Page 14 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

12  INTRODUCING SOUTH AFRIC A

2 Days in Cape Town prison where Nelson Mandela
was detained for 18 years by
the apartheid regime, which is
One of the world’s most now a UNESCO World Heritage
beautiful cities, Cape Town Site. You will be back at the V&A
has an inspirational Waterfront in time for a
harbourfront setting below seafood dinner.
majestic Table Mountain.
• Arriving All flights land at To extend your trip…
Cape Town International Pick as many of the day
Airport, 20 km (12 miles) east excursions included in the
of the city centre. Taxis are Western Cape tour (below)
available to take you to the The Table Mountain cableway, one of Cape as you need to fill your time.
city centre, and there are also Town’s unmissable experiences
cheaper shuttles and buses.
must-visit landmarks flanking 10 Days in the
• Transport A popular way of the garden are the Iziko South Western Cape
getting around is the tourist- African National Gallery
oriented, hop-on-hop-off, (see p135), with its renowned Using Cape Town as a base,
open-top City Sightseer collection of contemporary and explore the magnificent
Cape Town bus, which classic artworks, and Iziko Slave seascapes, winelands and
connects the V&A Waterfront Lodge (see p128), a poignant other natural attractions of
to most other sites of museum housed in Cape Town’s the Western Cape.
interest. There are also second-oldest building. • Arriving Cape Town Inter-
normal buses, and taxis
readily available. Organized Day 2 national Airport (see 2 Days
day tours are also easy Morning The Castle of in Cape Town, above).
to arrange. Good Hope (see p130), now a • Transport Central Cape
museum, is the oldest standing Town can be explored using
building in South Africa and public transport. Sites
Day 1 requires at least 90 minutes further afield are better
Morning The cableway to the to explore. A couple of blocks suited to self-drive or to
top of Table Mountain (see away, the superb District organized tours.
p136) runs only in clear weather, Six Museum (see p129)
so if dawn breaks brightly, it commemorates the mixed-race
is advisable to start your District Six suburb, which was Days 1–3: Cape Town
exploration of the city there. razed in the name of apartheid Follow the 2 Days in Cape Town
Allow three to four hours for the in the 1970s. itinerary (above), then enjoy
round trip, so you have time to another day in the City Bowl,
follow the well-marked trail Afternoon Following a taking in the Victorian
system at the summit, which harbourfront lunch at one of architecture of trendy Long
offers spectacular views across the dozens of eateries that line Street (see p126), the hillside
the City Bowl to Table Bay, and the V&A Waterfront (see Malay enclave of Bo-Kaap (see
the opportunity to see wildlife p140), join a guided four-hour p133) and the impressive and
such as rock hyrax, Chacma tour to Robben Island (see thoroughly enjoyable Two
baboon and various fynbos p146–7), the high security Oceans Aquarium (see p143).
birds. And while you’re up there,
it will be difficult to resist a late
morning snack or light lunch at
the scenically located cafe next
to the upper cableway.
Afternoon It is easy to spend
an afternoon in the vicinity of
the Company’s Garden (see
p134), which was founded by Jan
van Riebeeck in 1652, and is now
the largest green area in the City
Bowl. Bordering the garden, the
Iziko South African Museum
(see p135) is notable for its fine
collection of prehistoric rock art
and a marine section including a
mounted whale skeleton. Other The Company’s Garden, a tranquil green space in the heart of Cape Town
For practical information on travelling around South Africa, see pp436–441

012-017_EW_South_Africa.indd 12 25/05/17 2:53 pm