recommend using Uber or coordinating a pickup with the hostel for R180/$13.
Highlights: There is so much I loved about this place. The organization and cleanliness, friendly guests, convenient location, security (security guard at the front door at all times, key card access to dorms), transit for hire, restaurant and travel agent located in-house, housekeeping, free breakfast, daily social events, 24 hour front desk, large lockers… Need I say more? I have to single out the staff though. These people greeted me by name every morning and engaged in conversation like we were long-time friends. On multiple occasions they took me out at night, making sure I was safe and not wondering the city alone. They upped my experience from a 10 to a 20 (out of 10).
Downsides: As great as the in-house restaurant is… I would much prefer a kitchen, as I try to save money while traveling by grocery shopping and cooking. Luckily, dining out in SA costs a fraction of what it does in the states. Nonetheless, a kitchen can still be useful for travelers who are following a restricted diet.
Price:
- R340/night ($24) for ‘deluxe’ pod-experience dorm (pictured second above). This room was awesome, and a great place to spend the night after 25 hours of flying and airports. The pods are super private and quiet, the room has AC (exclusive to this room), and ample bathroom space.
- R250/night ($18) for 6-bed mixed dorm with en suite bathroom.
- R300/night ($22) for 8-bed female dorm with en suite bathroom.
(Yes, I did lots of room hopping)! Note: these prices fluctuate with days of the week and holidays.
There are several options to get around Cape Town. The most convenient, in my view, is to Uber. It is extremely cheap around the city and to major attractions (most rides being $3-$5). Additionally, you don’t have to worry about parking or car theft, and you can gather intel from the kind locals. UberPool and Lyft do not operate in Cape Town.
Another option for getting around the city is to use the local bus system, MyCiTi. Routes will take you to the immediate attractions, like the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain, Camps Bay and Clifton Beach. Fare works on a distance/time-based system. Tourists are often not recommended to use the public transit after dark due to safety concerns.
Last, if you plan to leave the immediate city, it may be best to rent a car using Turo or an agency. However, there are many tour agencies and guided attractions that offer transport for an additional, usually reasonable, fee.
Kirstenbosch Garden: The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is a relaxing way to settle into the Mother City. Spend a few hours wandering the grounds, admiring the diverse plants draped against the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. An Uber from downtown will run about R100 ($8), and admission is a mere R70 ($5). Consider joining one of the free tours and learning about the fynbos and forest of Kirstenbosch. Take a moment to read about the history of Kirstenbosch; like many sights in Cape Town it is deeply rooted in colonialism.
Shark Diving: The fishing village of Gansbaai is home to Shark Alley - one of the sharkiest places in the world - and my main motivation for wanting to visit the Rainbow Nation all these years. In particular, there’s a large Great White Shark population that patrols the area. I chose to book a dive with White Shark Diving Company due to their excellent reviews and commitment to research and conservation. The experience began with getting picked up in Cape Town at 6am and making the two hour drive to Gansbaai. Breakfast was served while guests underwent a safety briefing. The dive site is a quick 10 minute cruise from the harbor. After arriving, guests suit up while the staff works to attract the sharks. Once present, guests take turns in the 8-person cage. A month before my arrival, a pod of orcas, one of the only predators of Great Whites, moved into the area and chased the White sharks away. They remain absent to this day, likely due to how long the scent of the orcas stays in the water. However, all was not lost. With the White sharks gone, Copper sharks have made their presence known. On the day of my dive, we had a group of about 15 at the boat, ranging in length from 3 to 3.5 meters. These guys were super playful and hung around the cage for hours. It’s a bit of a rarity to dive with the Copper shark, as they don’t typically feed at the surface. After the dive, guests are served lunch, shown their dive video, and transported back to Cape Town. I found the value of the experience to far exceed the cost. Including the additional fee for transport, the trip ran R2450 ($173), a fraction of what an equivalent experience would cost in the states or Australia.
Table Mountain: There are many ways to to ‘do’ Table Mountain, and I think I experienced the perfect trifecta. Probably the most common way is to take the cable car, which will burn a R330 ($24) sized hole in your wallet for a round trip ticket. During peak season the queues are insane, and the entire experience seems rather crowded. Be conscious of weather as the cableway will stop running if it is too windy. Alternatively, there are multiple hikes of varying difficulty and length that will also take you to the top. Now, here’s how you achieve the trifecta: show up early and take the cable car to the top. Rappel down the mountain, and rock climb your way back up. Finish it off with a hike down to the bottom.
Pulling off the climb requires a bit of prep work and expertise. I contacted Vertigo Adventures and coordinated a guide to take me climbing and provide equipment. We climbed ‘Jacobs Ladder’, a multi-pitch trad climb. The route was neither too hard nor too easy, which allowed me to have fun with it while enjoying the epic views. I’ll certainly be hard-pressed to find another outdoor climb with better sights. Climbing with Tristan for the day was laid-back and stress free; I cannot recommend him highly enough! I learned a ton and at no point felt uncomfortable or unsafe.
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Lion’s Head: Lion’s Head is a 2.6 mile (4.2km) Cape Town classic. I was slightly apprehensive about hiking alone after being told many times not to, but the trail is so popular I never came close to being alone. The earlier you can arrive, the better - I Ubered there and back without issue. Not because you’ll be able to beat the crowd, but the sun, rather. Lion’s Head is like a cone that juts up from the earth, and the trail spirals around it until you reach the tip. There are two parts and two variations to this hike. Part 1 is an easy ascent around the base. Part 2 presents the two variations. Both begin with a short section that require ladders to progress. Thereafter you choose either the more direct route (but with more ladders, and long queues to get on the ladders) or the longer route (my choice - keep to the left when you reach the split!) with fewer ladders but a fair amount of scrambling. The hike is short but the sun is relentless, so bring ample water. The 360 degree views at the top are priceless. Sit in a quiet spot long enough and you’ll find the lizards and dossies while everyone else poses for the perfect ’gram!
Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, and Boulder’s Beach: After much adventure a rest day was in order. These attractions are more of your standard siteseeing activities. Since they are a fair driving distance from Cape Town, I booked a day tour (Cape Point & Penguin Explorer Tour) with City Sightseeing. A lot of the day is spent in the bus, but the narration was generally interesting. Cape Point is lovely to see, but quite overcrowded for what it actually is. Don’t be fooled into thinking you’ve reached the southern most part of Africa here, that is a myth, and can actually be found at Cape Agulhas. Boulder’s Beach is home to an adorable colony of endangered African penguins. I was surprised to find the surrounding area to be entirely developed with housing and public beaches. A bit of a juxtaposition to have an endangered species living amongst the things that threaten them most. The day tour costs R720($52), plus there is an additional fee of R152($11) required to see the penguins.
*A note on safety
Cape Town doesn’t have to be any more dangerous than any other city you visit if you take a few (mostly routine) precautions. Petty crimes do occur in the city - particularly pick pocketing and car theft - so lock your car and take all valuables, and don’t flaunt your electronics and money. Don’t venture out at night alone, especially as a solo female, and use Uber when you do go out. Be aware of your surroundings when withdrawing cash at ATMs. The ‘worst’ I experienced was some unwanted male attention when walking through the city during the day, but that’s not something unique to Cape Town, and wasn’t occurring in excess. There are many safety officers that patrol the streets, day and night. While it is true there is gang-related violence, this is largely constrained to the townships outside of the city. With your wits about you, it’s unlikely to experience an adverse event.
